United States seeks to extradite 2 suspects in embassy bombings

LONDON, July 12 (JTA) — The United States is trying to extradite two men suspected of involvement in last year’s simultaneous bomb attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The men, Ibrahim Hussein Adbel Hadi Eidarous, 42, and Adil Muhammad Abdul al-Majid Bari, 39 — believed to be Egyptians — were arrested on Sunday after British police received extradition warrants from the United States. The warrants allege that the two conspired with the Islamic terrorist mastermind and financier Osama bin-Laden to murder American nationals. Bin-Laden, a renegade Saudi radical, is believed to be in hiding in Afghanistan, where he is coordinating an international network of militant Islamic groups who are dedicated to waging holy war against the United States and Israel. The U.S. authorities, who have offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of bin-Laden, believe Eidarous and Bari were part of a conspiracy with bin-Laden to kill American citizens. A total of 224 people were killed, including 12 Americans, and some 4,500 were injured in the blasts, which occurred last Aug. 7. British lawyers for the two men have asked that they be released on bail, which is opposed by the United States while extradition papers are being prepared. The United States is also seeking the extradition from Britain of Saudi national Khaled Al Fawaz, who was also allegedly involved in the attacks. He was arrested on September 28 and his extradition hearing is scheduled to resume in September. In addition, five men are being held in New York on conspiracy charges stemming from the bombings. Two of the suspects, Mohamed Sadik Odeh and Mohamed Rashed Daoud al-Owhali, have been indicted on more than 200 counts of murder.