'Dirty Bomb' Suspect Had Bigger Plans, Time Says

June 17, 2002; Page A05

NEW YORK, June 16 -- "Dirty bomb" suspect Jose Padilla brought al Qaeda officials "laughably inaccurate" instructions to make a hydrogen bomb and was urged to focus on a conventional explosive combined with radioactive material, according to Time magazine.

Padilla reportedly came across the hydrogen bomb plans on the Internet and presented them this year to al Qaeda staff including Abu Zubaida, Osama bin Laden's operations chief, the magazine said.

Citing a senior Bush administration official, the magazine said Padilla, a U.S. citizen, expressed interest in setting off such a weapon in the United States and was apparently cautioned by Zubaida to think smaller.

"They sent him to the U.S. to see what he could do -- plan and execute," the official was quoted as saying.

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© 2002 The Washington Post Company
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61334-2002Jun16.html