New Zealand Expels Saudi/Yemeni linked to 9/11 Hijacker
By Zachary Abuza
The New Zealand government announced today that they had expelled a Saudi/Yemeni national, Rayed Mohammed Abdullah Ali (28) on 29 May. Born in Saudi Arabia to a Yemeni father, he traveled on a Yemeni passport, claiming that Saudi authorities would not give him citizenship. He had been arrested last month after entering New Zealand in February 2006 on a student visa to study English so that he could continue on and enter a commercial flight-training program. He was already training at the Manawatu Aero Club.
According to the 9/11 Commission report, Ali had lived with Hani Hanjour in Phoenix, Arizona, where they had also trained together. He claimed to have received a private pilot’s license while in the US. Hanjour is believed to have piloted Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon. He was a leader at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Phoenix and allegedly gave extremist speeches at the mosque.
Deemed a threat to national security, he was deported to Saudi Arabia; only the second person deported under Section 72 of New Zealand's Immigration Act, which offers no right to appeal. Saudi authorities have not commented on Ali or stated whether they will press charges.
