Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : Anthony @ Equity Investigations, Dear Anthony, -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: mmmary who wrote (80105)	9/12/2002 3:13:43 PM
From: Edscharp	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 122087

Mary, "I would think suspicious trades would be unusual short positions in the airline and NY real estate stocks which he told people NOT to short. A few days after 9/11 I remember hearing on the news that some airline stocks had been heavily shorted before 9/11, but I've never heard anything more about it since then. A false report or perhaps there was nothing to it. Airplane stocks were already on the decline at that point and for someone to short such a stock might be very coincidental, but certainly not implausible. Had I thought about it at the time I certainly wouldn't have been averse to shorting airline and real estate stocks after 9/11. I must admit I never understood Elgindy's moral high ground about not shorting these stocks after the fact. If, for instance, Pfizer suddenly announces they are taking all Viagra off the market because of a new report that suggests hundreds of people have died using their product then shorting their stock would seem a completely appropriate business decision based upon the realities of their future expected earnings. I think it would be wrong to assume those people who are shorting the stock are uncaring or callous in regards to the people who may have died from the product. Ditto on post 9/11 short sales. Personal finance and business decisions should be based on an objective assessment of a business and/or the prevailing environmental conditions at a given moment. I don't understand the view that post 911 short sales are inherently immoral, unethical or unpatriotic. I'm not necessarily condemning Elgindy for his view. He's certainly entitled to let his own personal sentiments prevail, but it certainly seemed to me like a 180 degree turn from his previous activities.

To: mmmary who wrote (80105)	9/13/2002 2:37:07 AM
From: StockDung	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 122087

Cleared Terror Suspect Angry at US By LELY T. DJUHARI .c The Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Agus Budiman says he still shakes when he recalls his seven months in captivity in a U.S. federal prison accused of aiding the Sept. 11 hijackers. Now, back at home in Jakarta and cleared of involvement in the terror attacks, the 31-year-old unemployed architect remains angry at Washington. After interrogation, imprisonment and court proceedings, a U.S. district court judge in May confirmed what Budiman had maintained all along: There was no evidence linking him to the attacks in any meaningful way. The judge sentenced Budiman to seven months in jail on one count of document fraud, a crime which he admitted to. The jail term was equal to the time he had already served. He was then deported back to Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation. Criticism is mounting in many Islamic countries and elsewhere against the U.S. government for allegedly curtailing the civil rights of the 1,200 mainly Muslim detainees rounded up in the United States after Sept. 11. There have also been protests against several countries in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia and Singapore, for their detention without trial of dozens of suspects allegedly linked to al-Qaida. ``I was close to a nervous breakdown by the end of my time there,'' Budiman said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday. ``I still suffer from anxiety attacks. If I am in a small room, I start to shake. I have trouble breathing.'' Budiman's lawyer, Wirawan Adnan, said his client was a victim of guilt by association. ``Things were blown out of all proportion,'' Adnan said. ``He was pilloried and abused by the American press. Budiman was cleared of the charges but what kind of justice did he get from the United States?'' U.S. authorities say they had reason to be suspicious of Budiman because he knew Mohammad Atta, one of the organizers of the Sept. 11 hijackings. Budiman also has been linked with Ramsi Binalshibh, who allegedly transferred thousands of dollars to the hijackers, and Muhammed bin Nasser Belfas, who was said to be the group's ideological leader. Budiman admitted to meeting the three men in the German cities of Hamburg and Bremen during the early 1990s, where he was studying architecture. ``There was a very lively Muslim community. We helped out each other,'' he said. Budiman said he helped Atta move into a new house. Several years later, after he had moved to the United States, he falsely certified that Belfas was living at his address in Arlington, Va. This allowed Belfas to apply for an identification card. The address was later used on several visa applications by the Sept. 11 hijackers - something Budiman denies any knowledge of. Budiman said his life changed dramatically on Sept. 17 when two F.B.I. agents banged on his apartment door. They wanted to question him for ``a couple of minutes'' and showed photos of the alleged Sept. 11 hijackers. ``The couple of minutes turned out to be two hours, and this was followed by another interrogation from midnight until 7 a.m.'' Budiman said. ``I felt helpless because I didn't understand the procedures. I never had a criminal record in Germany or in the United States or anywhere else.'' Budiman said he was put into solitary confinement for a week in a 40-square-foot cell. ``This was the worst point of my life. It was the dirtiest, smelliest place I have ever been in,'' he said. ``The mattress was thin, insect-infested and breaking into pieces.'' He said he was held in several detention centers but spent most of his time in custody in Alexandria, Va. Budiman claimed he was not advised of his rights or told that he could have an attorney present during the initial interrogation. When he was first charged with document fraud, an attorney was appointed to represent him. But he quit the case during the preliminary hearing after it became clear that the allegations were indirectly related to the Sept. 11 attacks. Budiman then hired a private attorney who told him he should have been advised of his rights. Budiman claimed he was later forced to sign an agreement not to sue the U.S. government over that issue. He said he also waived the right to appeal or fight extradition. ``I had to sign because I didn't have any other choice,'' Budiman said. ``I was cornered.'' He also complained that he felt abandoned by the Indonesian Embassy in Washington. ``They all ran away from me. Nobody would touch me,'' Budiman said. Budiman said all he wants now is a quiet life and to spend more time with his family. Still, he recently met with senior Indonesian government ministers and legislators to complain about his treatment. ``It is not time to criticize the U.S. government,'' Budiman said. ``But I desperately want to get my name cleared and my life back.'' 09/13/02 02:17 EDT