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.
The private academy caters to some wealthy children - a few chauffeurs waited by their cars while their young charges played catch in the afternoon sun yesterday - but Abu Ali's parents, who emigrated from Jordan, appear to come from modest means.
Isn't it in the Alkida handbook to cry "torture" whenever arrested? I'm getting sick of hearing this. And frankly, their cries of "wolf" leave me feeling that I really don't give a damn whether we torture them to death in the future.
Heck CNN ran the story last night and had Assassination Plot with a big "?" behind the charge on onscreen graphics like their was some questions about it.
The ms media is irrelevent and becoming even more irrelevent. If anyone pushes the US too far, we can and will turn their country into glass. I quit getting too excited about the ms media awhile back, it's good for your soul.
Does anybody really listen to what ABC has to say? Jennings is worse than Rather.
A torture a day keeps the terrorist at bay...
If you want to track media bias, or just bad journalism for that matter, count how many media references to the fact that Abu Ali was valedictorian there are relative to media references to what he was valedictorian of.
Ok I may sound dumb here, but couldn't the prosecution argue these marks were self-inflicted? Don't practicing Muslims thrash their own backs with strips of leather tied together during religious ceremonies?
So he voluntarily goes to Saudi Arabia....why let him back in? He's just like thousands of other terrorist who hate the President.
I guess going to the mother land was not such a great idea after all.
The moral of the story is, don't go to Saudi Arabia if you're planning anything illegal. They're not as nice to criminals as we are.
He didn't really say this, did he? What a brain-dead statement.
ABC News has become almost as much a cartoon show as has See-BS.
On a unrelated side note I think U.S. citizeship should be exclusive. Dual citizenship is crap and shows a disrespect for the U.S. If you become naturalized you should denounce whatever citizenship you hold and if you are a born citizen and opt to besome a citizen of another country you denounce the U.S. citizenship.
Then specifically state in the constition that it ( constitution ) applies only to U.S. citizens. I believe that would apply to Peta Jennings et. al.
Exactly. It's like mean Mr. Bush picked on the All-American boy, who is really the victim here.
No, I don't watch Jenning's Peter any more than I do Rathernotbeonmytelevision. Nor is Tom Blowchow allowed there, either.
There is a list of people not allowed on my television. Those 3, Dick Vitale, that miserable little creep that was Clinton's PR secretary before he whored himself to the MSM, Hilarity, the list goes on...
Whoa...I am second to none in thinking of the MSM as venal and stupid, but did Ross really say this?! Last I checked, President Bush was still (thank GOD) alive and giving a fabulous speech to the troops in Germany.
Maybe that's why the assassination charge hasn't been filed and hopefully never will be. (Just a thought, ABC...duh)
I'm not one bit worried about how the prosecution will handle the torture accusation. They will argue what the facts dictate and not say "self-inflicted" if it can't be shown, they will if it can be shown.
We don't even know he does have marks on his back. I certainly do not go by this lawyer or the suspect or any of his supporters' word.
Well, I'll go out on a limb and say he was brought back to face charges.
/s
"Enemy Within" bump.
I think the moral of the story is if you're a terrorist we'll hunt you down and bring you to justice.
If the Saudis were REALLY our allies they would have taken his head.
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