The Associated Press Nov 14, 2002 : 12:37 am ET

DETROIT -- A fugitive accused by the government of leading a terrorist sleeper cell here has been arrested in North Carolina and will be extradited to Michigan to face charges, authorities said.

Identified by court papers only as Abdella, the man was accused in an August indictment of acting with "a covert underground support unit" and an "operational combat cell" for a radical Islamic movement allied with al-Qaida.

He is accused along with Karim Koubriti, 24, Ahmed Hannan, 34, and Farouk Ali-Haimoud, 22, who pleaded innocent in September to a charge of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to terrorists. Their trial is scheduled for Jan. 21.

Abdella was charged with providing material support to terrorists, and conspiracy to engage in fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents.

Abdella was arrested Nov. 5 outside Greensboro, N.C., federal authorities told the Detroit Free Press. He appeared the following day in U.S. District Court in Durham, N.C., and waived his right to a hearing.

U.S. Magistrate Russell Eliason in Durham ordered him held without bond. He will be transferred to Detroit, the Free Press said.

FBI officials in North Carolina said Wednesday that a gag order issued by a federal judge in Detroit prevented them from providing details.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Convertino, who is directing the case in Detroit, declined comment on the arrest.

Court documents filed in Detroit list no age or last name for Abdella, but they do list several aliases.

Koubriti, Hannan and Ali-Haimoud were arrested Sept. 17, 2001, after a raid on a Detroit apartment. The raid yielded a cache of false documents, including visas.

They are the first known charges against an alleged terror cell in the United States in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Officials also discovered a day planner detailing planned attacks in Turkey and Jordan and a videotape that appeared to case U.S. landmarks such as Disneyland in California and the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The indictment considers Abdella an expert in airport security operations, telephone calling card fraud and falsifying identification.

No attacks have been publicly linked to the men.

-- Anonymous, November 14, 2002

Answers

that's one more out of the mix.

-- Anonymous, November 14, 2002