U.S. Arrests Alleged Terrorist
Mon Jun 10,10:53 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. government has arrested an alleged al Qaida terrorist who plotted
to build and detonate a radiological "dirty" bomb, Attorney General John Ashcroft ( news - web sites)
said Monday.
Ashcroft said Abdullah Al Mujahir was in the custody of the U.S. military and
being treated as an enemy combatant, suggesting plans for the first military
tribunal of an alleged terrorist.
The attorney general, who was in Moscow, made the announcement through
a television hookup.
Ashcroft said Al Mujahir, also known as Jose Padilla, was arrested May 8 as
he flew from Pakistan into Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
"We have disrupted an unfolding terrorist plot to attack the United States by exploding a radioactive
dirty bomb," Ashcroft said.
Ashcroft said the government's suspicions about Mujahir's plans came from "multiple, independent,
corroborating sources."
The attorney general said Mujahir had served prison time in the United States in the early 1990s, then
traveled to Afghanistan ( news - web sites) and Pakistan during 2001 and met with al Qaida officials.
Ashcroft said Mujahir "trained with the enemy, including studying how to wire explosive devices and
researching radiological dispersion devices."
Ashcroft said al Qaida apparently believed that Mujahir would be permitted to travel freely within the
United States because of his U.S. citizenship and because he carried a U.S. passport.
The probable target of Mujahir's plans to detonate the bomb was Washington, according to a U.S.
official speaking on condition of anonymity. The plot was not believed to have passed the early
planning stages.
Another government official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity, said the intelligence that led to
Mujahir's arrest came from captured al Qaida leader Abu Zabaydah during recent interrogations.
The official said Mujahir is a former Chicago street gang member who served time in prison in the
1990s, converted to Islam and met with al-Qaeda leader in 2001 before returning to the United States.
Mujahir will be detained by the U.S. military as an "enemy combatant," the attorney general said,
setting up the first military tribunal since the Sept. 11 attacks.
"We have acted with legal authority both under the laws of war and clear Supreme Court precedent,
which establishes that the military may detain a United States citizen who has joined the enemy and has
entered our country to carry out hostile acts," Ashcroft said.
..... all I can say is .... "Yikes !!!!!!!!"
Chris |
