(AP) Ahmed Omar Abu Ali is serving a 30-year sentence at the federal supermax prison in Florence, Colo., for joining al-Qaida and plotting to assassinate then-President George W. Bush. Last year, Abu Ali requested two books written by Obama: “Dreams from My Father” and “The Audacity of Hope.”
His request was denied. Prison officials, citing guidance from the FBI, determined that passages in both books contain information that could damage national security.
The rejections, as well as other restrictions on family visits, prompted a hunger strike by Abu Ali that has since ended, his lawyer Joshua Dratel wrote.
Thanks Infodiva Librarian for the tip.
you might think otherwise, but…
I, too, would deny the request. I don’t think anyone convicted of plotting to murder the President should be allowed any books about any living Presidents. It would just make the convict sad that he failed.
As a nation, we should strive to have happy convicts. Just give him books about Lincoln or Kennedy or Garfield or McKinley. That should cheer him up.