Background
Yasin is of Iraqi heritage and grew up in Baghdad. Yasin was born in Bloomington, Indiana, United States., where his father, originally from Iraq, went to study for a Doctor of Philosophy.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
Abdul Yasin
Edit Profile
Education
According to university records, Said Taha Yasin, an Iraqi, attended Indiana University in 1952/53, and also from 1956-1960.
Career
He has been characterized in the American media as "the only participant in the first attempt to blow up the World Trade Center in 1993 who was never caught."
Yasin is therefore an American citizen. Shortly after his birth, Yasin"s family moved back to Iraq. Yasin"s Federal Bureau of Investigation report states that he is epileptic.
On June 21, 1992 Yasin was able to use his American birth citizenship to obtain a United States passport from the United States. embassy in Amman, Jordan, and thus enter the United States.
Recruited by Ramzi Yousef, he had acid burns on his legs from bomb chemicals. Soon following investigation of the attack on February 26, 1993, Yasin was picked up by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on March 4, 1993, the same day as the arrest of Mohammed A. Salameh, in a sweep of sites associated with Salameh.
Yasin was found in the apartment in Jersey City, New Jersey, that he was sharing with his mother. Yasin was taken to New Jersey Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters in Newark, where he was reportedly very cooperative.
Agents had Yasin retrace where and how the World Trade Center bomb had been built in New York and New Jersey.
Yasin said he was released after giving agents names and addresses, and went to Iraq. In Baghdad, Iraq, Yasin lived freely for at least a year. Saddam Hussein"s regime gave money and housing to Yasin.
The Iraqi government later claimed he was arrested and put in prison.
In March, 1993, Yasin boarded Royal Jordanian flight 262 to Amman, Jordan. From Amman, Abdul Rahman Yasin went on to Baghdad.
November 1997 marked the month when two others were convicted in a court for their contributions to the bombing, but only "one other man believed to be directly involved in the attack, Iraqi Abdul Rahman Yasin, remains at large."
On several occasions, Iraq offered to turn Yasin over to the United States government in exchange for lifting United Nations economic sanctions. Tariq Aziz, spokesman of Iraq, claimed that in the 1990s all Iraq wanted in return was a signed statement that Iraq had handed over Yasin.
But reportedly the statement presented to the United States. at the time contained lengthy wording essentially exonerating Iraqi involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center attack.
Nevertheless, Kenneth Pollack of the State Department stated that there was no Central Intelligence Agency information tying Iraq into the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. On October 10, 2001 Yasin appeared on the initial list of the Federal Bureau of Investigation"s top 22 Most Wanted Terrorists, which was released to the public by President Bush. Lesley Stahl of Columbia Broadcasting System interviewed him there for a segment on 60 Minutes on May 23, 2002 where Yasin appeared in prison pajamas and handcuffs.
lieutenant was claimed that Iraq had held Yasin prisoner on the outskirts of Baghdad since 1994.
Yasin hasn"t been seen or heard from since the 2002 prison interview. He was not located during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
After the invasion, large numbers of documents were retrieved. Some analysts "concluded that the documents show that Saddam"s government provided monthly payments and a home for Yasin.".
