| Fed allowed man to train foreign troops Original Source Link: (May no longer be active) http://www.9news.com/storyfull.aspx?storyid=20882http://www.9news.com/storyfull.aspx?storyid=20882
Man charged with illegally training foreign troops says feds hadn't raised concerns earlier posted by Jeannie Piper, Web Producer created: 11/12/2003 7:32:09 PM updated: 11/12/2003 7:33:42 PM ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A counterterrorism center director testified at his federal trial Wednesday that the State Department did not raise concerns about training sessions he offered to foreign soldiers before accusing him of not being licensed.
David Hudak said he never received a warning from the State Department about the type of training his company, High Energy Access Tools, or HEAT, provided to soldiers from Israel, Canada and Singapore.
The U.S. government charges that his company trained soldiers from the United Arab Emirates under a $12.5 million contract using U.S. defense information without proper State Department licensing. Hudak, a Canadian citizen, faces 10 felony counts, including illegally possessing 2,400 warheads at the training center.
Hudak acknowledged under cross-examination that the UAE soldiers had received training equivalent to advanced training in subjects considered sensitive defense information. He had testified Monday that he had no reason to believe sessions at his training center included classified defense information.
He also said he had been exporting small warheads to other countries for eight years, but the State Department had never issued a warning about any of his procedures. He obtained an exporting license to ship the munitions, and HEAT never sent munitions without a license, he said.
Hudak said he had entrusted Steve Mattoon, HEAT's director of operations and training, with licensing issues and was never told there was a need to suspend the training because of any legal questions.
Hudak said earlier that he thought the center had proper government approval, and told his employees to get approval immediately once he learned of the licensing problem. He finished three days of testimony Wednesday in the fourth week of his trial.
Hudak, 42, has been held without bond since his arrest in August 2002 after federal judges ruled he was a flight risk. Hudak, who the U.S. government alleges was in the country illegally, faces a 50-year prison term if convicted.
(Copyright 2003 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved)
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