Terrorism Notebook
Ashcroft is faulted over trial remarks

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U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen said Ashcroft "exhibited a distressing lack of care" by issuing public statements during the nine-week trial that ended in June, despite a court order prohibiting them. Twice, Ashcroft publicly praised the government's lead witness in the case.

Rosen said that Ashcroft will not face criminal contempt charges but that a public rebuke was necessary.

"Despite his unquestioned duty to represent the nation on matters of public concern ... the Attorney General has an equally vital and unyielding obligation, as the nation's chief prosecutor, to ensure that defendants are accorded the fair trial guaranteed them under the constitution," Rosen wrote. "In this case, this essential balance was jeopardized, even after the court had issued specific warnings."

Ashcroft said his remarks were "inadvertent."

The case involved four men accused of making up a sleeper cell of terrorists plotting attacks in the United States and abroad. Two — Abdel-Ilah Elmardoudi and Karim Koubriti — were convicted of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. A third, Ahmed Hannan, was acquitted of terrorism charges but convicted of engaging in document fraud, and the fourth, Farouk Ali-Haimoud, was acquitted of all charges.

But last week, in a rare post-trial hearing, Rosen criticized prosecutors for belatedly turning over evidence that defense attorneys contend would have helped exonerate their clients. He is expected to issue a decision in January on the defendants' request for a new trial.

Three charged in bomb attempt on U.S. Embassy in Lebanon

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Three men were charged yesterday in the attempted bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon a week ago.

Two suspects were identified as Abed Mreish and Mehdi al-Hajj Hasan, both Lebanese, and the third as Ibrahim Serhal, a Palestinian.

Mreish and Serhal were arrested Dec. 10 outside the embassy in Aukar, a district north of Beirut. According to the allegations, Mreish was carrying a suitcase packed with 2 pounds of explosives and Serhal was posing as his taxi driver. Hasan was detained two days later and is alleged to have ordered the attack.

Al-Qaida suspected in blast meant for Pakistani president

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Al-Qaida may have been behind a weekend bid to assassinate President Pervez Musharraf, Pakistani officials said yesterday.

Intelligence agents also are investigating whether there was an internal leak that gave the perpetrators the advance warning needed to plan the attack.

Musharraf, a key ally in the U.S.-led war on terror, narrowly escaped Sunday's attack when a series of explosions ripped apart a bridge in Rawalpindi just after his motorcade passed over it.

Intelligence officials said they had no firm leads but suspicion was falling on al-Qaida or an allied Pakistani group, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen al-Almi, several members of which have been convicted for trying to kill Musharraf.

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said five explosive devices, of a type never used before in Pakistan, were placed under the bridge on Sunday. He called it the work of a "most expert" person.

New York terror-cell member gets seven-year prison sentence

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A fifth member of the Lackawanna Six terrorist cell was sentenced yesterday to seven years in prison for attending an al-Qaida training camp months before the Sept. 11 attacks.

Faysal Galab, 27, was the first of the six Yemeni-American men to strike a plea bargain with prosecutors. He was rewarded with the most lenient sentence. "I'm sorry for what I've done," Galab said. "I knew it was wrong."

Galab pleaded guilty in January to contributing money, goods or services to al-Qaida, and agreed to cooperate in government terrorism investigations.

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