Jordan Frees Imprisoned American

An American citizen detained in Jordan since 1999 on suspicion of links with Saudi militant Osama bin Laden was released from prison Wednesday and will leave the country, his lawyer and brother said.

Former Los Angeles resident Khalil Saeed Deek, 44, was freed and will leave tonight for Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, his older brother Adel said.

Deek’s lawyer, Yunis Arab, said the court had ordered his client’s release “since there is no evidence linking the suspect to the accusations which had been leveled against him.”

U.S. Embassy officials said they were pleased about the release, but they refused further comment.

Deek, who is of Palestinian origin, was arrested in his home in Peshawar, near Pakistan’s northern border with Afghanistan, in December 1999. He was then extradited to Jordan for alleged affiliation with Bin Laden’s group, Al Qaeda.

Security officials said Deek was suspected of leading a cell of 28 Muslim militants who had planned terror attacks on U.S. and Israeli targets during New Year’s celebrations in Jordan in 1999. The attacks were foiled by Jordanian security agents.

Deek has been held without charge since then. The U.S. Embassy has been pursuing Deek’s case with Jordanian authorities and providing him with assistance, with a consul visiting Deek a few times in his cell.

A senior Jordanian official said Wednesday that Deek’s case has not been closed but will be shelved at least for now. He said Deek had been taken from Bireen prison outside Amman, the capital.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Deek was headed for Sudan.