Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Judge Refuses to Throw out Perjury Charges Against Islamic Charity

Aired May 14, 2002 - 14:07   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Shifting our focus now to Chicago, a new development on the terrorism front. A judge there refusing to throw out perjury charges against the leader of an Islamic charity.

The man in charge is accused of lying about alleged ties to Osama bin Laden.

The latest from our Chicago bureau chief, and Jeff Flock watching this for us.

Jeff, good afternoon.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Bill.

The government said it was going to go after every possible terrorist link, and that is what this is about.

In March of this year, the asset of Benevolence International Foundation -- that's an Islamic charity based in the Chicago suburbs -- were seized.

They then went to court with this document, which was a law suit in civil court, asking that those assets be unfrozen by the federal government.

It was as a result of that, and a deposition that the leader of that charity gave to the federal government, that resulted in this criminal complaint; a 35-page criminal complaint alleging that he was lying when he said that neither he nor the charity had had any links to terrorists.

Now, let's look at this man, Mr. Enaam Arnaout. He is the subject of some controversial photos that were released yesterday in the court, depicting him with a machine gun, with other artillery.

The government says this is clearly proof that this man is, though running a charity, obviously involved in other activities.

There are also two other controversial photographs. One of Mr. Arnaout on a cot at a camp in an undisclosed location, but somewhere in the Middle East.

There is a second photograph, and that one, perhaps that you see there, that is Osama bin Laden photographed at what the government says is the same camp.

There is yet another photograph of Mr. Arnaout with an Islamic Afghan warlord. So again, the government saying that this makes the tie and proves that Mr. Arnaout and his charity were involved in something beyond charitable means.

Mr. Arnaout's lawyers, however, outside court yesterday, say the photographs alone prove nothing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW PIERS, LAWYER FOR ARNAOUT: You know, it's not clear to me. Do I think that it is a ridiculous assertion that that's him? No. It's either him or somebody that kind of looks like him in sort of grainy photographs. So, no, I don't dispute it.

What I will tell you about photographs of people in Khyber Pass area in the late 1980's carrying guns is, that it was much like posing with Mickey outside of Disneyland when you take your kids down to Disneyland. There were literally booths with photographers and weapons, where people who went to that part of world would pose with artillery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLOCK: And, of course, the photographs are not all. There are also documents, specifically letters, these in Arabic but translated to English, which purport to be correspondents between Mr. Arnaout and Osama bin Laden.

Perhaps you see the words, "Sheikh Osama bin Laden" there, and it's allegedly from an alias that matches up with Enaam Arnaout, according to the federal government.

This second letter here is one that allegedly is from bin Laden, this one here form bin Laden, sent to Arnaout.

So, according to the government, it displays a long pattern of communication and cooperation between Enaam Arnaout, here in Chicago, outside Chicago, and Osama bin Laden and terrorists groups in the Middle East.

That is why when Mr. Arnaout goes to federal court on Thursday for a bond hearing, the government will argue that he be held without bond, because they say he is a flight risk.

That is the latest from here, Bill. And of course, we're staying on it.

HEMMER: You got it. Thank you, Jeff -- Jeff Flock, in Chicago.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com