Author: Reuters
Publication: AT&T Online
Date: May 10, 2003
URL: http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pub&dt=030510&cat=news&st=newsattacksaudiexpulsiondc
A Saudi consular official was held
for two days and expelled from the United States this week because he was
suspected of having links with terrorist organizations, the Los Angeles
Times reported on Saturday.
Fahad al Thumairy, 31, arrived on
a flight from Frankfurt on Tuesday at Los Angeles International Airport
to learn that his visa had been revoked in March, the newspaper reported.
He was barred from returning for
five years, and on Thursday was put on an international flight, the paper
quoted Department of Homeland spokeswoman Virginia Kise as saying.
He had been at the Saudi Consulate
in Los Angeles since 1996 and held a diplomatic post in the Islamic and
cultural affairs section. He also served as a prayer leader at the King
Fahd Mosque in Culver City, one of Southern California's largest Muslim
houses of worship.
The newspaper cited an unidentified
official source as saying that a State Department communique specifically
mentioned that al Thumairy had "suspected affiliation with terrorists."
A State Department spokeswoman declined
to comment on the matter on Saturday, and neither the Department of Homeland
Security nor the King Fahd Mosque could be reached for comment. The Department
of Justice and the Saudi consulate did not immediately return calls seeking
comment.
