Millenium Hilton Guest Cleared Of Charges Related To 9/11

NEW YORK— Charges have been dropped against an Egyptian student accused of lying to investigators about an airplane communications radio found in his Millenium Hilton guestroom, located near the site of the World Trade Center airliner attacks, Reuters reported. Abdallah Higazy, who had been staying at the hotel on Sept. 11, was released from prison Jan. 16 after another former guest at the hotel told authorities that he owned the radio, a spokesman for the Manhattan U.S. attorneys office said. Higazy had been ordered held without bail last Friday after he was charged with one count of making false statements to FBI agents. However, federal prosecutors gave U.S. Magistrate Judge Frank Maas a letter on Jan. 16 stating that the office was dropping the charges. After the hotel was evacuated because of the nearby attacks, property left behind by the guests was inventoried by hotel employees. A security guard said a safe in Higazys room contained a hand-held radio marketed for use by pilots that can be used for air-to-air and air-to ground communication with anyone who has a similar radio. The governments letter said that another man who had been staying on the 50th floor of the Millenium Hilton arrived at the hotel to claim his belongings, including the radio, on Jan. 14. Higazy had been staying on the 51st floor. It is still unclear how the radio was transferred from the 50th floor to Higazys room on the 51st floor. The Millenium Hilton is located within the security zone of the World Trade Center recovery site and has not yet reopened for business. SOURCE: Reuters