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Sunday, January 08, 2006

Ind. Courts - "Truck driver from Greenfield" defendant in espionage trial beginning tomorrow in federal court here

"Espionage trial begins tomorrow: Man accused of aiding Iraq" is the headline of an AP story by Ashley M. Heher published today in the Louisville Courier Journal. Some quotes:

INDIANAPOLIS -- Allegations of international espionage will duel with claims of a mysterious twin when court proceedings begin for a man accused of offering to sell the names of U.S. intelligence agents to Saddam Hussein's regime.

Shaaban Hafiz Ahmad Ali Shaaban, 53, will represent himself when jury selection begins tomorrow in U.S. District Court.

Prosecutors say Shaaban tried to broker the sale of information to Iraqi officials in late 2002, shortly before a U.S.-led coalition began the war to overthrow Saddam's dictatorship.

But the truck driver from Greenfield, about 20 miles east of Indianapolis, contends he is a victim of mistaken identity and is being confused for a dead twin brother who worked for the CIA.

Kevin Cocoran of the Indianapolis Star writes today, in a lengthy story headlined "Spy case to feature cloak and swagger: Among witnesses against Greenfield man will be disguised intelligence operatives":
With all the intrigue of a spy thriller, a federal trial that begins Monday might include a former high-ranking Iraqi intelligence official, a Russian native named Svetlana and an Arabic-speaking undercover FBI agent.

All could be among witnesses called to testify at an Indiana truck driver's trial in Indianapolis on allegations he offered to sell names of U.S. covert operatives to Saddam Hussein's Iraqi government.

Two witnesses -- the former official in Iraq's disbanded intelligence-gathering agency, the Mukhabarat, and the FBI agent -- will be allowed to testify in disguise while also shielded from public view. They will be whisked through private entrances by U.S. marshals. They can testify using aliases. And sketch artists and journalists will be under a court order not to describe them.

U.S. District Judge John D. Tinder ordered the extraordinary precautions at the request of federal prosecutors, who say identifying the cloaked witnesses could expose them to physical harm.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 8, 2006 08:26 AM
Posted to Ind Fed D.Ct. Decisions