Doctor will move, lawyer says

Dr. Basem Hussein was cleared of any involvement with terrorists after being questioned by the FBI.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- An Egyptian-born radiologist who was repeatedly questioned by federal authorities since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks plans to leave his Neshannock Township apartment complex, according to his attorney.
"After everything that's happened, he just wants to move somewhere else," said Atty. J. Kerrington Lewis of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Basem Moustafa Hussein, 36, lives at the Meadows, an upscale apartment complex in Neshannock Township, Lawrence County, owned by Universal Development Corp. in Liberty Township, Trumbull County.
Eviction notice: Lewis said his client received an eviction notice from the real estate company, stating that he must leave by Sept. 28.
"They claim he violated some rules of the apartment complex. It was written Sept. 13. He hadn't been there for 10 days and he's sent his rent check. Whatever reasons they have [for evicting him], it's all made up," Lewis said.
The person answering the Meadows office telephone repeatedly hung up on a reporter from The Vindicator when called for comment. The person answering the telephone at Universal Development Corp. also refused to comment.
Lewis said Hussein will leave the apartment complex but not because of the eviction notice. He said it is because of treatment he's received since returning from New Mexico.
When terrorists attacked the World Trade Center buildings and Pentagon on Sept. 11, Hussein was working in the radiology department of a Navaho Indian reservation hospital. He is employed by a professional temporary medical staffing company that sends him to different hospitals across the country, Lewis said.
Police were called: Hussein had been in New Mexico for about a week when a building manager who had entered his apartment contacted police because she spotted something she believed was suspicious.
Authorities seized items from his home including medical certificates and a home computer after getting a federal search warrant.
Hussein was questioned and cleared of any involvement with terrorists later that week by the FBI in Albuquerque, N.M.
Federal authorities in Pittsburgh also wanted to question Hussein and spoke to him last Tuesday, Lewis said.
"They wanted him to give information on his life and background. He volunteered any information. He was happy to give the information," his attorney said. They also officially cleared him of any involvement with terrorists and have returned everything taken during the investigation, Lewis said.
Hussein declined to be interviewed by The Vindicator.
However, Hussein's attorney said he is not pleased with his client's treatment at the Meadows.
Civil rights issue: "The government has a legitimate interest to investigate all tips, but when you have private neighbors turn on people with hatred and discrimination based on nothing concrete," Lewis said. "I think there has been a violation of his civil rights by the people where he lives."
Lewis said his client will leave the Meadows, but he's unsure if he will leave Lawrence County.
"I know he really likes it up there and he does most of his work in Pennsylvania. He said he had a wonderful life until Sept. 12," he said.
Hussein was born in Egypt but moved to Canada with his parents and three sisters when he was 7, Lewis said. He moved to Neshannock Township in 1999, when he worked for six months at Jameson Hospital. He has permanent resident status in the United States.
Lewis described his client as a "good citizen" who enjoys his work and helps support his disabled parents and two single sisters in Canada.