Judge Questions Gov't Response to Detainee (Abu Ali)

[struggle4progress]

By PETE YOST
Associated Press Writer

February 11, 2005, 5:17 PM EST

WASHINGTON -- Concerned about government secrecy in a terrorism case, a federal judge expressed skepticism Friday at the Bush administration's request to dismiss a lawsuit on behalf of a Virginia man held in Saudi Arabia.

The government is bolstering its effort to get the case thrown out by submitting classified information to U.S. District Judge John Bates that is unavailable to lawyers for imprisoned terrorist suspect Ahmed Abu Ali.

"This is about as close to a state secrets shutdown" of a case without the executive branch of government actually doing so, the judge said at a hearing. <snip>

The suit by Abu Ali's family marks the latest instance in which the Bush administration is trying to keep terrorism suspects beyond the reach of U.S. courts. <snip>

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-saudi-detainee,0,5896396.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[enough]

1. The US wants to leave him in Saudi Arabia. Guess why.

snip>

Abu Ali was born in Houston, was valedictorian of his high school class in Falls Church, Va., and was imprisoned while attending a Saudi university on June 11, 2003. A federal prosecutor in Virginia has said Abu Ali joined an al-Qaeda cell in Saudi Arabia in 2001.

Abu Ali's family, which lives in northern Virginia, wants an American judge to order him returned to the United States, where he might face charges as part of an alleged terrorism training ring in Virginia.

His family says U.S. officials want to keep Abu Ali in Saudi Arabia so he can be subject to torture and otherwise denied his constitutional rights. The U.S. government has said Saudi officials acted on their own.

snip>


Thie same article also appeared this morning on page 2 of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/10881093.htm