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| Saudi student appears in US court | |
| 2011-02-27 | |
[Arab News] Khalid Ali M. Aldawsari, the college student from Soddy Arabia accused of buying chemicals online as part of a plan to blow up key US targets, including the home of former President George W. Bush, appeared in federal court in Texas on Friday.
Aldawsari made his initial appearance in federal court in Lubbock on Friday morning. Legally admitted into the United States in 2008 on a student visa and is enrolled at South Plains College near Lubbock, Texas. Aldawsari faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. Rod Hobson, his attorney, declined to comment as he left the courtroom in Lubbock. In a statement, he said the "eyes of the world are on this case" and how Aldawsari is treated. "This is America, where everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence, due process, effective representation of counsel and a fair trial," Hobson's statement reads. The purpose of Aldawsari's court appearance Friday was to ensure the basics. Mark White, the media coordinator for the FBI's Dallas office, told Arab News by phone that the initial court appearance "is to make sure he identifies himself, understood the criminal charges that have been filed against him, and to make sure he has an attorney." White said a detention hearing for Aldawsari is set for March 11. Judge Nancy Koenig asked the 20-year-old if he understood the charges against him, and ordered him to remain in jug until the March 11 detention hearing. "We have 40,000 students from Soddy Arabia in the US," Moody Al-Khalaf, Director of Culture and Social Affairs at the Cultural Mission at the Embassy of Soddy Arabia told Arab News. "Despite all the events we do here for positive outreach and all the tremendous efforts by the thousands of students all over the US ... an incident like this gets everyone worked up against the Saudis and Islam. "I don't know if the accusations are true or not, but they are enough to get everyone talking anti-Saudi and anti-Islam again," said Al-Khalaf, adding that Aldawsari was a sponsored SABIC student, and was not sponsored by the Saudi Embassy. "He was quiet. I thought he was a good guy," said Ahmed Obaidan, a senior at Tennessee State University who is also from Soddy Arabia and met Aldawsari in Nashville, Tenn., when Aldawsari was studying at an English language center at Vanderbilt University. Shauna Dunlap, Media Relations Coordinator with the FBI in Houston, Texas, told Arab News that because Aldawsari had allegedly threatened former President George W. Bush, the FBI's Dallas office was now involved since that is where the Bush now lives. The arrest and the criminal complaint against Aldawsari, which was unsealed in the Northern District of Texas, were announced by David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; James T. Jacks, US Attorney for the Northern District of Texas; and Robert E. Casey Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Dallas Field Division. According to the affidavit filed in support of the complaint, Aldawsari has been researching online how to construct an IED using several chemicals as ingredients. He has also acquired or taken a substantial step toward acquiring most of the ingredients and equipment necessary to construct an IED and he has conducted online research of several potential US targets, the affidavit alleges. In addition, he has allegedly described his desire for violent jihad and martyrdom in blog postings and a personal journal. "As alleged in the complaint, Aldawsari purchased ingredients to construct an bomb and was actively researching potential targets in the United States. Thanks to the efforts of many agents, analysts, and prosecutors, this plot was thwarted before it could advance further," said Assistant Attorney General Kris. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 Probably wanted the points on his credit card. |
| Posted by: Steven 2011-02-27 13:14 |
| #2 What kind of idiot buys chemicals for a bomb? If you are going to break the law, go whole hog and steal the chemicals. Thank God that our enemies are stupid. |
| Posted by: Mike Ramsey 2011-02-27 10:40 |
| #1 Maybe the DHS should be examining visa allocations and developing background profiles of those issued instead of copng feels at the airport. |
| Posted by: Jaiger Protector of the Bunions8239 2011-02-27 09:25 |