Eyad Alrababah
Encyclopedia
Eyad Mustafa Alrababah was a Jordan
ian citizen arrested following the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack.
A computer technician, he had lived in West Paterson, New Jersey until 2000, then moved to Falls Church, Virginia
where he befriended two of the hijackers, Hani Hanjour
and Nawaf Alhazmi, at the Dar Al Hijra mosque in March 2001. By the time of the attacks, he was living in Bridgeport, Connecticut
.
On September 29, he went to the FBI office in Bridgeport, Connecticut
, where he claimed that he recognized four of the hijackers, the two from his mosque, and that he had picked them up in June with their two other friends in Virginia
(presumably at Falls Church) and brought them to Connecticut (presumably Fairfield
, where they spent four days at the Fairfield Motor Inn, and possibly purchased false IDs).
He was arrested on a material witness
warrant
, and held at the Hartford Correctional Center for three weeks in isolation. He was allowed to telephone his fiancée while at the FBI offices for interrogation, since the jail had refused him phone privileges. During these interrogations he was reportedly threatened and verbally abused by an Agent Burkowski. By the end of October he was moved to Manhattan
's Metropolitan Correctional Center
where he was held in complete solitary confinement for over a month, suffering sleep deprivation
and other tactics to coerce his testimony for the FBI. By the middle of November he was transferred again, this time to the Metropolitan Detention Center
in Brooklyn where he was brought before a grand jury
, though he was not called to testify.
By December, he'd been moved to the Alexandria City Jail
in Virginia
where he was formally charged on December 7 with charged with conspiracy and document fraud for falsely vouching for a New Jersey
man posing as a Virginian. He changed his initial Not Guilty plea to Guilty for the offense and further admitted to raising money to help illegal Arab
aliens to obtain falsified driver's licenses, and was sentenced to time served, though was kept in detention through May 2002 pending his deportation
. While he was not accused of providing false IDs for the hijackers, he is thought to have alerted Hani Hanjour
to a Virginia loophole about falsely applying for driver's license that would expedite the process - and six of the hijackers used the same false Virginia address on their identity cards, an address that Alrababah frequently used for his own customers.
In a May 2002 interview, he described Hani Hanjour
as secretive and surly, though said that Nawaf Alhazmi was personable and friendly - he barely knew the other two, having only driven with them the one time.
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
ian citizen arrested following the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack.
A computer technician, he had lived in West Paterson, New Jersey until 2000, then moved to Falls Church, Virginia
Falls Church, Virginia
The City of Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The city population was 12,332 in 2010, up from 10,377 in 2000. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Anglican parish, Falls Church gained township status within...
where he befriended two of the hijackers, Hani Hanjour
Hani Hanjour
Hani Saleh Hasan Hanjour was the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, crashing the plane into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks....
and Nawaf Alhazmi, at the Dar Al Hijra mosque in March 2001. By the time of the attacks, he was living in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
.
On September 29, he went to the FBI office in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
, where he claimed that he recognized four of the hijackers, the two from his mosque, and that he had picked them up in June with their two other friends in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
(presumably at Falls Church) and brought them to Connecticut (presumably Fairfield
Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is bordered by the towns of Bridgeport, Trumbull, Easton, Redding and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 59,404...
, where they spent four days at the Fairfield Motor Inn, and possibly purchased false IDs).
He was arrested on a material witness
Material witness
A material witness is a person with information alleged to be material concerning a criminal proceeding. The authority to detain material witnesses dates to the First Judiciary Act of 1789, but the Bail Reform Act of 1984 most recently amended the text of the statute, and it is now codified at...
warrant
Arrest warrant
An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by and on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual.-Canada:Arrest warrants are issued by a judge or justice of the peace under the Criminal Code of Canada....
, and held at the Hartford Correctional Center for three weeks in isolation. He was allowed to telephone his fiancée while at the FBI offices for interrogation, since the jail had refused him phone privileges. During these interrogations he was reportedly threatened and verbally abused by an Agent Burkowski. By the end of October he was moved to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Metropolitan Correctional Center
Metropolitan Correctional Center
Metropolitan Correctional Center is the name of several federal prisons in the United States:*Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago*Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York City*Metropolitan Correctional Center, San Diego...
where he was held in complete solitary confinement for over a month, suffering sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation is the condition of not having enough sleep; it can be either chronic or acute. A chronic sleep-restricted state can cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness and weight loss or weight gain. It adversely affects the brain and cognitive function. Few studies have compared the...
and other tactics to coerce his testimony for the FBI. By the middle of November he was transferred again, this time to the Metropolitan Detention Center
Metropolitan Detention Center
"Metropolitan Detention Centers" are federal detention facilities operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and located throughout the United States...
in Brooklyn where he was brought before a grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
, though he was not called to testify.
By December, he'd been moved to the Alexandria City Jail
Alexandria City Jail
Alexandria City Jail is a jail in Alexandria, Virginia, the Alexandria City Jail has housed several prominent prisoners.* Harold Nicholson * John Walker Lindh...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
where he was formally charged on December 7 with charged with conspiracy and document fraud for falsely vouching for a New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
man posing as a Virginian. He changed his initial Not Guilty plea to Guilty for the offense and further admitted to raising money to help illegal Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
aliens to obtain falsified driver's licenses, and was sentenced to time served, though was kept in detention through May 2002 pending his deportation
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
. While he was not accused of providing false IDs for the hijackers, he is thought to have alerted Hani Hanjour
Hani Hanjour
Hani Saleh Hasan Hanjour was the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, crashing the plane into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks....
to a Virginia loophole about falsely applying for driver's license that would expedite the process - and six of the hijackers used the same false Virginia address on their identity cards, an address that Alrababah frequently used for his own customers.
In a May 2002 interview, he described Hani Hanjour
Hani Hanjour
Hani Saleh Hasan Hanjour was the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, crashing the plane into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks....
as secretive and surly, though said that Nawaf Alhazmi was personable and friendly - he barely knew the other two, having only driven with them the one time.