US citizen accused of Bush murder plot
23 February 2005
WASHINGTON: A Virginia man, arrested and held in Saudi Arabia, has been returned to the United States to face charges of supporting al Qaeda and accusations of of plotting to kill President George W Bush, court documents say.
Between September 2002 and June 9, 2003, while he was in Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Omar Abu Ali discussed with an unidentified co-conspirator two options for assassinating Bush, according to the 16-page indictment.
They talked about "an operation in which Abu Ali would get close enough to the president to shoot him on the street and. . . an operation in which Abu Ali would detonate a car bomb," the indictment said.
The six-count indictment said Abu Ali received a religious blessing from another co-conspirator to carry out the plan to assassinate Bush.
The indictment charged Abu Ali with providing material support and resources to terrorists, intending they would be used to assassinate Bush.
The indictment also said Abu Ali meant to become a planner of terrorist operations like Mohamed Atta, the September 11, 2001, hijacker accused of being the group's ringleader, and September 11 accused mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
The indictment was filed on February 3. Abu Ali, who last resided in the United States in Falls Church, Virginia, was arrested by Saudi officials on June 9, 2003, and had been held in that country.
If convicted on all of the charges, Abu Ali faces a maximum sentence of 80 years in prison. He was charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and to al Qaeda, and receiving funds and services from al Qaeda.
US Attorney Paul McNulty said, "After the devastating terrorist attack and murders of September 11, the defendant turned his back on America and joined the cause of al Qaeda.
"He now stands charged with some of the most serious offences our nation can bring against supporters of terrorism," McNulty said in a statement.
In July, the parents of Abu Ali filed a lawsuit and said US government officials had their 23-year-old son detained unlawfully in Saudi Arabia for more than a year without any charges. That case is pending before a federal judge in Washington.
According to the lawsuit, Abu Ali graduated in 1999 as valedictorian of his high school class in Virginia. At the time of his arrest in Saudi Arabia, Abu Ali was a student at a Saudi university.
The indictment said that in or around September 2002, Abu Ali advised a co-conspirator whom he had met on previous travels to Medina, Saudi Arabia, of his interest in joining al Qaeda.
It said Abu Ali met with several co-conspirators between September 2002 and June 9, 2003, and told them he was committed to furthering al Qaeda objectives.
The indictment said Abu Ali then received cash payments from an individual associated with al Qaeda to purchase a laptop computer, a cellular telephone and books.
It said the co-conspirators discussed with Abu Ali how he could support al Qaeda, including conducting a terrorist operation and establishing a cell in the United States.
Abu Ali was accused of receiving training in Saudi Arabia in weapons, explosives and document forgery.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3197172a12,00.html
23 February 2005
WASHINGTON: A Virginia man, arrested and held in Saudi Arabia, has been returned to the United States to face charges of supporting al Qaeda and accusations of of plotting to kill President George W Bush, court documents say.
Between September 2002 and June 9, 2003, while he was in Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Omar Abu Ali discussed with an unidentified co-conspirator two options for assassinating Bush, according to the 16-page indictment.
They talked about "an operation in which Abu Ali would get close enough to the president to shoot him on the street and. . . an operation in which Abu Ali would detonate a car bomb," the indictment said.
The six-count indictment said Abu Ali received a religious blessing from another co-conspirator to carry out the plan to assassinate Bush.
The indictment charged Abu Ali with providing material support and resources to terrorists, intending they would be used to assassinate Bush.
The indictment also said Abu Ali meant to become a planner of terrorist operations like Mohamed Atta, the September 11, 2001, hijacker accused of being the group's ringleader, and September 11 accused mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
The indictment was filed on February 3. Abu Ali, who last resided in the United States in Falls Church, Virginia, was arrested by Saudi officials on June 9, 2003, and had been held in that country.
If convicted on all of the charges, Abu Ali faces a maximum sentence of 80 years in prison. He was charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and to al Qaeda, and receiving funds and services from al Qaeda.
US Attorney Paul McNulty said, "After the devastating terrorist attack and murders of September 11, the defendant turned his back on America and joined the cause of al Qaeda.
"He now stands charged with some of the most serious offences our nation can bring against supporters of terrorism," McNulty said in a statement.
In July, the parents of Abu Ali filed a lawsuit and said US government officials had their 23-year-old son detained unlawfully in Saudi Arabia for more than a year without any charges. That case is pending before a federal judge in Washington.
According to the lawsuit, Abu Ali graduated in 1999 as valedictorian of his high school class in Virginia. At the time of his arrest in Saudi Arabia, Abu Ali was a student at a Saudi university.
The indictment said that in or around September 2002, Abu Ali advised a co-conspirator whom he had met on previous travels to Medina, Saudi Arabia, of his interest in joining al Qaeda.
It said Abu Ali met with several co-conspirators between September 2002 and June 9, 2003, and told them he was committed to furthering al Qaeda objectives.
The indictment said Abu Ali then received cash payments from an individual associated with al Qaeda to purchase a laptop computer, a cellular telephone and books.
It said the co-conspirators discussed with Abu Ali how he could support al Qaeda, including conducting a terrorist operation and establishing a cell in the United States.
Abu Ali was accused of receiving training in Saudi Arabia in weapons, explosives and document forgery.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3197172a12,00.html
