Friday, July 30, 2004

When I arrived at work this morning, I noticed some TV trucks parked out front. This is why.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Reuters) - A prominent U.S. Muslim activist who provided details of a Libyan plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader pleaded guilty on Friday to illegal financial dealings with Libya.

[...]

After his arrest last year, al-Amoudi told the FBI he was a participant in a plot to assassinate Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. He said the plot was approved by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who has recently improved ties with the United States and has vowed to renounce terrorism.

Officials said the statements from al-Amoudi regarding the assassination plot were part of a plea bargain to avoid a trial. His accusations were similar to those made by a Libyan intelligence officer in Saudi custody.

The U.S. government had originally accused al-Amoudi of being involved in a number of groups that provided financial assistance to Hamas and al Qaeda—which the U.S. government has labeled “foreign terrorist organizations.”

Al-Amoudi pleaded guilty to illegally receiving and attempting to export $340,000 in cash while in London in August 2003. The money was from the World Islamic Call Society, a group controlled by the government of Libya.

He also pleaded guilty to an immigration and a tax violation.