Washington State Bomb Conspiracy Investigation Leads to Senegal Man Linked With Osama bin Laden
SONIA RUSELER, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with a new development in a terrorism investigation that spans the globe from the United States to Africa. Here's CNN's justice correspondent Pierre Thomas with the latest -- Pierre?</s>PIERRE THOMAS, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Sonia, CNN has learned the Washington state bomb conspiracy has led investigators to Africa and is increasingly pointing to possible involvement by suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden. CNN has learned Senegal officials are detaining a man who investigators say has ties to bin Laden and who is known to associate with Algerian suspects targeted for allegedly smuggling explosives into the U.S. According to sources, the man identified as Ohuld Slahi could be a major player in a terrorism conspiracy that was uncovered with the December 14th arrest of Ahmed Ressam at a remote border crossing at Port Angeles, Washington. Ressam is expected to be arraigned in Seattle, this afternoon. Sources tell CNN Slahi, who recently left Montreal, Canada, for Senegal, is a brother-in-law to a top lieutenant in the bin Laden organization. The United States has accused bin Laden of masterminding the bombing of a U.S. embassy -- of two U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. And according to sources, Slahi was in close communication with Mohktar Haouri, indicted last week under suspicion of being a mid-level manager in the Washington smuggling conspiracy. U.S. fear a terrorist assault was being planned for last New Year's celebration, but they do not yet know what the specific target was. This much they think they do know: a terrorist cell based in Canada was planning a potentially-deadly act -- Sonia.</s>RUSELER: Thanks, Pierre.