<

U.S. Seeks Terror Pilot in Canada

Canada has no record of suspect entering country, sources say

Friday, September 20, 2002
(3:02 PM ET)
The Associated Press
The Canadian Press

White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, asked about the Times report, seemed to play down its credibility. "There are a variety of threats -- some have more credibility, some have less -- I'm not in a position from this podium to give you any indications about anything that may deal with intelligence or potential threats. I'll just leave it at that," Fleischer said.

WASHINGTON -- AP/CP
U.S. law enforcement authorities have detained several Sudanese citizens as part of the government's anti-terrorism investigation, an administration official said today.

The official said the Sudanese suspects were being questioned at an undisclosed location. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, disputed a published report that the FBI and CIA are searching for a Sudanese air force pilot who entered Canada with plans to fly a hijacked airliner into the White House.

"There is no one at large who's going to fly a plane into the White House," this official said.

"The federal government has taken into custody over the last several weeks numerous individuals -- as exampled by the case in Buffalo, N.Y. -- that include several Sudanese who are being questioned. There is no evidence that any of these suspects had any kind of plot against the White House."
(More: The Toronto Star News Source)
2002 © The Associated Press / The Canadian Press.

Dan