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Charges against Khobar Towers suspect to be dismissed
Al-Sayegh may be deported to Saudi Arabia
October 10, 1997
Web posted at: 6:54 p.m. EDT (2254 GMT)WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A federal judge has indicated he will dismiss all charges against Hani al-Sayegh, a suspect in the bombing at Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia in which 19 U.S. servicemen were killed.
Al-Sayegh, who promised to cooperate with U.S. authorities in the investigation in the bombing, reneged on a plea agreement arranged this summer while he was being held in Canada.
The plea agreement was for crimes not related to the bombing, and Judge Emmet Sullivan said he would release the agreement to the press and the public later this month.
Al-Sayegh's attorney argued against release, saying his client did not know what he was signing. He said that releasing the document could cause harm to al-Sayegh and his family in Saudi Arabia.
After listening to the arguments, Sullivan said he would issue a written order on October 21 ordering the plea agreement released, but would hold the order for seven days so attorneys could appeal it.
If and when it is released, he said he may withhold "sensitive" sections.
Al-Sayegh may be deported to Saudi Arabia
Sullivan also said he would dismiss the charges against al-Sayegh on October 21 "without prejudice," meaning the government could file new charges if it chooses.
Al-Sayegh was never charged in connection with the Khobar Towers bombing in 1996. He was held, instead, on an unrelated charge of aiding in a plot designed to kill U.S. citizens in Saudi Arabia.
After the charges are dismissed, Sullivan said al-Sayegh would be turned over to U.S. Immigration authorities. If new charges are not lodged against him, he faces deportation to Saudi Arabia.
A dissident Shiite Muslim opposed to the monarchy, al-Sayegh has indicated that he fears the Saudi government will execute him as a terrorist if he returns to his country. He has applied for asylum in this country.
Sullivan said he had received 1,500 to 2,000 letters from families of victims of the Khobar bombing, pleading with him not to grant immunity to al-Sayegh.
He noted, however, that the only jurisdiction the court had was to rule on dismissal of the case and whether the plea bargain should be unsealed. But he did turn the letters over to government attorneys who promised to pass them on to the immigration authorities.
Correspondent Carl Rochelle contributed to this report.
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