Nation IN BRIEF : NEW YORK : Defendant in Bomb Case Switches Sides

A defendant in the alleged conspiracy to blow up the United Nations building and kill Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has agreed to become a government witness, defense lawyers in the case said. Abdo Mohammed Haggag, 34, is the first defendant in the bomb plot case and the related World Trade Center bombing case to agree to be a witness for the prosecution. Haggag is one of 15 charged with taking part in the massive conspiracy. The government alleges that Sheik Omar Abdul Rahman, a blind Egyptian cleric, was the spiritual leader for the group.