Secret Nixon ‘Plot’ Trial

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31835, 13 November 1968, Page 17

Secret Nixon ‘Plot’ Trial

(NZ.P.A.-Reuter— Copyright)

NEW YORK, November 12.

A man who tipped authorities of an alleged plot to assassinate the Presidentelect (Mr Richard Nixon) will be whisked away to a grand jury room today under strict secrecy and security.

The man, who is reported to have told police he was approached to take part in a plot against the President-elect, wa s picked up while still on the telephone to police after the call was traced.

Three Yemeni Arabs, a father and his two sons, are being held on 8100.000 bail on three charges stemming from the alleged plot. The grand jury begins its probe today.

Mr Ahmed Rageh Namer, aged 43. and his sons, Hussien, aged 22, and Abdo, aged 18, were arrested by police on Saturday night.

All the grand jury rooms on the fourth floor of the Supreme Court building have been screened to prevent outsiders from seeing the man, whose identity is being closely guarded. Grand jury sessions are secret and photographers and reporters will be barred from the area. All that is known about the man is that he has an Arabic name and is supposed to be a sharpshooter. The Brooklyn Acting District Attorney. Mr Elliot Golden, refused to discount the possibility, that there would

be more arrests in the case. The Federal Government consulted Mr Golden yesterday to see if Federal laws were involved.

A hearing into the charges is expected to be postponed from today until the grand jury ends its investigation. The three are charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, criminal solicitation to commit murder, and illegal possession of weapons. Neither Mr Golden nor Federal officials would comment on a published report that they were seeking a possible link between the alleged plot to kill Mr Nixon and the assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy in Los Angeles last June.

A Jordanian, Mr Sirhan Sirhan, aged 24, is being held in connection with the assassination.

Mr Sirhan told his lawyer in his cell yesterday he had never heard of the three men. His lawyer, Mr Russell Parsons, said: “He denies knowing them and I have no evidence that he does.” Los Angeles police said they had not been contacted by New York police about reported visits to Los Angeles by the Namers. Mr Golden would only say any investigation in the matter “would have to include an inquiry in that direction.”