Security Threats Inside and Out for 9/11 Trial
“Hot sauce and a comb were all an al-Qaida suspect in New York needed to nearly kill one of his guards nine years ago. The bloody episode suggests that security worries in bringing Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other 9/11 suspects to trial here could be just as big inside the courthouse as outside…
“At the same federal lock-up where Mohammed and the others are to be held, federal prison guard Louis Pepe was attacked in late 2000 by Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, a former top aide to bin Laden who was awaiting trial in the embassies case.
“Salim surprised Pepe by using a squeezable plastic honey bear container filled with hot sauce as a kind of homemade pepper spray that temporarily blinded the guard.
“The inmate then took a plastic comb ground into the shape of a dagger and plunged it into Pepe’s left eye. The point pierced deep into his brain, causing severe permanent injury to his sight, speech, and movement.
“After the attack, prosecutors say papers found in the cell showed Salim’s plan had been to take hostages inside the prison and free his co-defendants…
“During a pre-trial hearing, al-Qaida suspect Wadih El-Hage leaped out of a jury box that held several defendants and raced toward the judge, who maneuvered his tall black chair in front of him as a shield. The defendant was tackled by a deputy U.S. marshal and slammed against a wall next to an American flag, about a dozen feet from the judge.”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iIIipUrx5h05DijffNcV4BN-4xnAD9C0TK681
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Scott Spiegel
