Mohamed is the second U.S. citizen implicated in the embassy bombing conspiracy Ali Mohamed profile: Born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1952 Rose to rank of major in Egyptian Army Moved to U.S. in 1985 Served in U.S. Army, 1986-1989 Fought against Soviets in Afghanistan during military leave Served in U.S. Army Reserves, 1989-1994

May 19, 1999
Web posted at: 10:57 p.m. EDT (0257 GMT)

In this story: Charged with training bin Laden operatives Reports of militant Islamic beliefs Name arose in New York 'terror trial' RELATED STORIES, SITES

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A former U.S. Army sergeant was indicted Wednesday for alleged involvement in a conspiracy that included the August bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

The attacks killed 224 people, including 12 Americans in Kenya.

A grand jury indicted Egyptian immigrant Ali Mohamed, 46, for "conspiring to kill American nationals outside of the United States," according to a statement from Mary Jo White, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Mohamed has been held in a Manhattan jail since last September.

He is the 13th defendant named in the embassy bombings case, joining Saudi exile Osama bin Laden, the alleged terrorist plot mastermind, and 11 others previously indicted for conspiracy.

All of the defendants, except Mohamed, face additional counts, including charges of actually carrying out the bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam on August 7.

Charged with training bin Laden operatives

As part of the alleged conspiracy to murder Americans, the indictment charges that Mohamed trained members of bin Laden's organization.

Mohamed is also accused of:

• Helping bin Laden move his operations from Pakistan to Sudan in 1991.
• Discussing possible attacks on the U.S. embassy in Kenya as early as 1993.
• Training bin Laden's bodyguards in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum in 1994.
• Engaging in coded correspondence with various members of bin Laden's organization.

If convicted, Mohamed faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

"We're certainly going to challenge the charges in court," said James Roth, a court-appointed attorney representing Mohamed.

Roth declined to comment on what, if any, relationship Mohamed had with bin Laden or his organization.

Roth said he had not been notified when Mohamed's arraignment would occur.

Reports of militant Islamic beliefs

Mohamed was born in Egypt and served as an army officer there from 1971 to 1984. During the early 1980s, while still an Egyptian officer, Mohamed approached the CIA about establishing a relationship. After a month of contact, the CIA cut Mohamed off, determining that he was "unreliable," according to U.S. government sources.

Mohamed emigrated to the United States in 1985 and enlisted in the U.S. Army the following year. He subsequently became a U.S. citizen.

He served at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, until 1989. His duties ranged from clerical work to instructing soldiers headed to the Middle East on Islamic culture. Army records show he participated in 14 educational videotapes.

Four of his superior officers have told CNN that Mohamed made no secret of his militant Islamic beliefs. He reportedly told one officer that U.S. policy in the Middle East was "dead wrong" and another that assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was a "traitor" because he made peace with Israel.

While on military leave, Mohamed fought in Afghanistan without seeking the permission of his Army superiors, but no charges were filed against him for the unauthorized trip.

He left the Army in 1989.

Name arose in New York 'terror trial'

Mohamed's name first publicly surfaced in the 1995 Sheik Abdul Rahman "terror trial" over the plot to blow up New York City landmarks.

One defense witness, Khalid Ibrahim, testified that starting in 1989, Mohamed provided training to Islamic militants intending to join the fight against Soviet troops in Afghanistan.

During that trial, one defense attorney argued that Mohamed was the link to U.S.-sponsored covert training and arming of Afghan rebels, which included teaching the group survival techniques, map reading, how to fire automatic weapons and build booby traps with explosives.

Mohamed is the second U.S. citizen implicated in the embassy bombing conspiracy. The other is Wadih El Hage, a Lebanese-born engineer and another alleged bin Laden associate, who until recently lived with his family in Arlington, Texas.

Correspondent Peter Bergen contributed to this report.

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.