In Washington hospitalAl-Anssi burns himself [Archives:2004/792/Front Page]
By Yemen Times Staff
and News Services
After what is believed to be a suicide attempt, a U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant, Mohammed Al-Anssi, is in a Washington DC hospital.
His injuries include second-degree burns covering thirty percent of his body including his head, back and arms.
Al-Anssi, who burned himself Nov. 14, reportedly received $100, 000 for helping to capture another Yemeni Sheikh.
It is Al-Anssi who motivated the now US-detained sheikh Mohammed Al-Moayad, to travel to Germany with promises that he would take him to a Muslim-American ready to give donations for Islamic issues.
Al-Anssi is a partner in a series of records which involves Al-Moayad and the supposed donor, who himself was an FBI agent.
The records are the main part of the accusations against Al-Moayad.
Al-Anssi set himself alight at the northwestern gate of the White House in protest against what he said the FBI not fulfilling their pledges after trapping Sheikh Al-Moayad in Germany.
Additional promises, according to Al-Anssi, who also uses the name Mohamed Al-Hadrami, included an unspecified amount of extra money, U.S. citizenship and protection of his identity.
In a pervious interview, Al-Anssi reported his inability to travel to Yemen because he has no money, though the FBI gave him the $100,000 in 2003. He said the FBI seized his Yemeni passport to ensure his testimony at a Al-Moayad's case.
In a recent interview with the Washington Post, he mentioned that his wife suffers from cancer and he himself is diabetic and has heart troubles.
He added that he committed a big mistake to cooperate with the FBI who have “destroyed his life and his family's life.”
He also said the FBI failed to keep secret his role in detaining Al-Moayad and his companion, Mohammed Zayed, both of whom are standing trial in Brooklyn on charges they gave support to terrorist groups Al-Qaida and Hamas.
Both defendants are being held without bail in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park
The defense team of Al-Moayad seized this opportunity to note Al-Anssi's role in Al-Moayad's case.
“He exaggerated the information he provided about Al-Moayad for the sake of money, and presented a harmful translation into English of the speech of Al-Moayad and his companion,” said one member of the Al-Moayad's legal team.
According to defense Attorney Jonathan Marks, surveillance tapes made of Alanssi's conversations with Al-Moayad, Zayed and another informant posing as a wealthy Muslim, identified as “CI-2,” often were inaccurate. Marks said Alanssi is heard on the recordings mistranslating remarks spoken in Arabic by the defendants.
Marks, who represents Zayed, said he believes Al-Anssi's suicide attempt and his financial complaints could strengthen an entrapment defense.
Other attorneys said that Al-Anssi's suicide attempt makes him fair game for cross-examination about his mental stability.
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