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Man seized on September 11 arraigned

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (CNN) -- A man whom the FBI has been investigating for possible ties to the September 11 hijackers pleaded not guilty to unrelated charges Monday at U.S. District Court in Alexandria.

Khalid al Draibi was arrested near Dulles International Airport the day of the attacks and was found to have flight manuals in his vehicle.

He is charged with making false statements on a visa application, and claiming to be a U.S. citizen at the time of his arrest. Judge Claude Hilton set a trial date of December 4 on the charges and al Draibi remains in custody without bond.

On the courthouse steps after the hearing, attorney Drew Hutcheson told reporters his client did not know any of the hijackers.

One of the airliners used in the attacks had left Dulles and was crashed into the Pentagon.

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The lawyer said al Draibi has passed an FBI polygraph test he believes authenticates that he has no connection to the attackers and knows of no other plans for an attacks on the U.S.

Hutcheson acknowledged that al Draibi did take Cessna flying lessons in the Kansas City area.

The attorney said his client, who is from Saudi Arabia, had traveled about the United States for more than two years, living in Cleveland, Ohio; Birmingham, Alabama; Kansas City, Missouri; and Nashville, Tennessee.

"He likes the United States, and he'd like to stay," Hutcheson said,"but it may not be up to him to decide that."

The lawyer added that al Draibi, if convicted of these charges, would be subject to deportation to Saudi Arabia, and that the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has also expressed interest in his client's status.

Khalid al Draibi's name appeared on an early watch list as a possible suspect in the September 11 attacks. Authorities have never publicly explained why he was included.