STATEMENT OF ATTORNEY GENERAL JOHN ASHCROFT REGARDING RICHARD REID

The following press release was published by the US Department of Justice on Oct. 2, 2002. It is reproduced in full below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2002 WWW.USDOJ.GOV AG (202) 616-2777 TDD (202) 514-1888 "Richard Reid, like any defendant, is free to plead guilty to criminal charges. The Justice Department has not entered into any plea agreement with Reid. The Justice Department stands by each and every allegation in the indictment. We are prepared to substantiate all of the charges at the hearing." 02-573

Source: US Department of Justice