‘Trader linked to Pak nuclear project also helped Indian clients’

‘‘Be careful to avoid any reference to the customer name,’’ warned one message from Karni’s Indian contact, Raghavendra ‘‘Ragu’’ Rao of Foretek Marketing (Pvt) Ltd. The messages offer a rare glimpse into such dealings. Federal prosecutors filed them in court as part of their attempts to persuade a judge to keep Karni behind bars before his trial. After conferring with US magistrate Judge Alan Kay on Thursday, lawyers for both sides agreed to postpone a bond hearing for Karni until next Tuesday. L. Barrett Boss, one of Karni’s lawyers, declined comment after the hearing.

Karni, 50, has pleaded innocent. Federal agents arrested him on January 1 in Denver. Authorities accuse Karni of using front companies and falsified documents to buy nuclear bomb triggers in the US and ship them to Pakistan.

Rao’s e-mails ask Karni to procure high-tech equipment while concealing that they were meant for the rocket labs. The US restricts exports of missile-related material to the two organisations, the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.

An August 2002 e-mail from Rao to Karni warns him to conceal the final customer of an accelerometer to the LPSC, noting its export is restricted because of its ‘‘possibility of being used in guidance systems for missiles’’. Rao did not respond to AP e-mails seeking comment yesterday. Prosecutors said they found his e-mails while searching a laptop and six disks Karni had when he was arrested. The court files include records of other deals Karni made in Pakistan.