http://www.kget.com

Video

Al Qaeda terrorist possibly spotted in Kern County


Posted 3/2/06
LAKE ISABELLA - An early morning report of a top terrorist sighting in Kern has been getting national attention. But, some question if it’s really a National Security Threat or just a publicity stunt.
National Author Paul Williams said a Lake Isabella couple contacted him saying they saw top terrorist Adnan G. El Shukrijumah at a local café.

Williams said the couple says they saw Shukrijumah back in September.

“They reported it to the Sheriff's office, according to them in October and they received absolutely no contact from anyone,” said Williams.

According to the report, the anonymous couple says the suspected terrorist spoke English without an accent, to other operatives.

But, there is controversy over the claim since Williams is the author of the Al Qaeda Connection, a book which profiles Shukrijumah.

He defends allegations that the terror spotting is a hoax.

“It's right there in your own back yard, so anybody that says it's a hoax is a jerk,” Williams said.

“These people believe they saw Shukrijumah,” he adds. “What would be the hoax about it?”

He says his book is not a current book and it’s not like he’s a new author trying to promote his cause.

“I'm 61 years old, I've made a lot of money, I don't need the money and I don't need the publicity,” William said.

Meantime, Kern County Sheriff Mack Wimbish said he's spoken with the FBI, the Anti-Terrorism Unit and members of law enforcement and there are no records of the Shukrijumah spotting in Kern.

“We've gone through all of our records, dispatch, everything we can and we can't find anything that was reported to us,” Wimbish said.

KGET spoke with local FBI Supervisor Javier Colon, who states, “the two individuals spotted by the anonymous Lake Isabella couple are not terrorist.”

Colon said they are Israeli businessman based in Los Angeles and the FBI is in contact with them.