4 November 1998
Source: Hardcopy, US Attorney, SDNY, press conference. Thanks to MS/HH, (212)
637-2600.
See related indictment today of Usama Bin Laden:
http://jya.com/usa-v-laden.htm
See related indictment of today Usama Bin Laden and five others:
http://jya.com/usa-v-laden+5.htm
See related files:
http://jya.com/alqfiles.htm
United States Attorney
Southern District of New York
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
NOVEMBER 4, 1998 MARVIN SMILON, HERBERT HADAD
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
(212) 637-2600
FBI
JOSEPH A. VALIQUETTE
(212) 384-2715
JAMES M. MARGOLIN
(212) 384-2720
PRESS RELEASE
MARY JO WHITE, the United States Attorney for the
Southern District of New York, and LEWIS D. SCHILIRO, Assistant
Director in Charge of the New York FBI Office, announced that
USAMA BIN LADEN and MUHAMMAD ATEF, a/k/a "Abu Hafs," were indicted
today in Manhattan federal court for the August 7, l998, bombings
of the United States embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania, and for conspiring to kill American nationals
outside of the United States.
The United States Department of State also announced
today rewards of up to $5 million each for information leading to
the arrest or conviction of BIN LADEN and ATEF.
The first count of the Indictment charges that BIN LADEN
and ATEF, along with co-defendants WADIH EL HAGE, FAZUL ABDULLAH
MOHAMMED, MOHAMED SADEEK ODEH, and MOHAMED RASHED DAOUD AL-'OWHALI,
acted together with other members of "al Qaeda," a worldwide
1
terrorist organization led by BIN LADEN, in a conspiracy to murder
United States nationals. The objectives of this international
terrorist conspiracy allegedly included: killing members of the
American military stationed in Saudi Arabia and Somalia; killing
United States nationals employed at the United States Embassies in
Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and concealing the
activities of the co-conspirators by, among other things,
establishing front companies, providing false identity and travel
documents, engaging in coded correspondence and providing false
information to the authorities in various countries.
BIN LADEN's organization al Qaeda allegedly functioned
both on its own and through some of the terrorist organizations
that operated under its umbrella, including the Al Jihad group
based in Egypt, the Islamic Group (also known as "el Gamaa Islamia"
or simply "Gamaa't"), led at one time by Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman,
and a number of jihad groups in other countries, including the
Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia. Al Qaeda also
allegedly maintained cells and personnel in a number of countries
to facilitate its activities, including in Kenya, Tanzania, the
United Kingdom and the United States.
According to the Indictment, BIN LADEN and al Qaeda
forged alliances with the National Islamic Front in the Sudan and
with representatives of the government of Iran, and its associated
terrorist group Hezballah, with the goal of working together
2
against their perceived common enemies in the West, particularly
the United States.
In order to further this international conspiracy to
murder United States nationals, BIN LADEN and other co-conspirators
are alleged to have committed the following acts: (1) providing
training camps for use by al Qaeda and its affiliates; (2)
recruiting United States citizens including the defendant EL HAGE
to help facilitate the goals of al Qaeda; (3) purchasing weapons
and explosives; and (4) establishing headquarters and businesses in
the Sudan.
The Indictment also alleges that fatwahs were issued by
BIN LADEN and a committee of al Qaeda members urging other members
and associates of al Qaeda to kill Americans. According to the
Indictment, several of these fatwahs called for attacks on American
troops stationed in Saudi Arabia and Somalia. The Indictment also
alleges that American troops in Somalia were indeed attacked and
killed by persons who received training from al Qaeda members or
those trained by al Qaeda. The Indictment specifically charges
that the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States embassies in
Kenya and Tanzania as actions taken in furtherance of this
conspiracy to kill American nationals.
BIN LADEN and ATEF, along with ABDULLAH MOHAMMED, ODEH,
and AL-'OWHALI, are also charged with bombing the two embassies and
causing the deaths of more than 200 persons and injuring more than
3
4,500 others. Those five defendants are also charged with
murdering all of the civilians killed in the embassy bombings. The
Indictment names all of the victims of the bombings and each victim
is charged as a separate count of murder for a total of 224 counts
of murder against BIN LADEN, ATEF, ABDULLAH MOHAMMED, ODEH, and AL-
'OWHALI.
Ms. WHITE and Mr. SCHILIRO said the investigation of this
case is being conducted by the Joint Terrorist Task Force composed
of the FBI, the New York City Police Department, the United States
Department of State, the United States Secret Service, the United
States Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Federal Aviation
Administration, the United States Marshals Service, the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the New York State Police and the
Port Puthority of New York and New Jersey.
Ms. WHITE and Mr. SCHILIRO praised the Governments of
Kenya, Tanzania and the Comoros Islands for their cooperation in
this investigation and praised all the investigative efforts and
cooperation of the agencies involved in the case. They also said
that the investigation is continuing.
United States Attorney General Janet Reno stated: "This
is an important step forward in our fight against terrorism. It
sends a message that no terrorist can flout our laws and murder
innocent civilians."
Ms. WHITE stated: "Usama Bin Laden and his military
4
commander Muhammad Atef are charged with the most heinous acts of
violence ever committed against American diplomatic posts. These
acts caused the deaths of hundreds of citizens of Kenya, Tanzania
and the United States. All those responsible for these brutal and
cowardly acts, from the leaders and organizers to all of those who
had any role in these crimes in East Africa, will be brought to
justice."
Mr. SCHILIRO stated: "This investigation has been given
the highest priority. Our investigative strategy is clear: We will
identify, locate and prosecute all those responsible right up the
line, from those who constructed and delivered the bombs to those
who paid for them and ordered it done. This has been an
investigation which has involved the largest deploYment of FBI
agents abroad, including members of the Joint Terrorist Task Force.
Working closely with the law enforcement authorities in Kenya and
Tanzani2, our investigators have made significant progress, yet
much remains to be done."
BIN LADEN and ATEF, both of whom are fugitives, face a
maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of
parole, or death.
Assistant United States Attorneys PATRICK J. FITZGERALD,
KENNETH M. KARAS and MICHAEL J. GARCIA are in charge of the
prosecution.
5
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely
accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and
until proven guilty.
98-240
###
NOV-04-1998 02:55
MARY JO WHITE
U.S. ATTORNEY
JOINT TERRORIST TASK FORCE MEMBER AGENCIES
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN CHARGE LEWIS D. SCHILIRO
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
AMBASSADOR DAVID G. CARPENTER, ASS'T SECRETARY OF STATE
JOHN MURPHY, CHIEF, OFFICE OF PROTECTIVE INELLIGENCE AND
INVESTIGATIONS, OFFICE OF DIPLOMATIC SECURITY
SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE PATRICIA HARTNET KELLY, OFFICE OF
DIPLOMATIC SECURITY
NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
[COMMISSIONER HOWARD SAFIR]
U.S. IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE
DISTRICT DIRECTOR EDWARD J. McELROY
BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO AND FIREARMS
SPECIAL AGENT SALVATORE EMILIO
U.S. CUSTOMS SERVICE
SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE JOHN VARRONE
U.S. SECRET SERVICE
SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE CHIP SMITH
PORT AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY POLICE DEPARTMENT
CHIEF WILLIAM CAFARO
NEW YORK STATE POLICE
CAPTAIN MARK SMITH
(NAMES IN BOLD FACE INDICATE SPEAKING ROLES)