Posted on 02/23/2005 9:11:17 AM PST by fight_truth_decay
ABC on Tuesday night considered a lawyer's allegation that Ahmed Omar Abu Ali had been tortured just as important as the government's charge that the al-Qaeda member plotted to assassinate President Bush. Peter Jennings teased: "On World News Tonight, an Arab-American is charged with conspiring to assassinate the President. His lawyers say the U.S. let the authorities in Saudi Arabia torture him." Brian Ross began his story not with the charges but with how the suspect's "friends and family were at the courthouse in Virginia this morning, hoping for his release after 20 months in custody in Saudi Arabia" where he had voluntarily gone after graduating a high school in Fairfax County, Virginia. Ross quickly moved to how "his lawyer says his client was tortured into making a false confession" and Ross highlighted how "human rights lawyers say the issue will be one of U.S. tactics." A lawyer complained: "I think the term that's being used for this now is 'torture by proxy.'"
Jim Stewart on the CBS Evening News, Pete Williams on NBC Nightly News and Kelli Arena on CNN's NewsNight all managed to convey the torture charge without leading with it or letting it dominate their stories. Stewart noted how Ahmed Omar Abu Ali wished to go to Iraq to fight U.S. soldiers.
Following the tease quoted above, with "Alleged Plot" as the on-screen heading, Jennings led the February 22 World News Tonight: "Good evening. We're going to begin tonight with an American who was indicted today for allegedly planning to assassinate the President. His lawyers said in a Virginia courtroom that he was tortured while being held in Saudi Arabia. And his family had already filed suit, claiming he was being held in Saudi Arabia at the behest of U.S. authorities. His name is Ahmed Omar Abu Ali. He's 22 years old. Here's ABC's Brian Ross."
Ross began, as corrected against the closed-captioning by the MRC's Brad Wilmouth: "Abu Ali's friends and family were at the courthouse in Virginia this morning, hoping for his release after 20 months in custody in Saudi Arabia."
Omar Abu Ali, father of assassination plot suspect, outside the federal court building in Alexandra, Virginia: "I am glad that Ahmed is back home. I thank Allah almighty."
Ross: "But instead of freedom, the 23-year-old Abu Ali, raised in suburban Washington, was charged in a six-count federal indictment with conspiring to assassinate President Bush and providing material support to al-Qaeda."
Omar Abu Ali: "All of that is lies. They lied to the court."
Ross: "U.S. intelligence officials tell ABC News the Saudis picked up Abu Ali on electronic surveillance telling a suspected al-Qaeda member he wanted to join. Today's indictment alleges, with few specifics, Abu Ali had the 'intent to become a planner of terrorist operations like Mohammed Atta.' The alleged plot against the President involved Abu Ali getting close enough to either shoot him or blow him up with a car bomb."
Ashraf Nubani, attorney for defendant: "He has no role in attempting or conspiring to assassinate anyone."
Ross: "Abu Ali was studying Islam in Medina when taken into custody by Saudi authorities in June 2003 and held in this prison until Sunday. His lawyer says his client was tortured into making a false confession."
Nubani: "He said that they whipped me. And I said, 'Where?' He said, 'On my back.' And I said, 'Show me.' He unbuttoned his jump suit from the front side, and he pulled up his T-shirt from the back, and I could see, you know, the marks. And he said that this was done a few months ago."
Ross: "Prosecutors said Abu Ali had turned his back on America, but human rights lawyers say the issue will be one of U.S. tactics."
Scott Horton, human rights attorney: "I think the term that's being used for this now is 'torture by proxy.'"
Ross: "Meaning?"
Horton: "Meaning that the U.S. can't aggressively interrogate or torture a detainee, so it relies on an ally that uses these practices to do the dirty work for it."
Ross: "Further raising questions about the case, law enforcement officials told ABC News late today that the plans to assassinate President Bush never moved past the talking stage and may not have been seriously thought out. Which is why, Peter, prosecutors did not charge Abu Ali with the much more serious crime of actually assassinating the President."
Or, maybe it's because the President wasn't actually assassinated.
Well I know I don't either, but it's like an earlier poster said, if they get caught their very first response is Torture. And then the media jumps on the bandwagon and accuses American and her soldiers of cruelty, etc. It just becomes very frustrating when there is a plausible explanation. And if he was tortured why do they have to assume someone in America allowed it to happen? And if we did so what? He is a terrorist.
We didn't have to hunt him down. The Saudis got him and had some fun for over a year and a half. I bet he now wishes we'd captured him instead.
Interesting that the father is glad he is back here in the land of the Great Satan, rather than in the Islamic paradise of Saudi Arabia.
Secondly, if he was tortured by the Saudis, how is that our fault? That is a country with routine executions - by beheading - and floggings and amputations. Their justice system is a little different from ours.
Abu Ali is not a last name, it is a nom de guerre.
What is this Jihadi's real name???
..."Further raising questions about the case, law enforcement officials told ABC News late today that the plans to assassinate President Bush never moved past the talking stage and may not have been seriously thought out. Which is why, Peter, prosecutors did not charge Abu Ali with the much more serious crime of actually assassinating the President."....God give me strength....I thought it was against the law to even utter something like this to anyone......If joe blow started talking like this, he could expect a visit from the FBI...so what makes this numbnut any different??
The left wants everyone to be a hyphenated American until they do something wrong, then they lose the hyphen. I'll bet a dollar to a donut Mr. Abu Ali doesn't call himself an American.
It does not sound dumb. And to answer the second part of your question..yes, they do. However, I believe the majority of Americans will just look away in regard to Abu Ali.
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