Secrecy Requested in Los Angeles Airport Bomb Plot Hearing

13 Feb 2004 

Secrecy Requested in LA Airport Bomb Plot Hearing
Reuters AlertNet, UK

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb 12 (Reuters) -
Lawyers for an Algerian wanted by the United States
for a plot to bomb Los Angeles airport asked a
Canadian judge on Thursday keep a veil of secrecy over
his extradition hearing.

Neither a lawyer for Samir Ait Mohamed nor a Canadian
prosecutor representing the U.S. government would
explain why the request was made, and reporters were
removed from the court in Vancouver for arguments over
the request.

"I can't talk about it. This is a very unusual case,"
said Mohamed's attorney, Ian Donaldson, during a break
at the British Columbia Supreme Court.

Prosecutor Roger McMeans refused to say if Canada and
the United States supported or opposed the request, as
did an attorney representing the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police, who was allowed to attend the
arguments.

The United States has accused Mohamed, an Algerian
living illegally in Canada, with aiding a 1999 plot to
bomb Los Angeles International Airport. The plan
failed when Ahmed Ressam was arrested entering
Washington state from Canada in an explosive-laden
car.

Ressam was convicted in the case but has since been
co-operating with U.S. investigators with information
about al Qaeda, which is believed by investigators to
have been linked to the L.A. airport attempt.

Mohamed has been in jail in British Columbia since
July 2001. U.S. police say Mohamed and Ressam knew
each other in Montreal, and he provided Ressam with
stolen credit cards and guns to help finance the bomb
plot.

Ressam has testified in U.S. court that he and Mohamed
also discussed attacking "Jewish targets" in Montreal.

Justice Barry Davies said on Thursday he was
"reluctantly" barring the media from arguments on the
secrecy request. He is expected to issue a ruling in
April.

"It puts the court in a difficult position," Davies
said before closing the hearing to the public.

Donaldson has also challenged Canada's effort to use
security laws passed in the wake of the Sept. 11,
2001, attacks to support the U.S. extradition request
because the crime Mohamed is accused of happened in
1999. 



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