CAIRO, July 2 (IslamOnline.net) - US federal agents raided an Islamic institute in Northern Virginia on Thursday, July 1, with no reasons cited, a move seen by an American Muslim civil rights group as a "new fishing expedition".

Agents from the FBI, Internal Revenue Service and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) swarmed into the premises of the Institute for Islamic and Arabic Sciences in Merrifield and interrogated all employees inside, Arsalan Iftikhar, a lawyer of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told IslamOnline.net Friday, July 2, over the phone from Washington.

He said authorities interviewed institute staffers individually until mid-afternoon but did not detain anyone.

The lawyer noted that no reasons were cited for the raid, expressing doubts that any charges would eventually be filed.

Iftikhar, the director of legal affairs for CAIR, arrived on the scene after one of the institute’s employees called the civil rights group during the raid.

The number of agents drew the attention of neighbors and TV crews, who recorded the event.

TV images showed the agents getting out of the building with boxes that were later said carrying computers.

Founded in 1989, the institute is reportedly affiliated with Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

It offers free courses in Islamic studies and Arabic.

Agents declined to disclose the nature of the raid, saying the search warrant of institute is still sealed.

The raid was possibly linked to the recent conviction of 11 members of the so-called Virginia Jihad Network, said a Muslim American leader, requesting anonymity.

He said some of the convicted men, who were sentenced a few weeks ago on charges of plotting attacks in Kashmir, Chechnya, the Philippines and other countries, had studied and regularly visited the institute.

Earlier this year, 16 Saudis affiliated with the institute had their diplomatic passports revoked.

State Department officials said they were teaching at the institute rather than serving as diplomats.

The department later declined to renew their residence visas.

The Muslim leader said all of the Saudi officials in the institute have left the country since.

Michael Petruzzello, whose public relations firm represents the Saudi Embassy, was quoted by the Washington Post as saying Friday that US officials are examining the visa status of the six remaining staff members, who are not Saudis.

The Post said Saudi Embassy in Washington sponsored the institute before revoking the privilege in December.

The Islamic Section in the Saudi Embassy declined to comment, saying they have received no information from the federal authorities on the raid.

"We are not aware of the raid," one official told IOL before hanging up.

Ibrahim Hooper, the execute director of CAIR, the largest Muslim American civil advocacy group, voiced concerns that the act could be nothing but a "fishing expedition".

"We are concerned that this could be nothing but a fishing expedition, in which the whole case would end up with nothing in evidence [against the institute]," he told IOL over phone.

Hooper recalled raids on a variety of Muslim businesses and charities over the past few years as part of a broad investigation into alleged financing of terrorist activities.

He stressed that no charges have been filed against those charities.

The federal authorities had raided the office of an Islamic group in Northern Virginia citing allegations of links to terrorism. But no charges were later filed without explanation.

"This is damaging to the reputation of American Muslims, and [pushes] the American public to unfairly associate Islam with terrorism," said Iftikhar, noting that the raids by federal authorities have increased since the September 11 attacks.