A U.S. judge on Friday refused to grant bail to an Arabic translator charged with trying to encourage violent acts on behalf of the Islamic Group, described as a terrorist organization by prosecutors. The defendant, Ahmed Abdel Sattar, had been a translator for radical Muslim cleric Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, who is serving a life sentence for his role in a plot to bomb U.S. landmarks. Kenneth Paul, Sattar’s lawyer, asked U.S. District Judge John Koeltl to release Sattar on a $3 million bond and an order of home confinement. Koeltl declined, saying Sattar had a great incentive to flee, particularly as his Jan. 12 trial date grows closer. Sattar, a postal worker living in Staten Island, was jailed in April 2002 when he and Abdel-Rahman’s lawyer, Lynne Stewart, were indicted on charges they had helped Abdel-Rahman communicate with the Egypt-based Islamic Group from prison. Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.