SOUTH

CHARGES DISMISSED FOR ACCUSED HUMAN SMUGGLER

HOUSTON – A federal judge yesterday dismissed charges against one of three people on trial in a human smuggling attempt that killed 19 illegal immigrants. U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore ruled that prosecutors did not prove that Claudia Carrizales de Villa had profited from her work at a restaurant that authorities said was a sham business intended to feed illegal immigrants after they crossed the border. Ms. Carrizales faced 58 counts of harboring and transporting illegal immigrants and could have received life in prison if convicted. She cried and hugged her lawyers as the charges were dismissed. Judge Gilmore, who issued her ruling after the prosecution rested yesterday, refused to grant similar motions from lawyers for the other two defendants, Victor Jesus Rodriguez and Fredy Giovanni Garcia-Tobar, who also face 58 counts each. Their defense lawyers called no witnesses yesterday, and the jury could get the case after closing arguments later in the day. The defendants were accused of helping transport and hide a group of 70 immigrants in a tightly packed tractor trailer in May 2003. The trailer was abandoned at a truck stop near Victoria, about 100 miles southwest of Houston. Seventeen people were found dead inside the trailer, and two others died later.Temperatures in the trailer reached an estimated 173 degrees.

– Associated Press

WEST

RIDGE SAYS BRATTON POSSIBLE FOR HOMELAND CHIEF

LOS ANGELES – The police chief and sheriff of Los Angeles could be candidates to become the next secretary of homeland security, outgoing Secretary Tom Ridge says. Mr. Ridge praised Police Chief William Bratton and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, saying they understand how to protect large cities from terrorism.

“These two are doing this for their entire careers, so it’s no surprise that their names are being publicly mentioned and maybe even privately discussed,” Mr. Ridge said Wednesday at a news conference to announce $282 million in home land-security money for California.

Mr. Ridge declined to comment on whether the White House has seriously considered either man.

Mr. Bratton, a former New York City police commissioner, said the administration has not approached him, but he might be receptive to an offer. “If the president comes knocking on your door, you naturally have to take him seriously,” Mr. Bratton said.

Mr. Baca dismissed the reports as “rumors” and said he was not interested.

Speculation about Mr. Ridge’s replacement has been intense since President Bush’s first choice, Bernard Kerik, withdrew from consideration. Mr. Kerik, also a former New York City police com missioner, admitted to briefly employing an illegal immigrant as a housekeeper and nanny. Other revelations about his troubled love life have also emerged since he withdrew his name.

Mr. Ridge announced his resignation November 30. He plans to remain in the job until February 1, unless the Senate confirms his successor earlier.

– Associated Press

WASHINGTON

JUDGE RULES U.S. CITIZEN IN SAUDI ARABIA MAY CHALLENGE DETENTION

A federal judge ruled yesterday that an American held in Saudi Arabia for suspected links to terrorism might be able to challenge his detention in a U.S. court because there is “considerable” evidence that American officials were behind the arrest.

The family of Ahmed Abu Ali, who grew up in Falls Church, Va., claims that American officials want to keep him in Saudi Arabia so he can be tortured for information.

U.S. District Judge John Bates did not rule on the legitimacy of the claims but said there is “at least some circumstantial evidence that Mr. Abu Ali has been tortured during interrogations with the knowledge of the United States.”

Judge Bates rejected the government’s request to dismiss the case for lack of jurisdiction and ordered federal lawyers to provide documents showing whether American officials played a role in Mr. Abu Ali’s arrest and detention.

The case is believed to be the first to challenge the American government’s position that Americans have no access to U.S. courts when they are arrested by a foreign government. Legal experts said it could set an important benchmark in the government’s worldwide pursuit of terrorists.

“U.S. officials should not be free to avoid the limits of the law simply by making side arrangements with foreign governments to lock up people at our behest,” said Georgetown University law professor David Cole, a frequent critic of Bush administration counterterrorism policies. “If the United States is calling the shots, then the United States should be answerable in court.”

A Justice Department spokesman, Charles Miller, said officials were reviewing the decision and had no immediate comment. In the past, the government has said Saudi officials acted on their own and plan to file charges against Mr.Abu Ali.The 23-year-old was enrolled in a Saudi university when he was imprisoned without charges on June 11, 2003.

– Associated Press

FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION ELECTS CHAIRMAN, VICE CHAIRMAN

The Federal Election Commission yesterday elected a new chairman and vice chairman, choosing as its leaders two members who pushed unsuccessfully for tougher limits on partisan political groups.

The six-member commission’s selection of Democrat Scott Thomas as chairman and Republican Michael Toner as vice chairman was expected. The top two positions rotate between the two parties each year. Mr. Thomas’s latest six-year term expired in 2003, but President Bush has so far shown no sign he plans to replace him. Mr. Thomas, a former FEC staff attorney appointed as a commissioner in 1986 by President Reagan, is making his fourth appearance as chairman.

“It’s a great place, it’s a great cause, I believe in it,” Mr. Thomas told his fellow commissioners after his unanimous election as chairman.

Democratic congressional leaders have urged Bush to replace Thomas with union lawyer Robert Lenhard, who took part in a union lawsuit seeking to overturn a 2002 campaign law that bans labor organizations from donating money to national party committees. The effort has been opposed by campaign finance watchdogs, including Senator McCain of Arizona.

– Associated Press