Seeking to "stem the tide of incorrect information," Broward College has released a statement that clarifies the school's association with Adnan El Shukrijumah, the former Miramar resident who the FBI now believes to be one of al Qaeda's leaders.
According to the school, Shukrijumah enrolled at Broward College in summer 1996 under the name Jumah A. El-Chukri. He majored in chemistry but did not graduate. Broward College President J. David Armstrong offered this statement:
"Unfortunately, every time something about this story comes up, we get dragged back into it. To our knowledge, we have not had any contact with him since he was a student, more than a decade ago. It is deplorable that misinformation about his connection to the college has been repeated in the media without any verification."
Some media accounts made the mistake of claiming El Shukrijumah was a teacher at the college. Of course, the school has a much stricter screening process for its instructors than it does for its students, and it's easy to understand why Broward College would take exception to claims that it allowed a future al Qaeda leader to serve on its faculty.
