right in my own back yard, so to speak... fair use ...

Link

OU Student Detained In Attack Investigation

Another Norman Man Also Taken Into Custody

Posted: 9:09 a.m. CDT September 20, 2001

NORMAN, Okla. -- The investigation of last week's terrorist attacks on the East Coast has led authorities to detain a University of Oklahoma student with possible ties to a man who has drawn the attention of federal investigators.

FBI agents are interested in Hussein Al-Attas because he may have driven Zacarias Moussaoui (pictured, left) from Norman to Minnesota. Moussaoui, 33, was arrested Aug. 17 in Eagan, Minn., after he aroused suspicion while seeking training on a jumbo jet simulator at a flight school there, several media have reported.

Moussaoui trained at Airman Flight School in Norman from Feb. 26 to May 29, but left before earning his license.

Al-Attas, 23, has lived in Oklahoma since at least 1997. A friend contacted Norman immigration attorney Mitchell Gray on Sunday to ask his help for Al-Attas, whom the friend said had been detained on the day of the attacks.

"It was brought to me as a student visa problem," Gray said Thursday. "I think the feeling was that he was about to graduate and he needs to be in class. I guess the hope was could I get this cleared up and get him back in class."

Gray, who is not representing Al-Attas, said he tried Monday to track down the student. He found that Al-Attas had been held for a time at the Garvin County jail, then was transferred to the Oklahoma County jail. Officials at the Oklahoma County jail told him the INS had picked him up Sunday.

The attorney also spoke with an FBI agent and officials with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, but was not able to speak with Al-Attas.

Gray said the person who contacted him on behalf of Al-Attas told him the OU student may have driven Moussaoui to Minnesota.

"From what was presented to me, he's a 23-year-old Muslim who is a very shy and conscientious person, not someone who was arousing any suspicion," Gray said.

Oklahoma City FBI spokesman Gary Johnson declined comment on Al-Attas, saying he cannot talk about anything related to the investigation of the attacks.

Another Norman man with possible ties to Moussaoui also is being detained.

Mukkaram Ali, 25, was taken into custody Friday and held in the Oklahoma County jail. Immigration officials moved him Monday night.

Ali told jailers he was a student at Oklahoma City Community College, but officials there said he was no longer enrolled. Ali gave a phone number at the University of Oklahoma but he was not listed as a student.

*****END OF STORY******

Now, as some of you may or may not know exactly where I work. I work for the medical university part of OU. We are not in Norman, but located almost downtown OKC. I have a delicate question which I would like to speak to some of my friends in the cop shop here.

Please realize that this is a very political and PC environment, and a wrong look can get you into some very DEEP crap real quick. I would estimate that nearly 75% of our students here are foreign, and a good number of them... well you get my drift. (Hate to not be PC! *joke*)

Anyway, we have huge research facilities that contain all kinds of nasties. Think bio-hazzards, think nuke medicine, think about all the nasties.

How can I ask them in a *polite* way if they have beefed up security at the labs here? How can I ask them if they have checked and rechecked their inventory? Something happen on this campus and I wouldn't even have time to get to the tunnels to take me to my secure location.

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

Answers

bump for the recent answers only crowd. ;)

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

If you are a member of the teaching staff, or support for teachin staff, you have a right to know what, if any, steps have been initiated for people's safety.

you may even ask anonymously, maybe a letter to the student paper, or straight to the dean or chancilor or whatever of the school. In the case of the head of the school, maybe a personal visit?

You really need to find out what plans there are for evacuating anyway...

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

Bare bones: If they haven't done anything about it yet, they're not gonna. And a question from you won't make any difference. Either they GI or they DGI, at this point. Whether they have or not, it's, as you say, a matter of great delicacy to find out. So hard to strike the right note so they don't get alarmed. Like, will they think you want to know so you can circumvent their security? Do you want to know because you think they're inept? The last thing on their minds will be that you're curious because of your own safety. If you know anyone involved in security, I should think some remark on the lines of: "I just wanted you to know that, given recent events, I'm really relieved that competent people like you are involved in keeping our stuff safe." Watch the face carefully. A big beam means, "Yep, we're okay." A slightly befuddled look means, "Oh if she only knew!" You get the idea!

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

OG,

You have hit the nail on the head exactly. I don't want to draw attention to myself for any reason. Our cop shop always has the deer in the headlight look, so I'm not sure if they'd change if I asked them. Somehow, I'll find a way.

We do have fire plans, tornado plans, and to a degree items like small chemical spills. But I have never seen a plan for something like this. And due to the circumstances, and being a "Doomer Sooner", I can't help but wonder.

Sheeps

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001