US Authorities Capture Radioactive 'Dirty Bomb' Suspect

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, June 11, 2002

US Authorities Capture Radioactive 'Dirty Bomb' Suspect

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Law enforcement authorities in the United States captured a U.S. citizen with suspected ties to al Qaeda who was plotting to build and detonate a radioactive "dirty bomb" in the United States, the Justice Department announcedon Monday.

Abdullah Al Mujahir, also known as Jose Padilla, was detained on May 8 as he flew into Chicago's O'Hare International Airport from Pakistan, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said in a televised announcement from Moscow, where he is meeting with Russian officials to discuss the war on terrorism.

U.S. officials said Washington was the probable target of the plot. But Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Robert Mueller said at a news conference that the plot was still in the "discussion stage" when Mujahir was arrested.

At the same news conference, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wofowitz also said the plot was "not an actual plan," adding that Muhajir was instructed to return to the United States to conduct reconnaissance operations for al Qaeda.

The Justice Department said that Muhajir, who was born in New York, served time in prison in the early 1990s. After his release,he traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan and met with senior al Qaeda officials.

While in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Muhajir received training onhow to wire explosive devices and use radiological dispersion devices, Aschcroft said.

Al Qaida apparently believed that Mujahir would be permitted totravel freely within the United States because he is a U.S. citizen holding a valid U.S. passport, Aschcroft said.

Ashcroft said law enforcement authorities' suspicions about Mujahir came from various sources, while local media reports said the intelligence that led to his arrest came from captured al Qaeda leader Abu Zabaydah during recent interrogations.

Mujahir was transferred from Justice Department to Defense Department custody on Monday morning after officials determined hewas an "enemy combatant" who posed a serious and continuing threatto U.S. citizens.

A "dirty bomb" is a conventional bomb equipped with radioactive material designed to spread over a wide area. It is not necessarily deadlier than a conventional bomb, but panic over radioactivity and evacuation measures could snarl a city, officials said.

The announcement of Mujahir's arrest came as the Bush administration is under growing fire for its failure to act upon information received before September 11 last year about possible terror attacks against the United States.

President George W. Bush used the announcement to praise the embattled intelligence agencies, especially the FBI and the Central Intelligence Agency.

"I can tell you that we have a man detained who is a threat to the country, and that thanks to the vigilance of our intelligence-gathering and law enforcement, he is now off the streets, where heshould be," he told reporters as he met visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

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