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Saudi bomb suspect arrives in U.S.

Al Sayegh

Suspect to plead guilty in plea bargain

In this story: June 17, 1997
Web posted at: 8:57 p.m. EDT (0057 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A suspected Saudi terrorist jailed in Canada in connection with last year's bombing of a U.S. military barracks in Saudi Arabia arrived Tuesday in the United States.

Hani Abdel-Rahim Hussein al-Sayegh will appear in U.S. District Court in Washington at 3 p.m. Wednesday for an initial appearance, an FBI source said. Sources said a plea bargain is expected in the case.

Al-Sayegh was removed from his cell in Carleton prison Tuesday afternoon and taken to a plane for a flight to Washington. "You can get your red carpet ready in Washington. He's gone," a Canadian official said

The bombing killed 19 U.S. servicemen at the Khobar Towers housing complex in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Sources say al-Sayegh has agreed to plead guilty to an unrelated charge and will cooperate with U.S. authorities.

The transfer of al-Sayegh is being conducted under tight security. He is expected to arrive at an undisclosed secured location in the Washington area within hours.

Al-Sayegh is expected to appear in U.S. District Court in Washington late Thursday afternoon, sources close to the case said.

He is likely to appear before U.S. District Court Judge Emmett Sullivan and plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens. Sources said the charge, contained in a still-secret indictment, does not deal directly with the Khobar Towers bombing.

The deal federal authorities made with al-Sayegh requires him to tell U.S. officials all he knows about the blast, sources said.

Lawyer: Deportation for protection

Khobar Towers bombing

Michael Wildes, al-Sayegh's lawyer, said in a brief statement Tuesday that his client is being deported to the United States to protect him and help the U.S.

"I believe the arrangement serves both the interests of my client's safety and the U.S. government's interest in investigating the Khobar Towers bombing," Wildes said.

Last month a Canadian federal judge ordered al-Sayegh expelled from Canada for his alleged role in the bomb plot. Under Canadian law he could have been deported to his native Saudi Arabia, or to the U.S., where the suspect changed planes briefly last summer while en route to Canada.

Canadian officials have told CNN that al-Sayegh did not want to return to his homeland, fearing execution.

Individuals connected with terrorism in Saudi Arabia are usually tortured or killed. While Saudi officials have detained numerous suspects in connection with the attack, they have not given the U.S. access to them.

Suspect signaled bomb truck?

The deportation of al-Sayegh could provide U.S. authorities their first confirmation of Saudi government claims that Iran was involved in the Khobar Towers bombing.

While he will not be charged in the attack that killed the U.S. airmen and injured hundreds of others, he will reveal what he knows about the bombing, sources said.

Federal law enforcement officials believe al-Sayegh drove a car that signaled the truck carrying the bomb when to pull up beside the apartment complex.

At the time of his arrest in Canada, he said he was innocent and was not in Saudi Arabia at the time of the explosion.

Correspondent Terry Frieden contributed to this report.

 
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