Cleric Said to Know of Plot; Arrest Rejected

The Clinton Administration decided not to arrest Sheik Omar Abdul Rahman even though federal law enforcement officials in New York concluded that he knew details of the plot to detonate four bombs in the city, a published report said.

The final decision was made by Atty. Gen. Janet Reno on legal and tactical grounds, including the cleric’s usefulness as a link to Islamic extremists, the officials told the New York Times for a story in today’s editions.

In addition, the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they did not have information about his precise role and how directly he might have been involved, the paper reported.

Carl Stern, a Justice Department spokesman, told the Associated Press late Sunday night that Reno is “calling the shots--that’s true.”

Stern would not confirm, however, the report of federal law enforcement officials in New York concluding that the sheik knew details of the plot to bomb the United Nations, a federal office complex housing FBI offices and the Holland and Lincoln tunnels.

The sheik is appealing a deportation order for entering the United States in 1990 under false pretenses. Some city and state politicians have urged that the government arrest or deport Abdul Rahman, who lives in Jersey City, N.J.

Reno has been briefed about the evidence involving the sheik, which reportedly includes FBI wiretaps on which the sheik participates in conversations about the planned bombing campaign.

Abdul Rahman, 55, has denied any involvement in the plot, and he has denounced attacks on property or life.