Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Confusion over FBI's hijacker list deepens

News/Current Events News Keywords: CONFUSION
Source: Arab News, Saudi Arabia
Published: Friday, September 28, 2001 Author: Badr Almotawa
Posted on 09/27/2001 22:37:46 PDT by CommiesOut

Confusion over FBI's hijacker list deepens
By Badr Almotawa, Arab News Staff

JEDDAH, 27 September - Khalid Al-Mihammadi, a Saudi youth from Makkah who works as a computer programmer, has talked about receiving the shock of his life when he saw that his picture was among the suspects who had hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon in Washington on Sept. 11.

He said the FBI might have got his picture from the US federal office that issues ID cards to expatriates. Mihammadi was in the United States for nine months to learn English, but returned to the Kingdom earlier this year.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Mihammadi, 22, disclosed that he had studied at two English language institutes in Indiana and Florida. He affirmed that he has no connection at all with aviation. "I have not received any aviation training and I have never dreamt of becoming a pilot," he said.

Mihammadi is a computer programmer by profession and attended an advanced computer course at the Institute of Public Administration in Jeddah.

The FBI identified the hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77 as Majed Moqaad, Khalid Al-Mehdar (also identified as Khalid Almihammadi), Nawaf Al-Hazmi, Salim Al-Hazmi and Hani Hanjour, who allegedly piloted the plane. The FBI first released a different picture of Mehdar. Later it published the picture of Mihammadi.

I have a sick feeling that the FBI is clueless as to who the terrorists really are and that means we are all in grave danger. Can't track cells if you don't have the correct information. I'm really upset that our government hasn't been upfront with details on the dangers ahead of us, at least we could prepare!

Most, maybe all the IDs were stolen.

bttt

The important thing is to get accurate photographs of the actual terrorist. They can build the i.d. from there. Names are usually worthless at first. I think in this case it's pretty clear most i.d.s were stolen.

About a week ago I read an article which traced-back the i.d. of one terrorist to a Saudi national who went missing in Kuwait during the Iraqi occupation. After the war his family was found murdered but he was missing. After further investigation it was discovered the terrorist's photograph, description, etc. had been placed into Kuwaiti records in place of the actual family member. Only a search of the original person's home town records in Saudi Arabia revealed the actual person's identity to be different to the corresponding terrorist's identity in Kuwati records. Ostensibly, the real identity was murdered along with his family and the terrorist took his place via Kuwati records. Imo, that would put Iraq solidly behind the terrorist.

I remember seeing a newspaper picture of one of the terrorists caught by a security video tape in an airport. The loop on such tapes ought to be longer than the longest flight departing from that airport.

BRITAIN: Poor co-ordination 'may have missed link to terrorists' ASSAULT ON US SENIOR OFFICIAL ADMITS LACK OF COMPUTERISED INFORMATION AT AIRPORTS HAS HAMPERED INVESTIGATION:
Financial Times; Sep 27, 2001 --- http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=010927000912
By ROSEMARY BENNETT and JIMMY BURNS

A British link to the suicide terrorist attacks in the US may have been missed because of a lack of co-ordination between law enforcement agencies, a senior security official signalled last night.

David Veness, head of Scotland Yard's Specialist Operations, admitted that because of an apparent lack of computerised information on suspect terrorists held at British airports, British police and MI5, the internal security service, had so far been unable to establish whether some of the suicide hijackers had prepared their attacks while living in the UK.

"Clearly every security professional in the world will be revisiting the bases on which counter-terrorism have been based over the last 30 years," he said.

While anti-terrorist officers have for years checked Irish Republican Army suspects coming into the country, it emerged last night that the identity of the hijackers may have been buried in files held by the immigration service which are not normally shared for anti-terrorism purposes.

"We are pursuing reports in respect of individuals who passed through the UK at British airports to vigorously examine how long they were in the UK, in what identity, when they arrived and what they did before arrival and departure," Mr Veness said.

No information about the hijackers was passed on to British security officials by the FBI or the CIA before the attacks, and investigations have been hampered since by the possible use of multiple identities by suspects.

However the fact that anti-terrorist experts have as yet been unable to establish whether some of the 19 hijackers, perhaps as many as 11, merely passed through the UK or stayed long enough to be part of the preparation for the attacks underlines the intelligence failures behind them.

Mr Veness said that the US attacks represented a "seismic shift" in the way terrorism was threatening the world, and agencies and laws needed to adapt accordingly.

He said there needed to be a fresh look at the Schengen agreement which regulates freedom of movement within continental Europe. The UK is not a member but European signatories share intelligence information between police and immigration.

Senior ministers say that there as yet no plans for Britain to join Schengen and are happy with the intelligence provided by European partners but they are considering tighter anti-terrorist laws. One senior minister said there was concern about the deployment of resources within the intelligence services.

* Seven men were arrested under the Terrorism Act yesterday after stowaways were discovered in a lorry outside RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, shortly before midday. Police found six foreign nationals concealed in a lorry at the base gate. One German and six Iraqi men were arrested, police said.

Meanwhile, British police are still questioning two suspects linked to the US attacks, while separately questioning three suspects in connected with a terrorist plot in Paris.

Copyright: The Financial Times Limited

Yeah, I think I saw one too. It showed Atta and one of his accomplaces. This will certainly advance the face i.d. system -unfortunately. My philosopy is more practical. Deport the criminals and those who would harbor them and allow Americans to remain free.

I can't expect much more from this group that can't find the person(s) who made Ms. Levy disappear when we know that one of them is right under their nose -- Condit. Good grief!

These are assassin techniques.

The FBI had to have some reason for coming up with his name.The fact that he was not one of hijackers to die on the flight doesn't mean he wasn't heavily involved in the terrorist ring. Since he was in Indiana as well as Florida, he may be involved in a plan connected to our chemical weapons storehouse in Indiana. The FBI may have mis-identified him, but I'm betting he's still a terrorist. The FBI didn't come up with his name out of thin air. (Unless he is a victim of identity theft, which is unlikely since he admits he just returned to Saudi earlier this year. It would be too risky to have 2 Khalid Al-Mihammadis here at the same time, especially in Florida.)

why anka doesn't get the boot, is the real mystery to me.

The names were released pretty soon. I have the impression they were the names on the airlines' passenger lists, and, of course, there's no guarantee those would be accurate. Hopefully the security videotapes of the other airports, like those at Portland that showed Atta and his confederate, were seized by law enforcement, and the wanted pictures can be found by a process of elimination. The photos that the FBI released yesterday certainly don't look like the people in Saudi Arabia who have been protesting that they have been misidentified, and hopefully they are accurate, perhaps the result of the procedure I just suggested.

They have not a clue about who is behind the terror war.

Are you privy to all the CIA's information?

Here's a place to look. Maybe all of these terrorist lost a father in the Gulf War.

Bump

We should always keep a thread going if only to find truth!

THE AMERICAN WAY let's not forget!

Agree with your estimations about Iraq. I've had an itching feeling that this huge military buildup over there is for more than a mere binladen, but is also for a seek and destroy into Iraq and that binladen is a media diversion that is meant to keep Iraq feeling a bit too comfortable. That said, binladen is also probably a target, but something tells me that Iraq is a major focus.
time will tell though.

baa

Wouldn't you think however that the moment troops end up on Iraqi soil, that Saddam would hear about it.

By the way, what about the commercial earth-photo satellites, the ones with 2-foot optical resolution. Does the USA have control of them all? Is it still beyond the capability of Arab countries to put one of these spybirds into orbit?

Or a relative, or a friend...

It sounds like a motive.

Another obvious motive for Iraq is the attack on the World Market. Wouldn't they be angry at the world over the sanctions that have been in place since the Gulf War?

I.e. to get back at Bush Sr.'s coalition? ...

why anka doesn't get the boot, is the real mystery to me.

Looks like you called that one right, I didn't notice my comment had been edited right out of the Thread until I saw your post. That's a good one for my web site, glad I saved it.

So suggesting we've been betrayed is taboo, eh? Interesting. Must hit too close to home for some people.

was-salaam,
ankaboot
--
Rejoice, muslims, in martyrdom without fighting,
a Mercy for us. Be like the better son of Adam.

Our CIA often acts like a Chinese fire drill, but it isn't totally stupid. Especially when what they do could well determine whether or not there are more terror attacks rained down on their own friends and family. Nothing like suddenly finding oneself in a war zone to jerk one to sobriety.

Al-Qaeda kiss your hind ends good bye here and abroad!!!

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

[ Top | Latest Posts | Latest Articles | Self Search | Add Bookmark | Post | Abuse | Help! ]

FreeRepublic , LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794 Forum Version 2.0a Copyright © 1999 Free Republic, LLC