Three indicted in sale of secrets
BY STACEY SHEPARD, SHELLIE BRANCO AND STEVEN MAYER, Californian staff writers
e-mail: sshepard@bakersfield.com; sbranco@bakersfield.com; and smayer@bakersfield.com | Thursday, Sep 7 2006 11:16 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Sep 8 2006 7:33 AM
A two-year undercover operation by federal and local authorities has resulted in the indictment of three men accused of sending U.S. defense secrets and stolen military equipment to Yemen.
Amen Ahmed Ali, 56, was arrested in Bakersfield Thursday, according to U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott. Ibrahim A. Omer, 40, a former Bakersfield resident, was also taken into custody in Bossier City, La.
The third man, Mohamed al-Rahimi, 62, of Bakersfield, remains at large.
The three men allegedly sent secret defense documents obtained from an undercover agent to an individual in Yemen and also tried to sell them stolen U.S. military items, such as night-vision goggles, satellite phones and chemical protective suits.
“All three of these men were from our very backyard, here in Bakersfield, yet were committed to obtaining U.S. military secrets and military equipment and selling them to others in the Middle East, in Yemen,” Scott said, adding that the case is a stark reminder five years after Sept. 11, 2001, of the need to safeguard American security here and abroad.
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