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American Morning

Tanzanian Man Arrested After Letter Found in Afghanistan

Aired April 18, 2002 - 07:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: A Tanzanian man is under arrest after U.S. authorities discovered a letter in an Afghan cave with his name on it, actually congratulating him for obtaining a U.S. pilot's license. Officials say they have found no immediate link between Issaya Nombo and the al Qaeda terror network, but they believe he may have been targeted as a possible recruit.

Nombo went to flight school in Titusville, Florida near the Kennedy Space Center, and we are now joined by CNN's Candiotti -- Susan Candiotti in Miami -- good morning, Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula. As you indicated, authorities are investigating the connection between a letter found in an Afghan cave and a man living in the United States.

For now, the link has led to the arrest of a 44-year-old Tanzanian man in Apex, North Carolina. He is in the custody of U.S. Immigration, reportedly being held in a jail in Louisburg, North Carolina. Now, U.S. government officials say Issaya Nombo is under arrest on immigration charges.

Investigators say his name was found on a letter in an Afghan cave congratulating him on completing his flight training and obtaining a U.S. pilot's license. Nombo's student visa expired last August, and he had been living in North Carolina.

Investigators say so far, they have not come up with any firm evidence to make a connection to the al Qaeda terrorist network. They have confirmed, however, that Nombo attended a flight school in Titusville, Florida, and the FAA says he did receive a U.S. pilot's license that qualified him to fly multi-engine planes.

Now, Nombo's name also appears on the school's Web site, which has since been taken down. That Web site lists his name and reads in part, "Congratulations Issaya Nombo on completing your ATP," which stands for Airline Transport Pilot License.

Officials say when Nombo was arrested on immigration charges, they also found in his possession a counterfeit green card and social security card. Now, investigators tell CNN that Nombo does not appear to fit a typical al Qaeda terrorist profile, because he is Catholic, not Muslim. And authorities are looking into several possibilities, including whether the al Qaeda network might have been surfing the Internet in the U.S., looking up the names of pilots or recent graduates of flight schools, possibly having in mind trying to recruit them to belong or join the al Qaeda terrorist network.

Right now, it's an intriguing case certainly, and for now, as I said, Mr. Nombo being held on immigration charges -- Paula.

ZAHN: All right. We're going to leave it there at this hour -- thanks, Susan, for that live update.

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