Terrorism Suspect Worked at U.S. Nuclear Plants
Christopher Weber
Correspondent
Posted:
03/12/10
A New Jersey man arrested in a roundup of al-Qaeda suspects in Yemen this month worked at nuclear plants in the United States, officials said.
Authorities are investigating whether Sharif Mobley, 26, might have had access to sensitive information that would have been useful to terrorists, The Associated Press reported.
Authorities are investigating whether Sharif Mobley, 26, might have had access to sensitive information that would have been useful to terrorists, The Associated Press reported.
Between 2002 and 2008, when he moved to Yemen, Mobley performed routine maintenance at plants in Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NRC officials said a laborer of Mobley's status typically would not have access to security-related information.
Mobley, a U.S. citizen, passed all federal background checks and security screenings, New York's Daily News reported.
A spokesman for the Yemeni embassy in Washington said there was no immediate connection between Mobley's arrest in Yemen and his work at the plants.
Mobley was detained along with 10 other al-Qaeda suspects in a security sweep in Yemen's capital of San'a.