Attorney General John Ashcroft confirmed Monday June 10 that a terrorist has been arrested who he said was planning a radioactive "dirty bomb attack."
Speaking to reporters in the Russian capital Moscow, Ashcroft said Abdullah Al Muhajir is in the custody of the U.S. military and that he has been declared an enemy combatant. He said the suspect, who is a U.S. citizen, was taken into custody at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on May 8, after he flew in from Pakistan. Muhajir reportedly received training on how to build explosive devices in Pakistan. A government official said the information that led to the arrest came from captured al-Qaida leader Abu Zabaydah.
FBI
However, nearly three months ago, an Islamic expert interviewed by BosNewsLife, Dr. Robert Morey, reported to BosNewsLife that he told federal officials years ago about such a potential nuclear threat.
In a March 19, 2002 BosNewsLife story by Senior Correspondent Mark Ellis, Dr. Morey was quoted as saying, “I told them several years ago that Muslim Pakistanis brought into the U.S. a small nuclear device called a ‘dirty bomb’ through Niagara Falls out of Canada,” He continued that “They are driving this nuclear device in the back of a van or a car waiting for Bin Laden to tell them when it’s time to set it off.” Dr. Morey received the information through Pakistani Christian sources.
"They are driving this nuclear device in the back of a van or a car waiting for Bin Laden to tell them when it’s time to set it off," said Dr. Morey, a writer of 40 books dealing with false religions, cults and philosophies, and founder of the California Institute of Apologetics.
TERRORIST PLOT
Attorney General Ashcroft pointed out that the FBI, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Defense Department had worked together to disrupt the unfolding terrorist plot to attack the United States by exploding a radioactive bomb.
A senior U.S. official said the dirty bomb was intended for the Washington D.C. area, the Voice of America reported. Experts say a dirty bomb is a conventional explosive with added nuclear material that can contaminate a large area.
HUNGARY
Ashcroft was expected to further discuss the situation with officials in Russia before arriving in Budapest, Hungary, where he was due to discuss the war against terrorism with Government officials. Hungary and other former Soviet satellite states are supporting the U.S. fight against the al-Qaida terrorist network.
