European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 17, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday december 17, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 7islamic Leader entered . Despite ban by the new York times new York a a major islamic fundamentalist Leader from Egypt who has been linked to the assassination of president avar Sadat slipped into the United states despite a state department ban and is living in a Brooklyn mosque the police and Federal authorities say. The 52ycar-o1d religious Leader Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman entered the coun try More than five months ago despite being on a state department list of people with ties to terrorist groups the authorities said. He illegally obtained a tourist visa from a Consul in the . Embassy in Khartoum the Sudan in May according to records of the immigration and naturalization service and state department officials. A they made a mistake,1�?T said a spokeswoman for the state department Nyda nov Dvorski. She said the Consul should have checked the sheiks name against a list of terrorists but apparently did not the Sheik s presence at the Brooklyn mosque has interested Federal agents investigating the assassination of rabbi Meir Kahane because the suspect in that Caseel Sayyid a. Nos if worshipped occasionally at the same mosque. Although agents have questioned Abdel Rahman about the nov. 5 assassination in new York City they said they had found no evidence that the Sheik had known nos air or had Ever spoken with him in private. The Sheik through his assistant Khalid Nasr declined a request to be interviewed. A the is fasting a Nasr said. A High ranking police officials said since his arrived in new York on july 18, Abdel Rahman had gone on speaking Tours to mosques in several other cities including Chicago and san Francisco. His sermons often have political messages they said but it was unclear whether he had Ever mentioned Kahane in the weeks before the shooting. Federal investigators said they believed More strongly than Ever that nos air had acted alone in shooting Kahane a militant zionist whose political party in Israel was banned As Tarim for its anti Arab stance. The investigators said they regarded the presence of the Sheik in new York As a tantalising but perhaps meaningless footnote still they said they had not ruled out a possible conspiracy. A there Are three possibilities a one Federal agent said of nos air. 1 a either the Man is a Lone nut. Or he a a Lone nut Ami someone whispered something in his ear knowing head do it. Of there san enormous International cons piracy. A. Nasr said Abdel Rahman who is Blind and in ill health told Federal agents that he had never met nos air and knew nothing about the shooting. In sermons after Kahanca a death the Sheik reportedly denounced the killing saying it would bring unwanted trouble Down on muslims Federal agents said. Nasr said Abdel Rahman was invited to be the Imam of chief religious Leader at the Farouq Majid. A a mosque in downtown Brooklyn where As Many As 2,000 people worship a when its Mem Bers Learned that he was in the country at a conference of Muslim clerics in Washington last july. 1. Abdel Rahman is widely regarded in Egypt As a spiritual Leader of several Radical underground islamic extremist groups known collectively As the islamic jihad or islamic holy War _ those groups favor violent revolution against the government and the establishment of a slate based on islamic Law. Splinter groups of islamic holy War a. Movement believed to have no More than 20,000 followers in a nation of 55 million arc believed to be behind the assassination of president Sadat on oct. 6, 1982, and the fatal shooting of the speaker of the egyptian parliament in october state department terrorism experts said. Abd Clra Bra it w Host a to d spa i e n t officials say now Heads a splinter group known As the Jama at no islam Yah or islamic gathering was tried on charges of inciting Sadat a assassination. He was released for Lack of evidence but since has frequently been detained without trial although he has never been convicted. I pm it  w by fire explosion i Gloucester mass. Apr an offshore drilling platform caught fire off me Atlantic coast causing a Ucol tank to explode saturday. Up. A a a a r i a he a to Iii a a. A a a -.y-. A crewmen of a fireboat Battle the Blaze on the drilling platform As a coast guard helicopter hovers overhead a no injuries were reported from the Blaze which authorities decided to let  initial fire broke out about 4 15 a.m., said coast guard Petty officer Elizabeth Brannan. About four hours later a fuel Lank on Board the platform exploded forcing two groups of firefighters off the deck. There was no evidence of a fuel spill Brannan said. The platform located about 2 Miles off the Gloucester coast North of Boston is used in placing sewage disposal pipelines under the Ocean floor. After the explosion coast guardsmen and firefight cars tried b Attl in g t he Blaze froth the c a to r be fore do c i d ing to let it Burn out Brannan said. Rainstorms helped Dampen the fire she said. There Are several other fuel tanks on the platform but Brannan said there was Little Chance any would in a Idle. A / v a a a the cause of the fire was not immediately known the owners of the platform Maitland broilers o x Louisiana told authorities they would assume responsibility for the fire and have hired clean harbours inc., a company involved in the cleanup of Boston Harbor Brannan said. Phone Calls placed to Maitland Brothers went unanswered saturday afternoon. A a four coast guard cutters a fireboat from the Massachusetts port authority and several smaller boats equipped with firefighting equipment were called to fight the Blaze a helicopter also was dispatched to the sue a a a fort Mill . A two foreign companies helped a California evangelist buy Jim bakkers bankrupt pal Retreat with Hopes of a reopening next summer. Morris Cerullo announced saturday that . Corp. Of Malaysia and the Seraphim corp. Of Canada Are partners in the $42.5 million Purchase of heritage Usa. A a a Cerullo an evangelist based in san Diego said he plans to expand a water Park and build a new Golf course on the 2,200-acre site about 10 Miles South of Charlotte . Signature hospitality corp. Of Denver will manage the hotels and restau ministries in the Carolinas and around the world who have sacrificially come Forward during these past several months a Cerullo said he said a july 4,1991, reopening was a possibility depending on the Pace of construction and renovation Cerullo scheduled a news conference tuesday to discuss More of his plans for heritage Usa. V Cerullo concluded the Purchase of the pal ministry late Friday bankruptcy judge Thurmond Bishop approved Cerullo a Purchase of heritage Usa and its television network in August. In september Cerullo closed on the $7 million Deal for the former pal Tele rants he said. A i can to say  to Tfank the Many then Begaii a monthlong telethon that supporters of my ministry and other raised about $19 million of the $45 Mil Xvi Sion studios and satellite network. He v Hier lion he needed to Purchase the rest of heritage Usa. Bishop Cut the Price monday. In Exchange for the judges permission to lower the Selling Price Cerullo will be responsible for cleaning up ground water contaminated with gasoline and benzene from leaking underground storage tanks at the site Cerullo said saturday that he was still waiting for All the pledges from the telethon to come in. He also said Morris Cerullo world evangelism inc. Borrowed $8 million for the Purchase a the property includes two 500-room luxury hotels a theme Park five restaurants a shopping mall a water Park a conference Center housing projects and More than 1,500 acres of undeveloped land. Bakker convicted of mail fraud wire fraud and conspiracy is serving a 45-year sentence at a Federal prison in Rochester Minn secured creditors who have deeds to parts of the pal estate As collateral for their investments or Loans stand to get about $39 million from the Sale. Non secured creditors include thousands of so called a lifetime members who donated $1,000 to Bakker in Exchange for promises of vacations the Rivage Usa they stand to get Little or nothing from the Sale even though they Are owed More than $100 million. A jury in Charlotte on Friday ordered Bakker to pay the lifetime members nearly $130 million though lawyers agreed his former followers probably will not get a dime