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US Citizen Charged with Plotting to Assassinate Bush
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=BC9A89:2AB91D3

Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, who spent time in Saudi Arabia, has been accused
of conspiring with the al-Qaida terrorist network and taking part in a
plot to assassinate President Bush A U.S. citizen who spent time in
Saudi Arabia has been accused of conspiring with the al-Qaida
terrorist network and taking part in a plot to assassinate President
Bush.  A six-count indictment against the man was unsealed in a
federal court outside Washington.

The indictment contends that Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, 23, a one-time
resident of Virginia, pursued religious studies in Saudi Arabia in
2000 and returned to the kingdom in 2002 to aid and join forces with
the al-Qaida network.

The document says Mr. Abu Ali discussed plans to assassinate President
Bush with several unidentified co-conspirators.  The indictment
said the accused man received a religious blessing to carry out the
alleged plot that involved shooting the president or detonating an
explosive. 

The indictment also says the defendant received weapons training and
instruction in document falsification from known al-Qaida figures.

Saudi authorities detained Mr. Abu Ali in 2003 and held him until
earlier this month, when he was transported to the United States to
face charges.

The defendant did not enter a plea in his initial court appearance,
but said he had been tortured while detained in Saudi Arabia, even
offering to show the judge scars from alleged mistreatment.  The
judge told Mr. Abu Ali he would not be tortured in any way while in
federal custody.

Supporters of the defendant jeered and laughed when the charges were
read in court.  Speaking with reporters afterward, one supporter
characterized the charges as the latest in a coordinated campaign by
U.S. authorities against Muslim citizens.

"This [indictment] is as bogus as it can be and the government knows
that it is lying through its teeth.  Unfortunately, this [U.S.]
Justice Department has really lost our respect as a community," he
said.

News reports quote family members of the defendant as saying they
believe he was held for an extended period of time in Saudi Arabia so
that abusive interrogation methods could be used against him that
would be illegal in the United States. 

U.S. officials have not commented on the matter.

If convicted, Mr. Abu Ali could face up to 80 years in prison.