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Student who knew hijackers released on bond

Osama Awadallah appears in federal court in November.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A Jordanian-born college student held for three months in connection with the investigation of the September 11 attacks was released Thursday after posting $500,000 bail on charges he lied to a federal grand jury.

Osama Awadallah, 21, a permanent U.S. resident who has lived in San Diego for three years, left a federal courthouse with his attorney without commenting.

Attorney Jesse Berman said his client had nothing to do with the September 11 attacks.

Prosecutors say Awadallah acknowledged before a grand jury he knew two of the men who hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 and steered it into the Pentagon.

According to the indictment, Awadallah's name was also on a scrap of paper found in the car Pentagon hijacker Nawaf Al Hazmi abandoned at Washington Dulles International Airport. The indictment also says Awadallah admitted knowing Khalid Almidhar, another of the Flight 77 hijackers.

Leaving court Thursday, Berman said his client was tortured while jailed at Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center.

He said Awadallah was kicked and beaten and forced to look at an American flag. He said his cell was flooded so he could not say his Muslim prayers.

"We've detailed in our motion papers the torture he's been put through the past three months," Berman said.

Awadallah's family helped raise his bail with the support of the Muslim community in San Diego. His brother put up his 1971 Ford ice cream truck as collateral.

Awadallah, wearing a blue warm-up suit when he left court, was to fly to San Diego Friday morning to be with his family for the end of the Muslim holy month Ramadan.

Awadallah was indicted in October on charges he made false statements to a federal grand jury in New York hearing evidence in the investigation of the attacks.

In testimony October 10, Awadallah conceded seeing Al Hazmi about 35 to 40 times in he San Diego area between April 2000 and January 2001 at Awadallah's previous workplace, a Texaco station, and at a mosque.

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As for Almidhar, he said he did not recognize photographs of him and did not know anyone named "Khalid."

Awadallah also testified he did not write the names "Nawaf" and "Khalid" in an examination book in an English class.

In his second grand jury appearance October 15, after being shown the original exam booklet turned over to federal investigators by a teacher, Awadallah admitted writing the names, according to the indictment.

He also identified Almidhar as a man who had often accompanied Al Hazmi and acknowledged knowing him.

Awadallah was one of three college students picked up in late September and held under material witness warrants because of their acquaintances with suspected hijackers who lived in San Diego for part of 2000.

One of the students was released after 17 days in custody. The other was sent back to California to face charges of lying on a political asylum application and remains in custody.