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Alleged Shoebomb Conspirator Indicted
British terror suspect Sajid Badat has been charged with conspiracy and attempted murder in a U.S. indictment that links him to admitted "shoebomber" Richard Reid. The indictment was unsealed on Monday. The indictment, released at the U.S. Justice Department, alleges that Badat conspired to destroy an aircraft, conspired to commit homicide and attempted murder. Badat was arrested Nov. 27, 2003, in Gloucester, England, and has been held in a top security prison in Britain. He is set for trial there in February 2005 after pleading not guilty to an accusation of conspiring to place a potentially destructive device aboard an aircraft. Reid, a follower of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, was jailed for life in January 2003 in the United States after admitting to trying to blow up a transatlantic airliner using explosives hidden in his shoe. The indictment against Badat alleges he conspired with Reid to obtain shoebombs to attack American interests, "including, but not limited to bombing American aircraft in flight." Badat obtained his shoebombs in Afghanistan, the indictment said. The indictment noted that Badat's bombs were similar to those confiscated from Reid on Dec. 22, 2001, after Reid attempted to detonate custom-made explosives concealed in his shoes on an American Airlines Flight from Paris enroute to Miami. The plane was diverted to Boston and Reid was arrested there. Posted by: Steve 2004-10-04 |
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