An extradition hearing in London for an Algerian wanted by the United States for allegedly plotting with Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden ( news - web sites ) to bomb Los Angeles airport was postponed on Friday until next month.
Amar Makhnulif was due to appear in court on Friday but the hearing was postponed until October 26, a spokesman for Bow St. Magistrates Court said.
Makhnulif, known as Abu Doha and "The Doctor," was arrested in July at London's Heathrow Airport while trying to board a plane to Saudi Arabia.
The U.S. government has charged that he oversaw a group of Algerian "terrorists" plotting to bomb Los Angeles International Airport before the millennium celebrations and met bin Laden to co-ordinate efforts.
The United States has named bin Laden as chief suspect in the September 11 suicide hijack attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon ( news - web sites ) in Washington.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kelley said Makhnulif conspired with others "to use a weapon of mass destruction...in the United States close in time to the millennium celebrations in December 1999 and January 2000."
The most serious charges against Makhnulif are conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction against U.S. citizens and conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries. Both charges are punishable by life imprisonment.
He is also charged with providing material support to bin Laden's al Qaeda group.
The charges against Makhnulif arose out of the federal prosecutions of a group of Algerians who had planned to attack U.S. targets, including Los Angeles International Airport, before the millennium celebrations.
The plot unraveled when authorities arrested Ahmed Ressam as he tried to cross into the United States from Canada with a car full of explosives. Ressam, who was convicted in April, has implicated Maknulif as a key figure in the plot. 
