A terror-loving computer nerd who served as one of Osama bin Laden’s key henchmen pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to helping orchestrate the devastating 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
An ailing Abu Anas al-Libi, 49, appeared in Manhattan federal court to finally answer for his alleged role in the near simultaneous August 1998 bombings that left at least 244 people dead and thousands injured.
His appearance came 10 days after he was he was snatched off a street in Libya on Oct. 5 during a raid by the US Army Delta Force and then whisked aboard USS San Antonio for interrogation. He was transferred to the custody of the feds in Manhattan on Saturday, and then formally arrested and hospitalized for various medical ailments.
The terror suspect has been talking to the feds since being captured and interrogated, providing some potential leads that authorities are checking out, sources said.
Dressed in a black sweatshirt, grey sweatpants and sporting a long grey beard, a handcuffed al-Libi looked notably nervous throughout a hearing in which he was aided by an Arabic translator.
The terror suspect through his public defenders said he wanted to go by the name “Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai” and couldn’t afford to hire a private lawyer before issuing his not-guilty plea.
Assistant US Attorney Nicholas Lewin called al-Libi “a clear danger to the community” who “presents a risk of flight.”
Judge Lewis Kaplan agreed that al-Libi should remain in custody.
David Patton, one of his public defenders, told reporters afterwards that al-Libi was suffering from health problems and spent time over the Columbus Day holiday weekend in a local hospital.
He reportedly is suffering from a strain of hepatitis and his health problems worsened after he stopped eating and drinking once he was taken aboard the USS San Antonio.
He had been one of the FBI’s “most wanted” terrorists – with a bounty of $5 million – until his capture.
He was charged in a 1998 indictment with multiple counts including conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals and to destroy U.S. buildings and installations.
During the 2001 trial of several co-defendants, al Qaeda rat Jamal Ahmed al-Fadl testified that cyberwork was Libi’s “specialty within al Qaeda” and named him as a “computer engineer” who had “run our computers.”
Another terrorist turncoat, L’Houssaine Kherchtou, testified at the trial that Libi had showed up at his Nairobi apartment in 1993 with two laptops, then spent several days with two cronies snapping photos around the city.
In 1999, Libi was arrested by British police but released due to a lack of evidence, and he had already flown the coop by the time he was indicted the following year in the embassy bombings. Cops who went to his Manchester apartment seized a laptop that held a file that offers tips and techniques for al Qaeda operatives.
Additional reporting by Larry Celona