[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Major Variola ret) writes: http://latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-000097083dec06.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dnation
> U.S. Seeks Force-Feeding Order for Fasting Detainee in Phoenix Courts: > The unusual step involves a Middle Eastern pilot protesting his > jailing in a dragnet. He faces identity fraud charges. > > > By RICH CONNELL, TIMES STAFF WRITER > > Federal prosecutors in Phoenix are asking a judge to issue an unusual > order to force-feed a hunger-striking Middle Eastern pilot arrested > on charges stemming from the investigation of the Sept. 11 terrorism > attacks. > > Malek Mohamed Seif, also known as Malek Mohamed Abdulah, is protesting > what he contends is his improper detention as part of the global > anti-terrorism dragnet. > > Taking only liquids, Seif has lost 30 pounds since his October arrest > and is rapidly deteriorating, officials said. Seif, 36, believed to be > a Djibouti national, has acknowledged a passing acquaintance with one > of the suspected skyjackers. > > He also trained at the same Phoenix area flight school as an Algerian > pilot suspected of helping prepare some of the hijackers, according to > federal investigative records. > > But the only charges filed to date against Seif are for identity > fraud. A federal judge recently stressed in a court order that no > evidence has been presented linking him to terrorism. > > Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who is housing Seif for federal > authorities, says he is getting worried about his high-profile inmate. > "I don't want this guy to die in my jail," said the no-frills lawman > who made headlines by housing prisoners in desert tents and making > them wear pink shirts. Arpaio says he has been talking with Seif, > trying to coax him to eat. > > As a compromise, Arpaio said, he removed pork from Seif's meals. But > he has declined to fill his special requests for dates and ice water. > "I said, 'We don't have room service.' " Seif's attorney, Thomas > Hoidal, reported to a judge Monday that his client was in the jail > infirmary and too weak to attend a hearing. > > Seif, who left the U.S. before the attacks, has complained that > federal investigators duped him into returning to answer questions. > After he landed in Phoenix on Oct. 25, he was arrested for allegedly > making false statements on federal forms to obtain dual identities. > > "He doesn't understand, when he came back voluntarily, why he is being > treated in this fashion," said Hoidal, who also is trying to persuade > Seif to eat. > > Prosecutors expect to file additional bank and financial fraud charges > against Seif and are worried he may be unfit to stand trial. They are > seeking medical and psychiatric evaluations of Seif. > > One veteran U.S. law enforcement official in Phoenix said he knew > of no other instance when federal prosecutors there sought a > forced-feeding order. > > Sporadic hunger strikes have been reported among the more than 1,000 > detainees rounded up in the anti-terrorism crackdown. But Seif, who > has dropped from about 180 to about 150 pounds, appears to have lasted > the longest. > > It is not clear whether Seif intends to fight the forced feeding > order, his attorney said. A hearing is scheduled for today. Arpaio > doubts a judge's order will be effective, as long as Seif remains > conscious. "If he's still coherent . . . you can't force the guy to > eat if he says he doesn't want to." > > In another development Wednesday, a coalition of 16 civil liberties > groups filed suit against the Justice Department, demanding > information about those arrested and detained since the Sept. 11 > attacks. The groups said they were seeking such information as the > names of the detainees, the charges against them and how long they > have been held. > > Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft has argued that some of the information must > be kept secret to aid in the investigation. > > Kate Martin of the Center for National Security Studies, a plaintiff > in the case, said that instead of federal officials "simply announcing > that they are respecting the Constitution, we need evidence that will > show whether that is true."
