N.Va. Man Charged in Bush Plot Assassination, Terrorism Conspiracies Alleged
Federal prosecutors filed terrorism charges against a Northern Virginia man who had been detained in Saudi Arabia for nearly two years, accusing him of plotting to assassinate President Bush and trying to establish an al Qaeda cell in the United States.
Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, 23, conspired with confederates in Saudi Arabia to shoot Bush on the street or kill him with a car bomb, according to a six-count indictment. The indictment said Abu Ali sought to become "a planner of terrorist operations" and compared him to leading al Qaeda figures associated with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Abu Ali was born in Houston and moved to Northern Virginia at age 4. He attended the private Islamic Saudi Academy in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County, a school for grades K-12. He graduated as valedictorian and briefly attended the University of Maryland before going to Saudi Arabia to pursue religious studies.
If convicted of all charges, he faces up to 80 years in prison.
Pr. William Property Tax Rate May Be Cut Proposal Would Temper Increase in Assessments
Prince William County homeowners would see a cut of nearly 15 cents in the property tax rate under a spending plan proposed to county supervisors.
The reduction is the largest proposed so far in Northern Virginia, where property values have skyrocketed. In Prince William, the average existing home has risen in value by 23 percent in the past year. With a cut in the tax rate from $1.07 per $100 of assessed value to 92.4 cents, the tax bill on the typical home in Prince William would increase 5.9 percent.
Measures Set to Relieve Bridge Traffic Lane, Light Changes Planned at Wilson Project
Traffic tie-ups in Alexandria caused by the construction of a new Woodrow Wilson Bridge have gotten so severe that lanes in the area will be reconfigured, traffic lights will be re-timed and extra police officers will be stationed at critical intersections, city and bridge project officials said.
The problems stem from a traffic change this month that reduced the merge lanes on the ramp from Route 1 to the Capital Beltway from two lanes to one a quarter-mile sooner.
Sen. Potts Will Join Gubernatorial Race Maverick Republican Will Make Independent Bid
Sen. H. Russell Potts Jr. (R-Winchester) will make an independent bid for governor but will not formally leave the Republican Party.
Potts's entry will transform the Virginia governor's campaign into a three-way race among Potts and the two likely major-party candidates, former attorney general Jerry W. Kilgore (R) and Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D).
Across the Region Nats Stadium Bids; Fewer Teen Driver Deaths
• Eight architectural firms entered bids to become lead designer of the baseball stadium for the Washington Nationals. A six-member committee will review the applications this week to determine how many groups to bring in for interviews.
• Fatal car crashes among the nation's youngest, most accident-prone drivers decreased sharply in the decade after states enacted laws limiting their access to driver's licenses, according to a new study. Auto deaths involving 16-year-old drivers fell 26 percent between 1993 and 2003, a period when 46 states and the District enacted graduated licensing laws that allow fewer 16-year-olds to drive, according to the study released by the Arlington-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
