February 28, 2002
Guard Pleads Guilty in Radio Debacle. Strange update to the "Egyptian Radio" story that was covered with great interest both here at The Donk and over at Unqualified Offerings. As you may remember, Egyptian student Abdallah Higazy was staying at the Millenium Hotel, which overlooked the Trade Center, at the time of the attacks. During a subsequent search of the hotel, security guard Ronald Ferry claimed to have discovered an aviation transceiver, along with a Koran and a gold medallion, in Higazy’s locked hotel safe. Weeks of intense interrogation followed, towards the end of which Higazy reportedly admitted that the transceiver was his (offering scant evidence to those who suggest torture as an interrogation tactic during extreme situations).
At around this time a different hotel guest, a pilot, began asking when he could get his transceiver back. When the FBI went back to Ferry his story shifted from finding the transceiver in a locked hotel safe to somewhere in Higazy’s room. Further questioning elicited shifting stories, and Higazy was soon released.
Yesterday, Ferry pled guilty to lying to the FBI about the evidence, but still insists that he found the radio in Higazy’s room, just not where he originally said it was. Ferry’s lawyer said yesterday that Ferry was simply trying to help the FBI build a case against Higazy. If what we know about the story is true, and I certainly can’t say it is, we still don’t know how the radio ended up in Higazy’s room, or even if it was ever there at all. Ferry may have fabricated the entire story and just admitted to a lesser lie, or a different party may have planted the radio in Higazy’s room after which Ferry helped the lie along. I still don’t expect to ever really find out what happened here.
At around this time a different hotel guest, a pilot, began asking when he could get his transceiver back. When the FBI went back to Ferry his story shifted from finding the transceiver in a locked hotel safe to somewhere in Higazy’s room. Further questioning elicited shifting stories, and Higazy was soon released.
Yesterday, Ferry pled guilty to lying to the FBI about the evidence, but still insists that he found the radio in Higazy’s room, just not where he originally said it was. Ferry’s lawyer said yesterday that Ferry was simply trying to help the FBI build a case against Higazy. If what we know about the story is true, and I certainly can’t say it is, we still don’t know how the radio ended up in Higazy’s room, or even if it was ever there at all. Ferry may have fabricated the entire story and just admitted to a lesser lie, or a different party may have planted the radio in Higazy’s room after which Ferry helped the lie along. I still don’t expect to ever really find out what happened here.
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