During the summer before I came to RPI (that would be Summer 2001), I worked at the Cairo, Egypt branch of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Namely, I worked in their IT department with two really cool guys: Diaa Mostafa and Abdallah Higazy. It was only about five weeks after I left that the events of September 11 unfolded on live TV. I never really thought those events would hit close to home since I don’t have any family in that region nor knew anyone personally who was flying that day.
In mid December, 2001 I received a compassionate plea for help from Diaa, letting me know that our mutual friend Abdallah Higazy had disappeared from his hotel room in downtown Manhattan and asking if there was anything I could do to try and find him. Days later it came out that Abdallah was being held by the FBI in connection to the September 11th bombings, but that communication was not permitted. It was nearly a month later that the story first broke on CNN:
Abdallah Higazy was taken into custody December 17 after returning to the Millenium Hilton Hotel to claim possessions he left in Room 5101 the day hijacked airliners slammed into the Twin Towers, killing nearly 2,900 people.
The belongings included a hand-held radio used by pilots to communicate with other planes and people on the ground, authorities said.
Source: CNN
When I saw that article at CNN’s website, I immediately recognized him from the courtroom sketch. A few weeks later, after running the numbers again and allowing my friend Abdallah to contact a lawyer, this came out in the news:
The government has decided to drop its case against an Egyptian college student charged with lying to FBI agents investigating the September 11 attacks.
The defendant, Abdallah Higazy, 30, was released from jail Wednesday night after one month behind bars.
Source: CNN
He was freed, given the clothes he had on when he was arrested, and tossed out with $3 for a subway fare. He was attending graduate school at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, and since he was arrested during final exams his credits for the semester were canceled.
After a probe into the September 11th investigations, it came out that Higazy and several other detainees were badgered during polygraph tests to make confessions. Further, a security guard at the hotel where Abdallah was staying plead guilty to planting the radio:
In New York, a hotel security guard pleads guilty to making false statements about an Egyptian guest. Ronald Ferry, seen here in the gray jacket, told a judge he lied when he told federal agents an aviation radio was found in Abdallah Higazy’s room September 11. Higazy, whose room overlooked the World Trade Center, was detained by authorities for a month.
Source: CNN
He has since filed civil suits against the investigators in the case to recover damages. I search for the case filing, but wasn’t able to come up with a document.
I have some pictures of Abdallah, Diaa and I together.
If you are interested in this story, here are a few more articles:
Newsday Photo
911review.org Story
Findlaw.com Legal Commentary
Interview Transcript from Good Morning America