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DATE=12/22/1999 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=U-S TERRORISM / PLEA (S-L) NUMBER=257415 BYLINE=ALISHA RYU DATELINE=LOS ANGELES CONTENT= Intro: Ahmed Ressam, the Algerian man arrested last week by U-S authorities in the western state of Washington, pleaded innocent Wednesday to charges that he tried to bring explosive materials into the United States from Canada. VOA's Alisha Ryu has details from our West Coast Bureau. Text: Ahmed Ressam appeared before U-S District Judge John Weinberg to enter his pleas. Speaking through an Arabic interpreter, Mr. Ressam said he was innocent of all five federal charges filed against him. The accusations include making false statements to U-S customs inspectors; transporting explosives; and smuggling bomb-making nitroglycerin across the border. Mr. Ressam nodded yes when asked if he understood the meaning of his pleas. The judge ordered him to remain in custody without bail after Assistant U-S Attorney Francis Diskin argued the material found in Mr. Ressam's car was enough to build a powerful bomb and that Mr. Ressam posed a threat to the community. If convicted on all five counts, Mr. Ressam could face up to 40 years in prison and a fine of more than one million dollars. // Rest Opt for long // U-S customs officials stopped Ahmed Ressam last Tuesday after he entered Port Angeles, Washington state on a ferry from Victoria, Canada. Officials say the man was carrying two jars of nitroglycerin and more than 50 kilograms of other potentially explosive material in his rented car. Investigators say they have not yet determined what Mr. Ressam's motive might have been. His arrest, and the arrest of another Algerian man at the Canadian border in the eastern state of Vermont Sunday, has heightened fears of terrorism in the United States. The U-S State Department has already issued warnings of possible terrorist attacks against Americans overseas during the holiday season. (Signed) NEB/PT 22-Dec-1999 20:44 PM EDT (23-Dec-1999 0144 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .