Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: WASHINGTON, April 29 (UPI) _ The FBI says it is looking into whether any U.S. laws may have been broken by a man charged with trying to extort 10 million pounds ($16.7 million) from Mohammed Al Fayed, the father of Dodi Al Fayed and owner of Harrods in London. The man, who has been arrested in Vienna, Austria, allegedly claimed to have evidence that Dodi and Diana, Princess of Wales, were murdered. The ``evidence'' was alleged to have been documents showing British intelligence had asked the CIA help to murder Diana. The princess and Dodi Al Fayed were killed in a Paris traffic accident last August. Meanwhile, the CIA released a statement today saying, ``Any assertion that the CIA played any role in the death of the Princess of Wales is absurd.'' A spokeswoman for the FBI field office in Washington confirmed the U. S. investigation but declined to give further details, such as whether the probe is limited to the suspect in custody or includes alleged accomplices. The spokeswoman, Elisa Martin, did issue a statement saying: ``The FBI assisted the Austrian police in the investigation of the alleged extortion of Mr. Al Fayed by an individual who claimed to have information concerning the death of Mr. Al Fayed's son Dodi and Princess Diana. The U.S. Department of Justice is reviewing the case in an effort to determine if a violation of U.S. laws may have occurred in this matter.'' An Austrian report in the newspaper Kurier said the suspect in the case, 68-year-old George Mearah, allegedly accepted 1,500 pounds ($2, 500) to attend a meeting with Al Fayed and Harrod's security official John Macnamara in Vienna. Al Fayed had notified Austrian police and the FBI when first contacted by the man, and Austrian police arrested Mearah after monitoring the meeting. He appeared before a magistrate in Vienna last week. -- Two rules in life: 1. Don't tell people everything you know. 2. Subscribe/Unsubscribe, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message enter: subscribe/unsubscribe law-issues
