Man Linked to Hijackers Is Charged
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SAN DIEGO — An Algerian detained with a former roommate of two Sept. 11 hijackers was charged Tuesday with immigration document fraud.
Samir Abdoun, 35, was detained Sept. 22 by agents of the FBI and Immigration and Naturalization Service as he rode in a car with Yazeed Al-Salmi. Al Salmi is a native of Saudi Arabia who rented a room in the same Lemon Grove house as two of the men named as terrorists who hijacked an American Airlines jet and crashed into the Pentagon.
A check of records showed that Abdoun had been ordered out of the United States after the Border Patrol stopped him Nov. 7, 1998, at the San Clemente checkpoint and found that he was traveling on a fraudulent and expired tourist visa.
The U.S. Attorney for San Diego charged Abdoun with five counts of using fraudulent documents to enter, live and work in the United States.
Abdoun, who has been in custody since September, is scheduled to appear before a judge today.
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