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NY terror suspect described meeting with Osama
Buffalo (New York), Jan 24: A New York man accused of attending an al-Qaeda training camp recounted his one-on-one meeting with Osama bin Laden in court documents defence attorneys hope will fend off prosecutors` attempts to keep him jailed for failing to disclose the encounter earlier.
Buffalo (New York), Jan 24:
A New York man accused of attending an al-Qaeda training camp recounted his one-on-one meeting with Osama bin Laden in court documents defence attorneys hope will fend off prosecutors' attempts to keep him jailed for failing to disclose the encounter earlier. In documents filed this week, Sahim Alwan said he was "nervous and afraid" during the Spring 2001 meeting, and changed the subject when the al-Qaeda leader asked whether young American men were willing to go on suicide missions. Alwan, 30, is one of six American men of Yemeni descent arrested last fall for allegedly attending an al-Qaeda training camp near Kandahar, Afghanistan, four months before the September 11 terrorist attacks. The men, all from the Buffalo suburb of Lackawanna, were charged with violating a 1996 law that prohibits giving money, weapons or other tangible support to foreign terrorist organisations. A federal judge in October granted bail to Alwan alone, citing his cooperation and his success at feigning an ankle injury to leave the camp early. Alwan remains jailed because his lawyers and the government have been unable to agree on the terms of his release.
The government now says Alwan should be denied bail because he withheld information from FBI investigators. A hearing on the issue is scheduled for January 30.
Authorities learned of Alwan's meeting with bin Laden from co-defendant Faysal Galab, who pleaded guilty earlier this month to supporting al-Qaeda.
In his confession, Galab also said Alwan had told him to lie to FBI agents if he was asked about their trip to Afghanistan.
Bureau Report
A New York man accused of attending an al-Qaeda training camp recounted his one-on-one meeting with Osama bin Laden in court documents defence attorneys hope will fend off prosecutors' attempts to keep him jailed for failing to disclose the encounter earlier. In documents filed this week, Sahim Alwan said he was "nervous and afraid" during the Spring 2001 meeting, and changed the subject when the al-Qaeda leader asked whether young American men were willing to go on suicide missions. Alwan, 30, is one of six American men of Yemeni descent arrested last fall for allegedly attending an al-Qaeda training camp near Kandahar, Afghanistan, four months before the September 11 terrorist attacks. The men, all from the Buffalo suburb of Lackawanna, were charged with violating a 1996 law that prohibits giving money, weapons or other tangible support to foreign terrorist organisations. A federal judge in October granted bail to Alwan alone, citing his cooperation and his success at feigning an ankle injury to leave the camp early. Alwan remains jailed because his lawyers and the government have been unable to agree on the terms of his release.
The government now says Alwan should be denied bail because he withheld information from FBI investigators. A hearing on the issue is scheduled for January 30.
Authorities learned of Alwan's meeting with bin Laden from co-defendant Faysal Galab, who pleaded guilty earlier this month to supporting al-Qaeda.
In his confession, Galab also said Alwan had told him to lie to FBI agents if he was asked about their trip to Afghanistan.
Bureau Report