9/11 report: Qaida planned Eilat strike, Israeli tackled hijackers

Haaretz ^ | Nathan Guttman

[veronica]

WASHINGTON - The 585-page report on the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, published Thursday, reveals new information on Al-Qaida efforts to attack Israel and gives details of an attempt by Israeli to stop the hijackers from entering the cockpit of one of the two planes flown into the World Trade Center.

According to the report by the September 11 commission, a high-ranking Al-Qaida operations official, Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, currently in U.S. custody, admitted during questioning that the terrorist network was planning other attacks along with those of September 11.

During the summer of 2001, according to the report, Sheikh Mohammed proposed to Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden that they try to recruit a Saudi air force pilot, who would take a Saudi combat plane and use it in an air attack on the southern resort city of Eilat.

The report does not specify what type of attack Sheikh Mohammed intended or what came as a result of his proposal.

The report also elaborates on the story of the Israeli flying on the American Airlines flight 11 who attempted to stop the hijackers from breaking into the cockpit before the plane plunged into the World Trade Center.

Daniel Levin was seated in first class when he saw two of the hijackers - group leader Mohammed Ata and Abdul Aziz al-Omri - getting up in order to enter the cockpit and take control of the plane, according to the report.

The Israeli tried to stop the two, but a third hijacker sitting behind him, Satam al-Sukami stabbed Levin. It is not known whether he was killed or injured, but according to a telephone conversation from a stewardess aboard the plane, Levin was badly injured in the stabbing.

Levin, 31, was a founder of the hi-tech company Acme, based in Boston. He was born in the United States but immigrated to Israel at the age of 14 with his parents.

Levin served in the Israel Defense Forces' elite Sayeret Matkal unit. The report said that Levin had served as an IDF officer for four years.

[capt. norm]

the hi-tech company Acme

Wow. The Acme Company has come a long way since their days of supplying Wiley Coyote with his mail-order gadgets.

[Dog]

No jokes please.....the man died a hero.

[SevenofNine]

Acme Company OMG what happen from Willie E Coyote to Al Quada

YIKES

I didn't know that same Israelis was IDF SOLDIER

OH MAN

[Paleo Conservative]

Levin, 31, was a founder of the hi-tech company Acme, based in Boston.

Actually the company is Akamai not Acme. Ironically if not for Akamai's website hosting and caching software, the Internet might have crashed on September 11, 2001.

Akamai Remembers Danny Lewin

On September 11, 2001, Akamai lost Danny Lewin aboard the American Airlines flight that crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. Even as the years pass by, Danny's spirit and energy remains strong in all of us at Akamai. His vision continues to guide us as we carry on his commitment to Akamai's success.

About Danny

First and foremost, Danny was known for his brilliance. He published and presented several breakthrough papers at top computer science conferences and received several awards, including the 1998 Morris Joseph Lewin Award for Best Masterworks Thesis Presentation at MIT. His master's thesis included some of the fundamental algorithms that make up the core of Akamai's services. He was a Ph.D. candidate in the Algorithms group at MIT's Laboratory for Computer Science.

Previously, Danny worked at IBM's research laboratory in Haifa, Israel, where he was a full-time research fellow and project leader while simultaneously completing two undergraduate degrees at the Technion, Israel's premier technology university. In 1995, Technion named him the year's Outstanding Student in Computer Engineering. At IBM, he was responsible for the development and support of the company's Genesys system, a processor verification tool that is used widely within IBM and in other companies such as AMD and SGS Thompson.

On a personal note, he had a deep affinity for speed and freedom, maintaining an avid interest in motorcycles, fast cars, and skiing. Everyone who knew Danny knew a man who was always on the go, deeply driven, and incredibly competitive. He inspired everyone around him to work at their very best, never taking no for an answer, and calling anything that got in his way obstreperous, his most favorite word.

Born in Denver, Colo., and raised in Jerusalem, Danny was an officer in the Israel Defense Forces, having served in the country's military for more than four years. He received a bachelor of arts and of science, summa cum laude, from Technion and a master's degree from MIT.

Danny was 31 years old and is survived by his wife and two sons.

[Dog]

I think I'm going to have to read the whole report..

[Mitchell]

Akamai, not Acme. What a silly mistake to make in a newspaper article. Akamai is a well-known company.

[af_vet_1981]

The Israeli tried to stop the two, but a third hijacker sitting behind him, Satam al-Sukami stabbed Levin. It is not known whether he was killed or injured, but according to a telephone conversation from a stewardess aboard the plane, Levin was badly injured in the stabbing.

Halavi that Daniel was not able to stop them. Would to G-d that they did not have that 3rd terrorist behind him.

[Mitchell]

Sorry -- I didn't see your post until after I was done posting myself. You have to be fast on FR!

[Honestfreedom]

I guess he did not get the orders from the Mossad that the attacks were going to take place (sarcasm off).

[Never Surrender]

I didn't know that same Israelis was IDF SOLDIER

More than that - Sayeret Matkal members are the cream of the crop. Think Delta Force or SEALS.

[fishtank]

I'd love to stuff that 585 page report down the gullet of some of the perfumed Saudi princes who spread those lies about the Mossad.

[MEG33]

Daniel Levin died a hero...God bless you, Mr Levin.

[Eva]

Wow, a genuine hero!

[Tamzee]

Levin was the first man to die on 9/11.... they finally identified a few tiny bits of his remains from the rubble just days ago.

[Jeff Gordon]

I had read about this guy a few months after 9/11. He was the one guy who could have and would have stopped that hijacking. He had started into action but had his throat slit by the terrorist sitting behind him. The flight attendants made reference to him in their phone conversation. He was described as having had hit throat slit and slowly dieing in first class.

[Honestfreedom]

If you can arrange it I will hold them down. I cannot think of people I hold in lower esteem than the Saudi royal family. When I hear of a battle between the royals and Al Queada I am almost hoping Al Queada won.

[Paleo Conservative]

Then we'd have an excuse to nuke the whole country except for the refineries and pipelines.

[SevenofNine]

So they are Green Berets of Israel

I SEEE

Alright rack ittt

[yonif]

I wonder if the Saudis wanted to pull such an attack again, what city they would be flying out of in Saudi Arabia...you know that city the US promised Israel its fighter planes won't be moved to, but in the end, let it go.