DOGGx0
06-01-2004, 05:58 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Jose Padilla, a former Chicago gang member now held as a terrorism suspect, sought to blow up hotels and apartment buildings in the United States in addition to planning an attack with a "dirty bomb" radiological device, according to government documents.
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2004/LAW/06/01/us.terrorism.ap/story.comey.jpg
U.S. Deputy Attorney General James
Comey outlines details of the federal
case against Jose Padilla.
*************************
http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2004/LAW/02/20/scotus.enemy.combatant/story.padilla.jpg
Jose Padilla
The documents, released Tuesday by the Justice Department, said that Padilla and an al Qaeda accomplice were to enter the United States through Mexico or Puerto Rico.
"Padilla and the accomplice were to locate as many as three high-rise apartment buildings which had natural gas supplied to the floors," the government summary of interrogations revealed.
"They would rent two apartments in each building, seal all the openings, turn on the gas, and set timers to detonate the buildings simultaneously at a later time," the papers alleged.
The documents said al Qaeda officials were skeptical of Padilla's ability to set off a dirty bomb but were very interested in the apartment operation.
Top al Qaeda officials "wanted Padilla to hit targets in New York City, although Florida and Washington, D.C. were discussed as well," the summary said.
Padilla was to conduct an Internet search on buildings that had natural gas heating, open a bank account and obtain documents needed to rent an apartment. The plot called for blowing up 20 buildings simultaneously, but Padilla said he could not rent multiple apartments under one identity without drawing attention.
The FBI arrested Padilla in May 2002 as he returned from a trip to Pakistan. The U.S. government has designated Padilla an "enemy combatant."
The Supreme Court is considering Padilla's case to determine whether the government has the authority to designate U.S. citizens enemy combatants and deny them quick access to lawyers or courts. [Full Story] (http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/02/20/scotus.enemy.combatant/)
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2004/LAW/06/01/us.terrorism.ap/story.comey.jpg
U.S. Deputy Attorney General James
Comey outlines details of the federal
case against Jose Padilla.
*************************
http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2004/LAW/02/20/scotus.enemy.combatant/story.padilla.jpg
Jose Padilla
The documents, released Tuesday by the Justice Department, said that Padilla and an al Qaeda accomplice were to enter the United States through Mexico or Puerto Rico.
"Padilla and the accomplice were to locate as many as three high-rise apartment buildings which had natural gas supplied to the floors," the government summary of interrogations revealed.
"They would rent two apartments in each building, seal all the openings, turn on the gas, and set timers to detonate the buildings simultaneously at a later time," the papers alleged.
The documents said al Qaeda officials were skeptical of Padilla's ability to set off a dirty bomb but were very interested in the apartment operation.
Top al Qaeda officials "wanted Padilla to hit targets in New York City, although Florida and Washington, D.C. were discussed as well," the summary said.
Padilla was to conduct an Internet search on buildings that had natural gas heating, open a bank account and obtain documents needed to rent an apartment. The plot called for blowing up 20 buildings simultaneously, but Padilla said he could not rent multiple apartments under one identity without drawing attention.
The FBI arrested Padilla in May 2002 as he returned from a trip to Pakistan. The U.S. government has designated Padilla an "enemy combatant."
The Supreme Court is considering Padilla's case to determine whether the government has the authority to designate U.S. citizens enemy combatants and deny them quick access to lawyers or courts. [Full Story] (http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/02/20/scotus.enemy.combatant/)