Identities of Pentagon Suspects Questioned

One Man Held Without Bond; Another In INS Custody

Authorities have more questions for two men taken into custody in front of the Pentagon Monday night. One man is identified as Imad Hamed, who is also known as Imad Nimer. Prosecutors said they're unclear about the man's actual identity.

Prosecutors said Hamed was behind the wheel of a red tow truck that drove onto a restricted road in front of the Pentagon Monday night. Just hours after the FBI warned there could be a new terrorist attack, prosecutors said the driver ignored a security checkpoint. According to a criminal complaint, when the truck was stopped farther down Route 110, Hamed agreed to let troopers search the tow truck.

That's when the troopers said they found a Virginia driver's license, not with the two men in the cab of the truck, but tucked into the right rear tire. The license belonged to the passenger. The name on the license was Rasheed al-Zaabi. According to the affidavit, he first told police the license must have fallen out of a toolbox in the bed of the truck. He said he fell through a crack in the bed onto the tire. Upon further questioning, he told authorities he had hidden the driver's license there because it was suspended. When police later checked al-Zaabi for weapons, they found another Virginia driver's license, a Virginia identification card, and a UAE passport.

According to an FBI affidavit, al-Zaabi said he went to school with Hamed and said he was in the United States on a student visa that had expired. He said he dropped out of school after the events of Sept. 11 but said he didn't know any terrorists or any terrorist organizations. Al-Zaabi is now in the custody of the INS.

As for Hamed, he was found to be carrying two different driver's licenses, with two different dates of birth. He told authorities he was headed to a garage in Maryland, but he didn't know the name of the garage or where in Maryland it was located.

During a brief appearance in Alexandria federal court today, Hamed said he needs to find a lawyer. He said he's of Jordanian descent, but says he's now an American citizen.

Hamed is charged with felony identification document fraud. He could be sentenced to a federal prison for 15 years, if he's convicted.

Federal investigators are looking into his identity and his citizenship claim. He's been ordered to appear for a detention hearing Friday afternoon.