Known Terrorist Attempting to Detonate a 'Dirty Bomb' Arrested

John Ashcroft, the U.S. Attorney General, announced that a known terrorist who intended to detonate a so-called 'dirty bomb' containing radioactive materials has been arrested. A dirty bomb is defined as a conventional bomb that has been laced with radioactive materials. Mr. Ashcroft stated that Abdullah al-Muhajir is in custody of U.S. military forces in Charleston, South Carolina. Last Sunday, President Bush referred to him as one of the enemy combatants. The suspect, who is an American citizen, was detained on May 8, more than a month ago, at O'Hare Airport in Chicago when he arrived in the U.S. from Pakistan. A senior U.S. official said the terrorists' plot was in its early stages and their initial target was Washington, D.C. If the terrorists had succeeded, a large area of the U.S. capital would have been contaminated with radioactive materials. It is reported that al-Muhajir had been trained in Pakistan to construct a crude nuclear bomb. A U.S. government official stated that the information leading to al-Muhajir's arrest was obtained from the captured leader of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda, named Abu Zubaydah. 'Jose Padilla' is another name for al-Muhajir. The U.S. Attorney General said that the FBI, CIA, and the Department of Defense collaborated to thwart a terrorist plot to attack the U.S. with the detonation of a crude nuclear bomb. Mr. Ashcroft has traveled to Moscow to negotiate with Russian officials regarding the U.S.-led fight against terrorism.