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Abdullah al Mujahir Held as Enemy Combatant in U.S. Custody

Aired June 10, 2002 - 14:30   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Americans acting on behalf of al Qaeda. The suspect named today is not the only U.S. citizen alleged to have joined forces with Islamic terrorist organizations. We're going to talk about that in just a bit, but let's check in now with our Kelli Arena, who's standing by. She is our justice correspondent. She has been tracking this story and the man's background as well -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Leon. Well, Abdullah al Mujahir is currently in U.S. custody. He's being held as an enemy combatant. He is being kept at a Naval brig in Charleston, South Carolina, seen here.

He could be held there indefinitely. As one U.S. official put it, "as long as the war on terrorism continues." Now, al Mujahir was not charged with anything while he was in civilian custody, leaving some legal experts to conclude that the U.S. didn't have enough evidence to come up with a charge that would actually stick.

But they do say that U.S. officials believe he is dangerous and they needed some way to hold him. And military custody provides that way. Much of the information leading to al Mujahir, according to sources, came from leading al Qaeda operative Abu Zubaydah. That information, according to officials, has been corroborated by other means.

The information, CNN is told, came in about two weeks before al Mujahir made his trip to the United States. Here is what the attorney general had to say about his arrest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: The United States government was tracking Abdullah al Mujahir when on May 8, 2002, this year, he flew from Pakistan into Chicago O'Hare international airport, where he was placed in the custody of federal law enforcement authorities.

In apprehending al Mujahir as he sought entry into the United States, we have disrupted an unfolding terrorist plot to attack the United States by exploding a radioactive dirty bomb.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: Al Mujahir was born Jose Padilla on October 18, 1970, in New York City. He moved to Chicago at the age of five. He does have a juvenile criminal record and he was in the criminal justice system from his mid to late teens.

He was arrested and convicted in Florida in 1991 on gun charges. He spent a bit more time in Florida before heeding to the Middle East in 1998, where he has lived ever since.

Now, Leon, what it is worth underscoring here is that U.S. officials say that the plan was interrupted before any dirty bomb was made. FBI Director Robert Mueller described the plan as being in its very early stages, what he called the discussion stages.

I don't know if that provides any comfort, Leon. But there is no dirty bomb that the U.S. knows of at this point.

HARRIS: Well, that's good to hear. The scary thing is knowing they've been talking about doing something like this for a long time.

ARENA: They sure have. That has been on the intelligence community's priority list, that they do know that Osama bin Laden has boasted about al Qaeda's capability to build one and to set one off here in the United States.

So there is a will and apparently a way. At least that has been thwarted. But we don't know of other plans in the work.

HARRIS: Kelli Arena in Washington, thank you very much.

ARENA: You're welcome, Leon.

HARRIS: Now let's check and see what the Chicago connection is here with al Mujahir. Our Jeff Flock is in Chicago and he's been tracking down that part of the story -- Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, tracking that now as we speak, Leon. Talking to members of the community where Jose Padilla, which is what he was known as when he was here in Chicago -- where Mr. Padilla lived when he was here now.

As Kelli Arena reported, he came here between the ages of four and five and then became involved in the juvenile justice system back in 1985. According to a source he was arrested and charged with aggravated battery, armed robbery and attempted armed robbery. Back at that time he would have been age 15.

He spent three years in the juvenile justice system here. We are told that he spent that time in a juvenile justice lockup in suburban Chicago. He was paroled before his 18th birthday back in May of 1988, and then discharged from the system when he turned 21. That would have been 10-18-'91.

Curious to note that it was just a few days before that, on October 8 of 1991, that he was charged down in Florida with that firearms violation. Apparently, near as we can tell, an aggravated assault with a firearm, apparently discharging a firearm from a vehicle.

He received a sentence of something in excess of a year and a half. That is his mug shot, by the way, from his arrest down in Florida. Although that arrest and that sentence, he wound up being paroled for. So he did no time in the penitentiary in Florida for that conviction.

And it is unclear to us at this point whether Florida officials knew he was on parole in Chicago and Illinois for the earlier juvenile problems because of course, a juvenile record would be sealed. So it's not clear whether they knew about that when they sentenced him to parole in 1991 in Florida.

So that's some of what we know now. As we said, Leon, right now we're talking to some folks who knew the family when they lived here in Chicago and we hope to bring that to you later. Back to you.

HARRIS: All right, very good. Interesting stuff there, Jeff. Jeff Flock in Chicago, thanks. We'll get back to you later, buddy.

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