Two terror suspects were in US legally: official

WASHINGTON, Aug 31, 2010 (AFP) - Two Yemenis arrested by Dutch police for a possible terror plot were in the United States legally before they boarded a flight to Amsterdam, a senior US intelligence official said Tuesday.

"They were here legally," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters.

The two men were arrested at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport after US authorities found a mobile phone taped to a bottle in their luggage and Dutch prosecutors said they being held on suspicion of plotting terrorism.

The senior intelligence official said numerous questions surrounding the case remained unanswered, including whether the two suspects were carrying out a dry run for an attack.

"Are these bad actors doing something nefarious?," the official said. "Were they doing a practice run? We don't know."

He also confirmed that the suspects were not on any US government terrorist watch list.

Other US officials have not ruled out that the incident may simply have been a misunderstanding.

The two men were arrested by Dutch border police shortly after their arrival at Schiphol at 9:15 am (0715 GMT) Monday on a flight from Chicago.

One of the men reportedly checked his luggage on a flight from Chicago to Sanaa, with scheduled stops at Dulles International Airport -- just outside Washington -- and Dubai.

Officials at Dulles Airport, upon realizing that the man was not on the same plane as his bag, reportedly recalled the flight and removed the luggage.

A Dutch judge will decide by late Thursday whether to charge the pair or release them. Under Dutch law, police can hold suspects for up to 72 hours without charge.


by Christophe Schmidt
(c) 2010 AFP