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Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Man Arrested For Conspiring To Kill The President

By Rob on February 22, 2005 at 09:02 am
4 Comments
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ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A Virginian who had been detained in Saudi Arabia as a suspected terrorist was charged Tuesday with conspiring to assassinate President Bush and with supporting the al-Qaida terrorist network.

Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, 23, a U.S. citizen, made an initial appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court but did not enter a plea. He contended he was tortured while detained in Saudi Arabia since June 2003 and offered through his lawyer to show the judge his scars.

The federal indictment said that in 2002 and 2003 Abu Ali and an unidentified co-conspirator discussed plans for Abu Ali to assassinate Bush. They discussed two scenarios, the indictment said, one in which Abu Ali "would get close enough to the president to shoot him on the street" and, alternatively, "an operation in which Abu Ali would detonate a car bomb."

The White House had no comment on the indictment.


After Abu Ghraib and all the hubbub about the detainees at Guantanamo Bay I think the "I as tortured" defense is going to be a popular one among terrorists. The terrorists obviously recognize that there is no better way to get people on your side and draw attention away from your own dastardly acts quickly than to accuse the government, and by extension the hated President Bush, of torture/killing civilians/bombing weddings, etc.

This is also of interest.

Abu Ali was born in Houston and moved to Falls Church, Va., a Washington suburb. He was valedictorian of the Islamic Saudi Academy in Alexandria, Va.


Just another example of how mingled mainstream Islam and radical Islamic terrorism have become.

Update:

Wizbang has more.

Comments

Avatar for Andrew

I’d like to know more information on how they came to the conclusion he was a terrorist.  It could be that they tortured a confession out of him.  With programs, such as “extraordinary rendition”, it wouldn’t suprise me if the did in fact torture a confession out of him.  Or like you said he’s just playing a sympathy card.  I’ll have to make sure and follow this story closely.

P.S.  If you want to read a good article on torture, read “Outsourcing Torture” by Jane Mayer in this weeks New Yorker.  Usually the mag is pretty partisan, but this particular article places blame on both the Clinton and Bush administrations.

Andrew on February 22, 2005 at 11:02 am
Avatar for Andrew

Thanks, Chad.  The survellance document is the most alarming.  The other things he was in possession of only make him look suspicious, but shouldn’t be used as proof that he is a terrorist.  I’d also be cautious about any information he gave them while he was tortured, if in fact he truely was tortured.

Andrew on February 22, 2005 at 11:03 am
Avatar for Chad Evans

I’m not sure exactly what evidence they have that ties him to Al Qaida, but having the following in your posession pretty much leads me to believe he is in fact a terrorist.

-- A six page document regarding surveillance by the government and private entities and how to avoid the surveillance;

-- An undated two-page document praising Taliban leader Mullah Omar and the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001;

-- Audio tapes in Arabic promoting violent jihad and the killing of Jews;

-- A book written by Al Qaeda official Ayman al-Zawahiri.

No, this does not indicate you are a terrorist or are plotting to assassinate the sitting U.S. President, it does however reveal what the prosecution can reveal to the public. 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,148338,00.html

Chad Evans on February 22, 2005 at 11:03 am
Avatar for 2Hotel9

If you get arrested in Suadi Arabia, you are going to get tortured. It is an accepted part of their legal and penal systems. Don’t go there and commit crimes, especially if you carry an American passport. This is also true in most other countries with Islamic majority populations. Lowgrade torture is accepted as part of your punishment for getting caught, not for the crime, for getting caught.

2Hotel9 on February 22, 2005 at 04:03 pm
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