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WASHINGTON - A Qatari diplomat who sparked a bomb scare after sneaking a smoke in an airplane's bathroom will be sent home or transferred to another country, U.S. officials said Thursday. The officials said that as a result of his recall, the U.S. government would not take any formal action against the diplomat. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said they expected Mohammed Al-Madadi to leave the United States later Thursday or Friday in accordance with assurances given to them by the Qatari embassy in Washington and authorities in the Qatari capital...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Qatari diplomat who caused a bomb scare after sneaking a smoke in an airplane bathroom was traveling for a consular visit to see an imprisoned al-Qaida agent. A State Department official and another person close to the matter say Mohammed Al-Madadi was going to meet Ali Al-Marri for an official visit. Consular officials frequently visit foreigners held in the United States to make sure they are being treated well.

Posted: Nov 13, 2009 3:14 PM Updated: Nov 13, 2009 3:15 PM MARION, IL (KFVS) - SNIPPET: "Ali Al-Marri, 43, is serving an eight year sentence for being a so called "sleeper agent." He has admitted to training in Al-Qaeda camps and having contact with the alleged planner of the September 11th attacks."

Peoria, Ill. - A federal judge sentenced an Al Qaeda "sleeper" agent to eight years in prison Thursday -- about half the time prosecutors had requested -- because the agent received what the judge called "unacceptable" treatment in a U.S. Navy brig. U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm could have sentenced Ali Marri to as much as 15 years. Prosecutors had endorsed that, presenting testimony that he remained a threat. But Mihm handed down the lighter sentence of eight years and four months in consideration of what he called "very severe" conditions under which Marri was kept during the almost six...

A U.S. Air Force psychologist described an al-Qaida sleeper agent as a sometimes kind, respectful man who nonetheless would attack the United States if given a chance. The psychologist testified during the first day of a sentencing hearing for 44-year-old former Bradley University graduate student Ali al-Marri, who has admitted training in al-Qaida camps and having contact with those involved in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The second and what is scheduled to be the final day of al-Marri's sentencing is Thursday in U.S. District Court in Peoria. The Qatar native faces up to 15 years in prison after pleading...

Nearly six years ago, President George W. Bush declared Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri an enemy combatant and had him swept out of federal court and into a U.S. Navy brig so he could be interrogated without the legal protections afforded by the criminal justice system. Bush said the Qatari national, arrested as a material witness in Illinois in December 2001, possessed critical intelligence that "would aid U.S. efforts to prevent attacks by al-Qaeda on the United States." In an agreement Marri entered Thursday in Peoria, Ill., he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaeda and admitted to...

Note: The following text is a quote: Ali Al-Marri Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to Al-Qaeda Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, 43, a dual national of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaeda. Al-Marri entered his guilty plea at a hearing this afternoon before Judge Michael M. Mihm in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. In so doing, al-Marri admitted that he agreed with others to provide material support or resources to al-Qaeda in the form of personnel, including himself, to work under al-Qaeda’s...

The brother of a man accused of plotting terrorist attacks in the U.S. says the wall the government built around him for years has eased with officials allowing him to make phone calls from prison. But Naji al-Marri (NAH'-jee ahl-MAR'-ee) says federal authorities have robbed 43-year-old Ali al-Marri (AH'-lee ahl-MAR'-ee) of more than seven years of his life.

Road leads back to Peoria for al-Marri Accused terrorist Ali al-Marri is expected in U.S. District Court in Peoria on Monday. Related Links Security tightened for al-Marri proceedings (03/22/09) Al-Marri timeline (03/23/09) Family wants fair judgment for al-Marri (03/23/09) On the Web An archive of Journal Star stories and editorials on al-Marri By ANDY KRAVETZ of the Journal Star Posted Mar 22, 2009 @ 08:59 PM Last update Mar 23, 2009 @ 11:23 AM PEORIA — After nearly six years, alleged terrorist Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri is back in Peoria. The road back for the former West Peoria resident included...

The WOT has been replaced by the WOTC, the War on Tax Cheats. On '60 Minutes' tonight, President Barack Obama will announce that he is planning to indefinitely detain American Timothy Geithner, on U.S. soil, presumably without trial: Were Geithner to tender his resignation, Obama says he would tell him: "Sorry, buddy, you've still got the job." President Obama released dirty bomber Binyam Mohammed to return back to England. AG Eric Holder says "maybe" Obama will release 17 Uighurs into the United States even though all of them associated with the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, were trained in terrorism by...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US Supreme Court refused to weigh in Friday on whether US presidents have the authority to indefinitely detain a terrorist suspect in the United States without charges. But it sent the issue back for a new hearing before the federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, which ruled in July that former president George W. Bush had that power in the case of Ali al-Marri, an alleged Al-Qaeda sleeper agent. The high court's action effectively delayed resolution of an issue that, while different, could have implications for the estimated 245 "enemy combatants" still being held by the...

Terror Trials in U.S. Are A Worry Classified Data Just One Hurdle By Jerry Markon Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, March 6, 2009; Page A04 When suspected al-Qaeda sleeper agent Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri was indicted on criminal charges last week, the Obama administration said it was sending a message that the U.S. courts can deal with terror suspects. But Marri says he was subjected to painful stress positions, extreme sensory deprivation and violent threats and was denied access to lawyers when he was held in a military brig in South Carolina. Those claims are likely to become part of...

The Obama administration on Wednesday renewed its request that the Supreme Court drop the case of a suspected al-Qaida sleeper agent and not rule on whether a president can indefinitely detain terror suspects in the United States. In papers filed to the court, government lawyers say the case of Ali al-Marri should be dismissed because he has now been charged in civilian criminal court. Acting Solicitor General Edwin Kneedler said for the justices to make a finding in the case would "render a hypothetical pronouncement that would not affect the legal rights of (al-Marri) or any other person." Al-Marri's claim...

Transfer of Detainee to Control of the Attorney General  THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary __________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release                                           February 27, 2009 MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSESUBJECT:  Transfer of Detainee to Control of the Attorney General Based on the information available to me, including the memorandum from the Secretary of Defense and the Attorney General dated February 26, 2009, and the joint recommendation contained therein, I hereby determine that it is in the interest of the United States that Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri be released from detention by the Secretary of Defense and transferred to the control of the Attorney General for the...

Obscure al-Qaida Chemist Worries Experts By CHARLES J. HANLEY, AP Special Correspondent 7 minutes ago He's a mystery in a red beard, with a strange alias and a degree in chemical engineering. In the hands of this alleged al-Qaida operative, it's a specialty that summons visions of poison gas and mass terror. Al-Qaida is "wedded to the spectacular," notes U.S. counterterrorism analyst Donald Van Duyn, and elusive Egyptian chemist Midhat Mursi was said to be exploring such possibilities when last seen, brewing up deadly compounds and gassing dogs in Afghanistan. Van Duyn's FBI and other U.S. agencies are interested enough...

WASHINGTON – Suspected al-Qaida sleeper agent Ali Al-Marri is now facing criminal charges, but the Obama administration is refusing to rule out the future use of indefinite detention for terrorism suspects picked up in the United States. The administration urged the Supreme Court Friday to dismiss al-Marri's challenge to the president's authority to detain people in the U.S. indefinitely and without charges. Al-Marri was the only person being held inside this country without being charged, the administration said in court papers, and President Barack Obama "has ordered a comprehensive review of all military detention policies worldwide." The transfer signals that...

February 27, 2009 Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2009/February/09-ag-177.html Ali Al-Marri Indicted for Providing Material Support to Al-Qaeda WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in the Central District of Illinois has returned a two-count indictment charging Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, 43, with providing material support to al-Qaeda and conspiring with others to provide material support to al-Qaeda, Attorney General Eric Holder announced today. The indictment was returned yesterday and unsealed this morning. If convicted, al-Marri, a dual national of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, faces a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment for each count of the indictment. “This...

In a stark departure from Bush administration policy, the Justice Department is preparing to charge the only alleged enemy combatant held on U.S. soil in the federal court system, ABC News has learned. U.S. officials said Ali Saleh Kahlah al Marri, a Qatari national whom FBI agents arrested in Illinois in December 2001, could face charges for allegedly providing material support to terrorists. One day before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, al Marri and his family legally entered the United States so he could begin a master's degree program at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill. He had received a bachelor's...

WASHINGTON – Federal prosecutors plan to move an alleged al-Qaida sleeper agent out of a Navy brig in South Carolina and send him to federal court in Illinois to face trial. Two people familiar with the case of Qatar native Ali al-Marri said Thursday the government plans to transfer him to the civilian court system. The two people spoke on condition of anonymity because it's a pending criminal case. The transfer could avert a Supreme Court hearing in April and a subsequent ruling that would govern other cases against accused terrorists. To justify holding al-Marri, the Bush administration claimed the...

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is preparing to bring terrorism-related charges against an alleged al Qaeda follower imprisoned for more than five years in a step that would place the case in a civilian criminal court and eliminate the possibility of a trial before a military tribunal, government officials said Thursday. The expected indictment against the prisoner, Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, could signify an important shift in detainee policy because the Bush administration had long asserted that Mr. Al-Marri should be tried before a military tribunal and was not entitled to the protections afforded by federal courts. The decision to...