Arrest of Saudi on bribery charges may be mistake

Monday, Nov. 5, 2001 | 9:41 a.m.

The Las Vegas arrest of a Saudi man on charges of taking bribes to issue American visas may have been a mistake, an official at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington said this morning.

"We are really surprised about this," Allagany Jaafar, chief of information at the embassy, said. "I think it must be a mistake if it's being called a bribe. There's no reason for Saudis to bribe anyone, we have not been told we are forbidden to come here."

Jaafar said the embassy was trying to get more information about the arrest of Abdulla Noman, who works for the U.S. government in Saudi Arabia.

He suggested that Noman's name was of Yemeni origin, not Saudi.

Noman was taken into custody in Las Vegas late last week following an FBI sting in which officials allege he accepted money in exchange for obtaining visas for Saudi citizens.

The undercover arrest, which took place at a Strip hotel, was led by FBI agents in Newark, N.J., with the help of local agents.

Las Vegas FBI spokesman Daron Borst said Noman worked at the American consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, helping the U.S. Commerce Department process visas.

A spokesman for the Commerce Department could not be reached for comment this morning.

Borst said the FBI has not uncovered any evidence that would tie Noman to the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington.

"Right now there's no indication this man's activities are connected to the attacks," Borst said. "But we're not ruling that out."

Authorities have said that 15 of the 19 hijackers entered the United States from Saudi Arabia.

The FBI investigation of Noman was launched after an informant cooperating with Newark agents reported that he had paid Noman $3,000 in 1998 for his help in obtaining an American visa.

Noman made an initial appearance before a federal magistrate here late Friday and was called a flight risk by prosecutors. He remains in federal custody on no bail.

More information about Noman's activities is expected to be disclosed at a detention hearing this week in federal court.