An American official killed shortly before her trial on aiding apparent terror suspects was to begin sparks fears of an active terrorist network in America. FBI officials say Katherine Smith death was not an accident, and link the Middle Eastern suspects to September 11 events.
Katherine Smith, a State of Tennessee official responsible for issuing driver’s licenses, was killed in what appeared to be a car crash on Sunday. Her burned body was recovered after it appeared her car struck a utility pole and caught fire. However, the FBI has now revealed that Smith’s death was apparently no accident.
Katherine Smith has been charged with selling driver's licenses to five Middle Eastern men, primarily from New York City, who did not have proper documentation, according to AP. She was arrested on February 5th, along with the five other suspects.
The men - Mostafa Said Abou-Shahin, Abdelmuhsen Mahmid Hammad, Mohammed Fares, Khaled Odtllah, and Sakhera Hammad are being held without bond. American authorities say they had been trying to prepare false identities for themselves, and have pointed out apparent links to terrorist activities. AP quoted Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim DiScenza who said the men, all illegal immigrants, participated in a conspiracy to provide them a "completely false and untraceable identity."
FBI agent J. Suzanne Nash was also quoted in an AP report as saying that when Sakhera Hammad was arrested, investigators found a Sept. 5 visitor's pass for the World Trade Center in his wallet. Sakhera Hammad told authorities he was a plumber and worked on the center's sprinkler system, and that Abdelmuhsen Mahmid Hammad was a cousin who worked with him. Federal authorities also learned that Khaled Odtllah drove to Memphis from New York City on Sept. 11, Nash said.
Katherine Smith was scheduled to appear in a Federal Court on Monday to face the charges, and to reveal more of the facts of the case. Her death will make the prosecution of the Middle Eastern defenders much more difficult for the American authorities.
FBI agent J. Suzanne Nash revealed in testimony on Wednesday that Smith’s death had not been a car accident. According to an AP report, the FBI agent reported that witnesses to the crash said they "noticed flames from the back seat" before Smith's car struck the pole. The FBI agent added that the gas tank of Smith’s car was found intact, making it apparent that a device had started a fire in her car while she was driving it.
The possibility that Smith was assassinated in order to cover up for terror agents in America raises a fearsome specter for US authorities – that of a highly efficient and active terror network already operational inside the country. With America already in subject to weekly threat alarms, the heightened state of alarm in the country will doubtless continue over the coming days. (www.albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
