US arrests after chemical alert

Nine people have been arrested in three US states on charges of fraudulently obtaining licences to transport hazardous materials, the Justice Department said today.

The arrests in Missouri, Michigan and Washington state followed FBI warnings that terrorists may strike next using chemical or biological weapons.

Authorities said as many as 20 people who had the bogus permits, some of whom may have connections to the 19 hijackers involved in the September 11 attacks, were being sought for questioning but may not be linked to the attacks.

None of those arrested had known connections to the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, said Justice Department spokeswoman Susan Dryden.

Some of those arrested had obtained the permits in Pennsylvania, where a driver's licence examiner for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation office in Pittsburgh provided permits to people who didn't take required tests, had suspended licences or were otherwise not eligible, according to court records.

Three people were arrested in Washington state, four in Detroit, and one in Kansas City, Missouri. The location of the ninth arrest was not available.

Yesterday's arrests linked to the terror attacks probe had its roots in a state licence fraud inquiry, it has emerged.

Pennsylvania court documents said a Pittsburgh driver's licensing examiner helped at least 18 men get permits to transport hazardous materials without the required tests from July 1999 to February 2000.

In some cases tests were waived under the pretence the drivers were transferring commercial licences issued by other states, including Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington state, according to the court documents.

A federal magistrate in Pittsburgh unsealed criminal complaints against seven men after their arrests. Authorities in Washington DC said three other men were arrested yesterday as the result of warrants issued in western Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation began an investigation after learning last February about three people who attempted to transfer Pennsylvania commercial driver's licences to Washington state.

On September 20 - nine days after the attacks - state transportation secretary Brad Mallory contacted state attorney general Mike Fisher about the investigation.

Men identified only as Hussain Al-Obaidi, Samir Almazaal, Akeel Al Aboudy, Hatef Al-Atabi, and Sabah Al Hachami allegedly claimed to have commercial licences in Michigan when they obtained their Pennsylvania licences, according to court documents.

Ali Alazawi, also known as Al Gazawi, and Mustafa Al-Aboody allegedly claimed to have Washington State licenses when they got their Pennsylvania licences.