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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Hani El-Sayegh, a Saudi Arabian citizen who has been in removal proceedings since October 1997, was removed from the United States late yesterday evening and flown to Saudi Arabia. He arrived in Saudi Arabia at roughly 2:30 P.M. EST.

El-Sayegh was flown on a U.S. government aircraft from Atlanta, where he had been detained for the past two years, to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Agents from the INS and FBI accompanied El-Sayegh on the flight.

El-Sayegh is suspected of involvement in the attack on U.S. forces in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, in 1996 and faces charges there in connection with the attack. The U.S. does not presently have evidence which it can use in a U.S. court to prosecute El-Sayegh for the Khobar attack.

In June 1997, El-Sayegh was paroled into the United States from Canada for the purpose of entering into a plea agreement pursuant to charges in a matter unrelated to the Khobar attack. After he failed to abide by an initial plea agreement with the Justice Department in that matter, the INS terminated his parole in October 1997 and placed him in removal proceedings.

Shortly thereafter, El-Sayegh sought immigration relief, including a claim under the Convention Against Torture. On Wednesday, September 29, 1999, after a thorough review of his claims, the Justice Department informed his attorneys that the Attorney General had denied his Torture Convention claim and that he would be removed to Saudi Arabia.

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