Bomb suspect, Broward man spoke, FBI says

Miami Herald Online ^ | Saturday, June 29, 2002 | BY DAVID KIDWELL

[JohnHuang2]

Bomb suspect, Broward man spoke, FBI says BY DAVID KIDWELL dkidwell@herald.com

A Sunrise man arrested on immigration charges June 12 had several telephone contacts with suspected dirty bomber Jose Padilla in the months prior to Padilla's trip to the United States, according to federal sources involved in the probe.

Authorities believe the connections between Padilla and Adham Amin Hassoun -- with his own ties to Islamic extremist groups -- bolster FBI suspicions of a broader network of terrorist operatives still working in the United States.

''They are trying to intimidate him into helping them,'' said Hassoun's lawyer, Akhtar Hussain. ``And he really has no information. Neither he nor his family understand what is happening.'' Continues.

[JohnHuang2]

Saturday, June 29, 2002

Quote of the Day by for-q-clinton

[Catspaw]

If I remember correctly, Padilla was in Pakistan, then Switzerland, then back to Pakistan, then back to Switzerland during this time period. It wasn't like he was in Fort Lauderdale and just picked up the phone to call his good buddy.

[cgk]

bump

Mrs K

[browardchad]

If I remember correctly, Padilla was in Pakistan, then Switzerland, then back to Pakistan, then back to Switzerland

Most recently (before leaving for the US), he was in Cairo, then Switzerland, then Cairo. He had a wife & kids in Cairo, supposedly. Before that he was in Pakistan. In any case, he wasn't calling from the U.S, that's for sure.

[browardchad]

In a 1996 symposium at Barry University, Hassoun spoke as a member of the American Islamic Group, Hamas, a now defunct San Diego group denounced by authorities as supporting terrorist since the first attacks on the World Trade Center in 1993.

Ah yes, Barry University. Remember Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin, president of Barry U., who facilitated the meeting of the grandmothers and encouraged the return of Elian Gonzalez to his father in Cuba?

No surprise that Barry U. would host Hamas, either.

[Catspaw]

I couldn't remember which countries Padilla (with no visible signs of support) was travelling to & from, but I did know it wasn't a local call.

[browardchad]

I couldn't remember which countries Padilla (with no visible signs of support) was travelling to & from, but I did know it wasn't a local call.

The media has been emphasizing the Pakistan connection, for good reason. I think it's also important to point out the Cairo connection -- since Egypt is such a good friend to the U.S. </sarcasm

[Catspaw]

Zawahiri, bin Laden's right hand guy, got his terrorist start in Egypt. It's too bad they couldn't nail him for Sadat's murder--he served a few years on a lesser charge & they had to pop him. I think this is the name of the group he was in (and I believe it has ties to al Qaeda): Gama’a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group).