WASHINGTON

LAWMAKERS, AIDES BELATEDLY DISCLOSE SPECIAL INTEREST TRIPS

Scrutiny of Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s travel has led to the belated disclosure of at least 198 previously unreported special interest trips by House members and their aides, including eight years of travel by the second-ranking Democrat, an Associated Press review has found.

At least 43 House members and dozens of aides had failed to meet the one-month deadline in ethics rules for disclosing trips financed by organizations outside the American government. The review of thousands of pages of records covered pre-2005 travel that was disclosed since early March. That’s when news stories began scrutinizing Mr. DeLay’s travel, prompting lawmakers to comb through their files to make sure they had disclosed their travel.

While most of the previously undisclosed trips occurred in 2004, some date back to the late 1990s. The House minority whip, Steny Hoyer, recently disclosed 12 trips, the oldest dating back to 1997.

A spokeswoman for the Maryland Democrat, Stacey Bernards, said the office searched the files after the travel issue was raised initially by “Republicans doing opposition research to deflect from their own ethical issues.” Mr. Hoyer’s undisclosed trips were nearly doubled by Rep. Ellen Tauscher, a Democrat of California, with 21. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Democrat of Illinois, reported 20 past trips, and Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Democrat of Maryland, reported 13.

Republican and Democratic House members were nearly equal rules violators in failing to disclose their personal trips within 30 days after the trip’s completion. There were 23 GOP members, 19 Democrats, and one independent, all of them months or years late in their reporting to the House public records office.

– Associated Press

MIDWEST

SIX DEAD IN APPARENT MURDER-SUICIDE

BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio – An 18-year-old who was about to graduate from high school is believed to have fatally shot his grandparents, mother, and two family friends before killing himself, authorities said yesterday.

The Logan County sheriff, Michael Henry, said he was unsure if authorities would ever find out why Scott Moody committed the shootings early Sunday morning, “but we’re going to try.”

The rampage at neighboring farmhouses came just hours after a party to celebrate the pending graduation.

Moody’s younger sister was wounded and was in critical condition yesterday.

Mr. Henry identified the victims as Moody’s grandparents Sharyl Shafer, 66, and Gary Shafer, 67, who were found dead in one farmhouse; and Moody’s mother, Sheri Shafer, 37, and two friends, Megan Karus, 19, and Paige Harshbarger, 14. They were found dead in the other home along with the wounded survivor, 15-year-old Stacy Moody, and the body of Moody himself.

The victims were shot with a .22-caliber rifle, Mr. Henry said. Mr. Henry said Stacy Moody called a friend on her cell phone and the friend then called authorities at 10:46 a.m. Sunday. Scott Moody and Karus were to have graduated Sunday afternoon from Riverside High School in nearby De Graff, the sheriff’s office said. The school held commencement as scheduled, and school officials announced the shootings to the crowd afterward.

– Associated Press

SOUTH

COURT PAPERS DETAIL CHARGES AGAINST ALLEGED TERROR BACKERS

Two American citizens facing a terrorism charge – one a doctor and the other a self-described martial arts expert – became enthusiastic followers of Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden before their arrests, according to court papers released yesterday.

Dr. Rafiq Abdus Sabir, 50, of Boca Raton, Fla., and Tarik Shah, 42, of New York, who also claimed to be a jazz musician, were arrested Friday on a charge they conspired to provide material support to Al Qaeda, an FBI agent said.

If convicted, each could face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.

Dr. Sabir and Mr. Shah were to make their first appearances today in federal courthouses in Fort Pierce, Fla., and Manhattan. The names of their lawyers were not available yesterday.

Mr. Shah’s mother, Marlene Jenkins of Albany, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel the charge against her son is ridiculous and insisted he’s not a terrorist. Dr. Sabir’s former wife, Ingrid Doyle of New York, told the newspaper he was a good father and husband, and a hardworking man. An 18-page complaint unsealed yesterday repeatedly described Mr. Shah’s zest to train “brothers” for urban warfare. It alleged both men pledged their allegiance to Al Qaeda during a May 20 meeting in the Bronx.

– Associated Press

MURDER SUSPECT INVOLVED IN CRANE STANDOFF DENIED BAIL

ATLANTA – The Florida murder suspect whose 56-hour crane standoff led to a traffic-clogging spectacle in Atlanta last week was denied bail yesterday pending an extradition hearing.

A brief hearing was held yesterday at the Fulton County Jail for Carl Edward Roland, who will appear today in Superior Court for a hearing to discuss his return to Pinellas County, Fla., where he is charged with strangling his ex-girlfriend.

A spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, Sergeant Nikita Hightower, did not know if Mr. Roland had an attorney yet. Mr. Roland, 41, climbed onto a construction crane above the city’s Buckhead neighborhood Wednesday. Atlanta police subdued him with a stun gun early Saturday as he crawled toward an officer for a cup of water. He was lowered to the ground from the 350-foot crane and taken to a hospital, where he stayed for nearly two days.

In Florida, Mr. Roland is accused of killing 36-year-old Jennifer Gonzalez, whose body was found in a pond Tuesday. He also faces charges in Georgia of criminal trespassing, reckless conduct, and first-degree criminal damage to property, Sergeant Hightower said.

– Associated Press