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DATE=8/28/98 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-237838 TITLE=2D BOMBING SUSPECT ARRAIGNED (L-ONLY) BYLINE=MARTIN BUSH DATELINE=NEW YORK CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: THE SECOND OF TWO SUSPECTS IN THE BOMBING OF THE U-S EMBASSY IN NAIROBI, KENYA WAS ARRAIGNED TODAY (FRIDAY) IN NEW YORK'S FEDERAL COURT. V-O-A'S MARTIN BUSH REPORTS. TEXT: MOHAMMED SADDIQ ODEH HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH 12 COUNTS OF MURDER, CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MURDER, AND CONSPIRACY TO USE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION IN THE BOMBING 20 DAYS AGO AT THE AMERICAN EMBASSY IN NAIROBI. IN THAT ATTACK, 253 PEOPLE WERE KILLED INCLUDING 12 AMERICANS. IN COURT PAPERS, MR. ODEH SAID THE ISLAMIC MILITANT USAMA BIN LADEN AND AL QEADA -- THE TERRORIST ORGANIZATION HE ALLEGEDLY HEADS -- CARRIED OUT THE EMBASSY ATTACK. ALTHOUGH THE 34 YEAR-OLD DEFENDANT CLAIMS HE TOOK NO PART IN THE OPERATION, HE SAYS HE ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT. IN A HOT COURTROOM PACKED WITH REPORTERS, MR. ODEH SEEMED NERVOUS, CONSTANTLY PICKING AT HIS MOUSTACHE AND BEARD. MR. ODEH IS SLIGHT AND DARK-HAIRED AND HIS VOICE COULD HARDLY BE HEARD DURING THE THREE-MINUTE HEARING. MR. ODEH -- WHO AUTHORITIES SAY MAY BE A NATIVE OF EITHER JORDAN OR PALESTINE -- WAS REPRESENTED BY A COURT-APPOINTED LAWYER. HIS PRELIMINARY HEARING WAS SET FOR SEPTEMBER 28TH. AFTER HIS ARREST BY THE KENYAN GOVERNMENT AUGUST 16TH, MOHAMMED SADDIQ ODEH ADMITTED, ACCORDING TO COURT PAPERS, THAT HE WAS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE TERRORIST GROUP AL QEADA WHICH, HE ADDED, HAD TRAINED HIM IN THE USE OF EXPLOSIVES. MR. ODEH SAID THE GROUP'S PURPOSE WAS TO INFLUENCE AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY, TO KILL MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN ARMED FORCES IN SAUDI ARABIA, YEMEN AND SOMALIA, AND TO MURDER AMERICAN CIVILIANS ANYPLACE IN THE WORLD. MR. ODEH IS THE SECOND DEFENDANT IN TWO DAYS TO BE CHARGED WITH MURDERING PEOPLE WITH A BOMB AT THE U-S EMBASSY IN NAIROBI. ON THURSDAY, MOHAMMED RASHED DAOUD AL 'OWHALI WAS SIMILARLY CHARGED IN THE SAME NEW YORK FEDERAL COURT. (SIGNED) NEB/NY/MAB/LSF/PLM 28-Aug-98 4:25 PM EDT (2025 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .