FBI Raids Ghanaian Shop In Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - About 20 federal agents wearing jackets that said FBI Terrorism Task Force raided an African market in a strip mall Wednesday night, searching the store for about four hours.

Kwabena Yeboah, owner of the Berekum African Market on the city's north side, was angry and confused after the agents and Columbus police officers left about 10:30 p.m.

"I don't have anything that is illegal or anything to hide," he said.

FBI spokesman James Turgal said the bureau had a court order to search the market. He said the order was sealed and declined to give any more details because the search was part of a federal investigation.

Agents and police at the store refused to comment, referring questions to Turgal.

Yeboah(pictured, left) 39, said the agents did not take anything from the store, and he did not know what they were looking for.

"Why don't you ask them?" Yeboah said about the agents.

The small store appeared to be undamaged after the search, with rows of food untouched and check-out counter undisturbed. Yeboah said he came to the United State about four years ago from Ghana, a western African nation.

Yeboah said he was out of town when the agents arrived about 6:30 p.m. and didn't get to the store until about 10 p.m.

No one from the store was arrested, Yeboah said.

"No one was taken into custody because we don't have anything illegal here," he said. "Mostly we sell only food."

After agents left, Yeboah pulled a truck in front of the store, and he and a friend unloaded boxes of produce.

Donovan Madenwald, who manages a Rent-A-Center in the same strip mall, said he has never noticed anything out of the ordinary at the market. He said it stays "busy enough to create a parking problem for us."

Madenwald did not see the raid.

"I saw a guy getting patted down, but I didn't see any activity," he said.

Two police dogs were at the scene, one from the Columbus airport police and one from the FBI. Columbus police officers put up orange tape outside the store and told people to stay about 30 feet back.