Patriot Update

The State Department Wednesday expressed “great respect” for Islamic charitable traditions, but declined a terrorist’s offer to dispatch “doctors, relief and rescue experts, food and medicine” to help Americans affected by super storm Sandy.

“While we have great respect, obviously, for the Islamic tradition of social assistance to those who are in need no matter where they might be, this particular offer strikes us as very hollow,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner told a briefing.

The offer comes from Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the founder of Lashkar e-Toiba (LeT) and the alleged mastermind of the 2008 terrorist assault in Mumbai, India that left 166 people dead, including six Americans.