Four Canadians are among a group of nine men accused by U.S. officials of attempting to buy surface-to-air missiles from undercover agents for use in a campaign against Sri Lankan government forces.

Officials said police arrested three of the Canadians in New York, and the fourth man was arrested on Monday in southern Ontario. He may be extradited to the U.S., an RCMP official said.

A Tamil rebel fighting instructor hoists the Tamil Tiger flag before conducting military training for civilians in Udayanagar, 250 km north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, on May 17.
(Gemunu Amarasinghe/Associated Press)

The U.S. Department of Justice said two complaints were unsealed in a Brooklyn, N.Y., Federal Court on Monday, charging the three men arrested in the U.S. with multiple crimes, including conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (Tamil Tigers).

The criminal complaints also allege some of the men tried to obtain classified information from federal departments and offered bribes of at least $1 million US to try to get the group removed from the U.S. list of terrorist organizations.

Six of the men appeared at a Federal Court hearing. The material support charge carries a maximum of 15 years in prison, while the bribery charge maximum is five years.

The three Canadians arrested in the U.S. were identified as Sathajhan Sarachandran, Sahilal Sabaratnam and Thiruthanikan Thanigasalam.

They were arrested, along with another man, in Long Island on Saturday after allegedly attempting to purchase SA-18 surface-to-air missiles, missile launchers, AK-47s and other weapons to be used by the Tigers in their conflict against the Sri Lankan military, the Justice Department said.

The fourth Canadian was arrested at an undisclosed location in southern Ontario. He has been identified as Suresh Sriskandarajah, according to the Toronto Star.

RCMP Sgt. Michele Paradis said Sriskandarajah, 26, will probably face an extradition hearing.

"The multi-faceted scheme by members and supporters of the Sri Lankan organization known as the Tamil Tigers demonstrates the need for continued vigilance in the global war against terrorists," U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said in a statement.

'Deadly campaign of violence'

"These defendants allegedly sought to obtain, through a variety of means, weapons and materials, to carry out a deadly campaign of violence. We will use every tool in our power to disrupt the activities of those who seek to harm others, both here and abroad.

Authorities said the men were acting on the directions of senior leadership of the Tigers in Sri Lanka.

An FBI affidavit said Sarachandran told agents he had been in contact with Pottu Amman, who is alleged to have plotted the 1991 suicide bombing that killed former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

In the last month, hundreds have been killed in violent clashes between the Tigers and government security forces, an escalated pace as a 2002 ceasefire has collapsed in recent months.

The rebel group has fought for more than two decades to carve out a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.2 million minority Tamils in the north and east.

The U.S. State Department added the Tamil Tigers to its list of foreign terrorist organizations in 1997, barring the group from raising money, obtaining weapons or lobbying for support in the country.

It was indicated in the news release that the members of the RCMP's national security program and British law enforcement officials had co-operated in the investigation, in addition to several FBI field offices.

With files from the Associated Press