Man fingers son-in-law to FBI as 'al-Qaeda'

[Marcus Marulus]

Man fingers son-in-law to FBI as 'al-Qaeda'

From correspondents in Stockholm

November 02, 2007 11:56pm

A MAN in Sweden who was angry with his daughter's husband has been charged with libel for telling the FBI the son-in-law had links to al-Qaeda, Swedish media reported today.

The man, who admitted sending the email, said he did not think the US authorities were stupid enough to believe him.

The 40-year-old son-in-law and his wife were in the process of divorcing when the husband had to travel to the US for business.

The wife didn't want him to travel since she was sick and wanted him to help care for their children, regional daily Sydsvenska Dagbladet said without disclosing the couple's names.

When the husband refused to stay home, his father-in-law wrote an email to the FBI saying the son-in-law had links to al-Qaeda in Sweden and was travelling to the US to meet his contacts.

He provided information on the flight number and date of arrival in the US.

The son-in-law was arrested upon landing in Florida.

He was placed in handcuffs, interrogated and placed in a cell for 11 hours before being put on a flight back to Europe, the paper said.

The FBI contacted Swedish intelligence agency Saepo, which discovered the email tipping off the FBI had been sent from the father-in-law's computer.

The father-in-law has been charged with aggravated libel.

He has admitted sending the email, but said he didn't think “the authorities were so stupid that they would believe anything. But apparently they are.”

He said he “couldn't help the US authorities' paranoid reaction”.

[source]