An American accused in court papers of having ties to Osama bin Laden is now working for the Iraqi government's Foreign Ministry, US officials and a former CIA counterterror chief say.
Iraqi-born Tarik A. Hamdi was the "American contact" for one of bin Laden's front organizations and gave a satellite telephone battery to an aide to the Saudi-born al-Qaida leader in Afghanistan for a phone used by bin Laden, according to an affidavit from Customs agent David Kane.
The affidavit was unsealed this week in US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, near Washington, along with a federal indictment charging Hamdi with lying on immigration and mortgage loan applications.
Hamdi, who formerly lived in another Washington suburb in Virginia, is now working at Iraqi diplomatic offices in Turkey, said Vince Cannistraro, a former CIA official who has known Hamdi for years and remains in contact with him through e-mail.
Hamdi has been under federal investigation and surveillance for several years, stemming from his work at the International Institute of Islamic Thought in northern Virginia. The affidavit was filed in March 2002 to obtain a warrant to search Hamdi's home.
Prosecutors have contended at least since 2002 that Hamdi had "established links" to bin Laden and other members of al-Qaida, according to a court filing in the case against Zacarias Moussaoui. |