Man guilty in Bush assassination plot

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia - A federal jury has found a US man guilty of conspiring with al Qaeda and plotting to assassinate President George W Bush and rejected his claims of torture by Saudi police.

The 12-member jury found Ahmed Abu Ali, 24, guilty of all charges in a nine-count indictment. He had been charged with conspiracy to assassinate Bush; conspiring to support and supporting al Qaeda and conspiracy to commit aircraft hijacking.

US District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee set a February 17, 2006, date to sentence Abu Ali, who faces life in prison.

Abu Ali was arrested in June 2003 while studying at a Saudi university and was held in Saudi custody for 20 months before returning to the United States after being indicted. In Saudi Arabia he signed confessions and made statements admitting to the plot against Bush and to having ties to an al Qaeda cell.

Abu Ali pleaded not guilty to the charges, saying he made up the confessions after being tortured by Saudi domestic police. His lawyers had urged the jury to acquit him because all the evidence against him was obtained through coercion.

But after nearly three full days of deliberation, the jury found Abu Ali guilty.

Dressed in a gray suit, a bearded Abu Ali stared straight ahead at the judge as a court clerk read out the nine counts and the jury's verdict of guilty in each.

Abu Ali's family, which had often said prayers in court and offered words of encouragement during the trial, showed little emotion as the verdict was read.

Khurrum Wahid, Abu Ali's lead attorney, said his client would appeal.

"He is disappointed that the jury didn't see the truth," Wahid told reporters outside the courthouse. "He wants us to continue to fight."

In the statements made to Saudi officials, Abu Ali said he and senior members of an al Qaeda cell in Medina, Saudi Arabia, discussed how he could kill Bush. He said they also talked about other types of attacks, including September 11-like hijackings that could be carried out in the United States.

Prosecutors never said when Abu Ali was planning to kill Bush. They said he had discussed various tactics for conducting the assassination including an operation with multiple snipers and a suicide bombing operation.

Assistant US Attorney David Laufman said Abu Ali had said he was interested in "killing the leader of the infidels -- Bush." Prosecutors said Abu Ali also wanted to become a planner of terrorist operations like Mohamed Atta -- believed to be the ringleader of the September 11, 2001, hijackers.

Abu Ali said he made the confessions after members of the Saudi domestic security police chained his hands to the ground and repeatedly whipped him on the back.

Saudi officials deny the accusations of mistreatment. US prosecutors, who based most of their case against Abu Ali on statements made in Saudi Arabia, said there was no evidence to prove Abu Ali had been tortured.

"I hope this verdict does not give the government the green light to send citizens to other countries that practice torture to circumvent the constitution," said Wahid.

- REUTERS