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Jdl guilty bomb plot congressman ADC Press Release:
JDL Pleads Guilty to Bomb Plot Against US Congressman
Washington, DC, February 6--Earl Leslie Krugel, member of the Jewish Defense
League (JDL), pleaded guilty to one count of carrying an explosive device in
connection with a conspiracy to bomb the office of California Congressman
Darrell Issa and one count of conspiracy to violate the civil rights of the
attendees of a California mosque. This plea bargain also implicates former
JDL Chair Irv Rubin who committed suicide in jail this past November, hours
before he was to appear in court to face charges. Additionally, the JDL is
considered the main suspect in the 1985 murder of Alex Odeh, West Coast
Regional Director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).
The men were arrested in December 2001, following attempts to buy what has
been described as "bomb-making materiel." The FBI determined that they were
preparing attacks on Muslim and Arab-American groups. The JDL was also
linked to a series of violent attacks on various targets in the 70s and 80s,
including Arab-American organizations such as ADC.
ADC has been raising the issue of Odeh's murder with the FBI and Justice
Department in recent weeks, including directly with Attorney General John
Ashcroft. ADC hopes that this guilty plea will lead to the prosecution of
those responsible for this heinous act of terrorism.
ADC President Ziad Asali, M.D., said "Hate crimes against our community have
increased 1,600% according to the latest FBI statistics. Anti-Islamic
incidents are now the number one reported religious hate crime in America,
even surpassing anti-Jewish incidents. These crimes tear at the very fabric
of our country which is built on the values of tolerance, diversity, and
acceptance."
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Anti-Discrimination Committee
4201 Connecticut Ave, Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20008, U.S.A.
Tel: (202) 244-2990
Fax: (202) 244-3196
Web: http://www.adc.org
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