WASHINGTON - Two Virginia-based Muslim charities are suing CBS for $80
million, claiming a "60 Minutes" report falsely linked them to Osama bin
Laden.
The suit was filed Thursday in the Superior Court of the District of
Columbia Civil Division on behalf of the Heritage Education Trust and SAFA
Trust. It also names CBS correspondent Bob Simon and the Search for
International Terrorist Entities (SITE) Institute, a private terrorism
watchdog organization that the groups say was behind the accusations.
The segment, which aired May 4, was called "The Terrorist Hunter." In
it, a woman calling herself "Sarah" was shown in disguise outside an
office building in Herndon, Va., that she claimed was "the heart of a
terrorist funding ring."
Nancy Luque, attorney for the plaintiffs, said she recognized the woman
as the SITE Institute's director and said the building is owned by
Heritage Education Trust.
The office was one of several sites raided by federal authorities in a
March 2002 sweep in northern Virginia and Georgia. No arrests have
resulted from the probe, coordinated by the Treasury Department to cut off
potential sources of terrorism funding.
The CBS report did not name specific individuals as having potential
ties to terrorism, Luque said.
A CBS spokesman who declined to give his name said, "We will defend
ourselves vigorously against this lawsuit." SITE Institute said it will
issue a statement in the next few days.
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On the Net:
CBS: http://www.cbs.com
SITE Institute: http://www.siteinstitute.org
