The Rest Of The Abu Ali Story

Yesterday we posted about Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, the 23 year old charged with conspiring to assassinate President Bush and conspiracy to support the Al Qaeda terrorist network. We also noted Abu Ali was a U.S. citizen and the valedictorian of his high school class.

Well, as they say, here’s the rest of the story. Abu Ali’s father has worked at the Saudi Embassy in Washington for more than 20 years in computer operations. The high school Abu Ali graduated from, at the head of the class, was the Islamic Saudi Academy, a private school in Alexandria, Virginia subsidized by the Saudi government.

After studying engineering briefly at the University of Maryland, Abu Ali moved to Saudi Arabia in 2000 to study the Koran at the Islamic University of Medina. Tuition at the university is free and 8590 of the total enrolment has been allocated to non-Saudi students.

"After the devastating terrorist attack and murders of Sept. 11," said Paul J. McNulty, the United States attorney in Alexandria, Mr. Abu Ali "turned his back on America and joined the cause of Al Qaeda."

More here and here