Arlington cleric denies links to terrorists

<b>Imam advised on jet deal tied to bin Laden</b> <br><br>An Arlington Muslim leader acted as a religious adviser in the purchase of a small jet for a business owned by alleged terrorist kingpin Osama

Monday, February 7th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Imam advised on jet deal tied to bin Laden

An Arlington Muslim leader acted as a religious adviser in the purchase of a small jet for a business owned by alleged terrorist kingpin Osama bin Laden, the cleric's attorney said.

Imam Moataz Al-Hallak has denied any ties to Mr. bin Laden, the militant Saudi millionaire whom federal authorities describe as the architect of the deadly 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.

Mr. Al-Hallak's attorney said his client's role in the jet deal was advising a fellow Muslim how to handle the purchase in accord with Islamic law. Mr. Al-Hallak is religious leader of the Islamic Society of Arlington mosque.

Federal prosecutors recently cited the transaction as evidence that Mr. Al-Hallak served as an intermediary for members of Mr. bin Laden's Al Qaeda terrorist organization. They contend that the imam also assisted the activities of Wadih El Hage, a top bin Laden lieutenant.

Mr. El Hage, a friend of Mr. Al-Hallak and member of his mosque, is jailed in New York on federal charges of aiding an alleged international conspiracy by Mr. bin Laden to murder Americans.

The 39-year-old tire store manager has pleaded not guilty to the charges. His attorney has insisted that Mr. El Hage worked solely on Mr. bin Laden's legitimate businesses.

Mr. Al-Hallak has not been charged with any crime. He was asked about a jet purchase by a New York federal grand jury that is investigating Mr. bin Laden's activities, said his attorney, Stan Cohen.

Mr. Cohen accused prosecutors of using "little piles of minutiae" to smear his client and to bolster their case against Mr. El Hage.

Mr. Cohen has insisted that Mr. Al-Hallak, 39, shuns violence, does not know Mr. bin Laden and had no role in the renegade Saudi militant's enterprises.

"The whole thing is crap," he said. "If they had anything on Al-Hallak, they would have indicted him a long time ago."

Contrary to the government's suggestion, Mr. Al-Hallak did not arrange the plane purchase, Mr. Cohen said. He told the pilot who approached him, a Muslim, that he should buy and resell the plane rather than take a commission.

Koranic principles permit Muslims to earn profits from financial deals but deem it usury to pay or charge fees or interest.

Mr. Cohen declined to identify the pilot. "I'm not going to get into that," he said.

The plane was "an old, crappy puddle-jumper," he said. It crashed in 1992 or 1993 while being used by one of Mr. bin Laden's businesses, killing a pilot of Arab descent, Mr. Cohen said.

Marvin Smilon, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in New York, said he would not have any comment on the airplane transaction.

In a late December court filing, prosecutors cited the plane deal to support their charge that Mr. Al-Hallak "provided cover for Mr. El Hage's business activities" while Mr. El Hage was working in Africa for Mr. bin Laden.

Without elaborating, prosecutors contended that Mr. Al-Hallak "facilitated the purchase of a jet plane for bin Laden after bin Laden relocated to the Sudan." Mr. bin Laden moved to Khartoum in 1991.

Notebook entry

They also cited an entry in a notebook seized from Mr. El Hage in Kenya that read: "Mutaz has a buyer for the airplane." The entry was followed by a phone number associated with Mr. Al-Hallak, prosecutors said.

The information was included in the government's affidavit opposing the latest attempt by Mr. El Hage's lawyers to have him released on bond.

Prosecutors also continued to argue that Mr. El Hage should not be allowed visits or phone conversations with Mr. Al-Hallak, whom they called "a contact point for El Hage's co-conspirators."

The filing cited a business card for a trading company created by Mr. El Hage that listed Mr. Al-Hallak's address in Arlington. Also mentioned was Mr. Al-Hallak's obtaining "business equipment" for Mr. El Hage that including a combat knife and professional lock-picking sets.

U.S. District Judge Leonard Sand denied Mr. El Hage's bond request last month and continued the restrictions on his contact with Mr. Al-Hallak.

Sam Schmidt, an attorney for Mr. El Hage, said his client's contacts with Mr. Al-Hallak during his stay in Africa revolved around Mr. El Hage's personal business and did not involve Mr. bin Laden's operations.

"In our papers, we indicated that the communications between Mr. El Hage and Mr. Al-Hallak had nothing to do with terrorism," he said.

Mr. Schmidt previously told The Dallas Morning News that Mr. Al-Hallak, acting under a power of attorney from Mr. El Hage, had forwarded money from an insurance settlement to Mr. El Hage in Africa.

The two men also exchanged letters and faxes about a gem business and a charity called Help Africa People that Mr. El Hage ran, Mr. Schmidt said.

The attorney said he could not discuss any information he had been provided about the airplane transaction. He would only give a general description of Mr. El Hage's role.

"It appears to me that since the plane came from Texas, and my client came from Texas and knew people in Texas, that it's mostly putting people in touch with them," Mr. Schmidt said.

Records obtained by The News show that Essam Al-Ridi, an Egyptian immigrant who lived for several years in Arlington, purchased a 1961 Sabreliner T-39A jet in October 1992.

Mr. Al-Ridi, who last gave the Federal Aviation Administration an address in Cairo, Egypt, could not be located for comment.

The twin-engine aircraft was built for the U.S. Air Force and used primarily for radar and navigation training. Unmodified, it can carry up to nine passengers and about 2,000 pounds of cargo.

Mr. Al-Ridi had a license that allowed him to fly commercial jets, according to FAA records.

Bill of sale

Mr. Al-Hallak has said he knew Mr. Al-Ridi, who gave the imam's home address in Arlington on the bill of sale for the Sabreliner, according to FAA records provided to The Dallas Morning News.

Ascher Ward, the California broker who sold the plane to Mr. Al-Ridi, said he remembered the buyer as a gregarious man who told him that he intended to resell the jet at a profit to someone in South Africa.

The purchase price was less than $100,000, Mr. Ward said, and Mr. Al-Ridi paid in full with a cashier's check. He spent at least $15,000 more to repaint the plane and install leather seats, Mr. Ward said.

"He was a real colorful character," Mr. Ward said. "I always wondered what happened to him."

A Texas acquaintance, who asked not to be named, said Mr. Al-Ridi tried to recruit him in the late 1980s to fight in the Muslim guerrilla war to liberate Afghanistan from the Soviet Union.

The acquaintance said Mr. Al-Ridi introduced him to Mr. Al-Hallak, who has acknowledged being a supporter of the Afghan jihad, or holy war.

Muslim rebels

Another backer of the Muslim rebels was the CIA, which supplied at least $2 billion to purchase arms. The government also allowed support groups for Afghan rebels to operate openly in the United States.

One such organization was the Alkifah Refugee Center, which was based in Brooklyn, N.Y., but had branches in several U.S. cities.

The center raised money and provided recruits to the holy war in Afghanistan. Federal prosecutors have identified Alkifah as an early branch of Mr. bin Laden's Al Qaeda terrorist organization.

The names of Mr. Al-Hallak and Mr. Al-Ridi appear on computerized mailing lists and other records seized by the FBI from the Alkifah headquarters, along with hundreds of other Muslim men and organizations.

Mr. El Hage, who acknowledged working in the Afghan relief effort in Pakistan, has told a federal grand jury that he had repeated contacts with the Alkifah center and several principals who were later convicted of terrorist acts, including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Mr. El Hage said a friend he met in Pakistan recruited him to move from Arlington to Sudan to work for Mr. bin Laden's businesses. He remained in Khartoum until 1994, Mr. El Hage said.

In January 1995, a man who identified himself as Joseph Kenana reported to an aviation industry representative that a jet owned by Mr. Al-Ridi had crashed in Khartoum the previous October. The plane had the same tail number as the Sabreliner purchased from Mr. Ward in 1992.

"He said the plane had been sitting around for more than a year without any maintenance being done on it, and the pilot jumped in and tried to take off," said the representative, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Mr. Kenana asked for recommendations on how to repair the plane but failed to return the forms that were faxed to the telephone number that he gave in Khartoum, the agent said.