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4 November 1998
Source: Hardcopy, US Attorney, SDNY, press conference. Thanks to MS/HH, (212) 637-2600.

See related indictment today of Usama Bin Laden: http://jya.com/usa-v-laden.htm
See related indictment of today Usama Bin Laden and five others: http://jya.com/usa-v-laden+5.htm
See related files: http://jya.com/alqfiles.htm

> ### United States Attorney
> Southern District of New York

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      CONTACT: U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
    NOVEMBER 4, 1998                    MARVIN SMILON, HERBERT HADAD
                                        PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
                                        (212) 637-2600

                                        FBI
                                        JOSEPH A. VALIQUETTE
                                        (212) 384-2715
                                        JAMES M. MARGOLIN
                                        (212) 384-2720

                             PRESS RELEASE

              MARY JO WHITE, the United States Attorney for the

    Southern District of New York, and LEWIS D. SCHILIRO, Assistant

    Director in Charge of the New York FBI Office, announced that

    USAMA BIN LADEN and MUHAMMAD ATEF, a/k/a "Abu Hafs," were indicted

    today in Manhattan federal court for the August 7, l998, bombings

    of the United States embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es

    Salaam, Tanzania, and for conspiring to kill American nationals

    outside of the United States.

              The United States Department of State also announced

    today rewards of up to $5 million each for information leading to

    the arrest or conviction of BIN LADEN and ATEF.

              The first count of the Indictment charges that BIN LADEN

    and ATEF, along with co-defendants WADIH EL HAGE, FAZUL ABDULLAH

    MOHAMMED, MOHAMED SADEEK ODEH, and MOHAMED RASHED DAOUD AL-'OWHALI,

    acted together with other members of "al Qaeda," a worldwide

                                  1

    terrorist organization led by BIN LADEN, in a conspiracy to murder

    United States nationals. The objectives of this international

    terrorist conspiracy allegedly included: killing members of the

    American military stationed in Saudi Arabia and Somalia; killing

    United States nationals employed at the United States Embassies in

    Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and concealing the

    activities of the co-conspirators by, among other things,

    establishing front companies, providing false identity and travel

    documents, engaging in coded correspondence and providing false

    information to the authorities in various countries.

              BIN LADEN's organization al Qaeda allegedly functioned

    both on its own and through some of the terrorist organizations

    that operated under its umbrella, including the Al Jihad group

    based in Egypt, the Islamic Group (also known as "el Gamaa Islamia"

    or simply "Gamaa't"), led at one time by Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman,

    and a number of jihad groups in other countries, including the

    Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia. Al Qaeda also

    allegedly maintained cells and personnel in a number of countries

    to facilitate its activities, including in Kenya, Tanzania, the

    United Kingdom and the United States.

             According to the Indictment, BIN LADEN and al Qaeda

    forged alliances with the National Islamic Front in the Sudan and

    with representatives of the government of Iran, and its associated

    terrorist group Hezballah, with the goal of working together

                                    2

    against their perceived common enemies in the West, particularly

    the United States.

              In order to further this international conspiracy to

    murder United States nationals, BIN LADEN and other co-conspirators

    are alleged to have committed the following acts: (1) providing

    training camps for use by al Qaeda and its affiliates; (2)

    recruiting United States citizens including the defendant EL HAGE

    to help facilitate the goals of al Qaeda; (3) purchasing weapons

    and explosives; and (4) establishing headquarters and businesses in

    the Sudan.

               The Indictment also alleges that fatwahs were issued by

    BIN LADEN and a committee of al Qaeda members urging other members

    and associates of al Qaeda to kill Americans. According to the

    Indictment, several of these fatwahs called for attacks on American

    troops stationed in Saudi Arabia and Somalia. The Indictment also

    alleges that American troops in Somalia were indeed attacked and

    killed by persons who received training from al Qaeda members or

    those trained by al Qaeda. The Indictment specifically charges

    that the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States embassies in

    Kenya and Tanzania as actions taken in furtherance of this

    conspiracy to kill American nationals.

              BIN LADEN and ATEF, along with ABDULLAH MOHAMMED, ODEH,

    and AL-'OWHALI, are also charged with bombing the two embassies and

    causing the deaths of more than 200 persons and injuring more than

                                     3

    4,500 others. Those five defendants are also charged with

    murdering all of the civilians killed in the embassy bombings. The

    Indictment names all of the victims of the bombings and each victim

    is charged as a separate count of murder for a total of 224 counts

    of murder against BIN LADEN, ATEF, ABDULLAH MOHAMMED, ODEH, and AL-

    'OWHALI.

             Ms. WHITE and Mr. SCHILIRO said the investigation of this

    case is being conducted by the Joint Terrorist Task Force composed

    of the FBI, the New York City Police Department, the United States

    Department of State, the United States Secret Service, the United

    States Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Federal Aviation

    Administration, the United States Marshals Service, the Bureau of

    Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the New York State Police and the

    Port Puthority of New York and New Jersey.

             Ms. WHITE and Mr. SCHILIRO praised the Governments of

    Kenya, Tanzania and the Comoros Islands for their cooperation in

    this investigation and praised all the investigative efforts and

    cooperation of the agencies involved in the case. They also said

    that the investigation is continuing.

             United States Attorney General Janet Reno stated: "This

    is an important step forward in our fight against terrorism. It

    sends a message that no terrorist can flout our laws and murder

    innocent civilians."

              Ms. WHITE stated: "Usama Bin Laden and his military

                                     4

    commander Muhammad Atef are charged with the most heinous acts of

    violence ever committed against American diplomatic posts. These

    acts caused the deaths of hundreds of citizens of Kenya, Tanzania

    and the United States. All those responsible for these brutal and

    cowardly acts, from the leaders and organizers to all of those who

    had any role in these crimes in East Africa, will be brought to

    justice."

              Mr. SCHILIRO stated: "This investigation has been given

    the highest priority. Our investigative strategy is clear: We will

    identify, locate and prosecute all those responsible right up the

    line, from those who constructed and delivered the bombs to those

    who paid for them and ordered it done. This has been an

    investigation which has involved the largest deploYment of FBI

    agents abroad, including members of the Joint Terrorist Task Force.

    Working closely with the law enforcement authorities in Kenya and

    Tanzani2, our investigators have made significant progress, yet

    much remains to be done."

              BIN LADEN and ATEF, both of whom are fugitives, face a

    maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of

    parole, or death.

             Assistant United States Attorneys PATRICK J. FITZGERALD,

    KENNETH M. KARAS and MICHAEL J. GARCIA are in charge of the

    prosecution.

                                     5

             The charges contained in the Indictment are merely

    accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and

    until proven guilty.

    98-240

                                  ###

    NOV-04-1998 02:55

    MARY JO WHITE
    U.S. ATTORNEY

                   JOINT TERRORIST TASK FORCE MEMBER AGENCIES

        FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
             ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN CHARGE LEWIS D. SCHILIRO

        U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
             AMBASSADOR DAVID G. CARPENTER, ASS'T SECRETARY OF STATE
             JOHN MURPHY, CHIEF, OFFICE OF PROTECTIVE INELLIGENCE AND
             INVESTIGATIONS, OFFICE OF DIPLOMATIC SECURITY
             SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE PATRICIA HARTNET KELLY, OFFICE OF
             DIPLOMATIC SECURITY

        NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
             [COMMISSIONER HOWARD SAFIR]

        U.S. IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE
             DISTRICT DIRECTOR EDWARD J. McELROY

        BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO AND FIREARMS
             SPECIAL AGENT SALVATORE EMILIO

        U.S. CUSTOMS SERVICE
             SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE JOHN VARRONE

        U.S. SECRET SERVICE
             SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE CHIP SMITH

        PORT AUTHORITY OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY POLICE DEPARTMENT
             CHIEF WILLIAM CAFARO

        NEW YORK STATE POLICE
             CAPTAIN MARK SMITH

        (NAMES IN BOLD FACE INDICATE SPEAKING ROLES)