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US man charged with plotting to kill Bush

February 23, 2005 08:14 IST

The US Justice Department has announced the arrest of an American for plotting to kill President George W Bush.

According to charges brought in against Ahmed Omar Abu Ali on Tuesday, he discussed his plan with an unidentified Al Qaeda member while in Saudi Arabia.

Abu Ali first went to Saudi Arabia in 2000, then again in 2002, as a student.

The US authorities have obtained a six-count indictment against him.

It says that Abu Ali and his co-conspirator (unidentified) discussed two plans: Abu Ali would get close to the president and shoot him on the street or he would detonate a car bomb.

He also discussed conducting terrorist operations and establishing an Al Qaeda cell in the US, the indictment reads.

Before Abu Ali's return to the US and the indictment, he was being held without charges in Saudi Arabia since June 2003.

On Tuesday, at the initial appearance in US district court in Alexandria, Virginia, Abu Ali claimed he was tortured while in custody in Saudi Arabia and even offered to show scars on his back to the judge.

If convicted, he could get up to 80 years in jail.

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