9/11 Plotter Released in Syria Prisoner Exchange

SNIPPET: "The al-Qaeda recruiter reputed to have assembled the so-called Hamburg Cell, which planned and largely carried out the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, has been set free in a prisoner exchange between rebel and regime forces in Syria.

Islamist rebel group Ahrar al-Sham has secured the release of 9/11 plotter and alleged al-Qaeda core member Mohammed Haydar Zammar, adding to concerns about the composition of the Islamic Front.

A naturalized German citizen of Syrian origin, Mohammed Haydar Zammar left Germany shortly after the attacks and traveled to Morocco, where he was reportedly seized by the CIA and then “rendered” to Syria."

stepping back in time...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1004066/posts

“Spain links Syrian cabal to Sept. 11 plot—Prosecutors follow the money trail”
Chicago Tribune ^ | October 19, 2003 | John Crewdson, Drew Crosby
Posted on October 19, 2003 at 4:03:02 PM PDT by SJackson

By John Crewdson, Tribune senior correspondent. Reporting and research assistance was provided by Drew Crosby in Madrid

MADRID -

SNIPPET: “Virtually from the moment of the Sept. 11 attacks, investigators in Europe and the U.S. were perplexed by what appeared to be a Syrian connection to the hijackings, both here and in Hamburg, Germany, whose university campuses produced three of the four Sept. 11 pilots and several accused or convicted accomplices.”

stepping back in time...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/734912/posts

“Report: Suspect’s Passport Found [Mohammed Haydar Zammar’s German Passport in Atef’s home]”
Associated Press Online | August 17, 2002
Posted on August 17, 2002 at 2:11:56 PM PDT by Wallaby

Not for commercial use. Solely to be used for the educational purposes of research and open discussion.

“Report: Suspect’s Passport Found”
Associated Press Online
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
August 17, 2002 Saturday 11:59 AM Eastern Time
BERLIN

SNIPPET: “The passport of a Syrian-born man suspected of recruiting some of the Hamburg-based Sept. 11 hijackers was found at the house of a top al-Qaida official in Afghanistan, according to a report Saturday.

Zammar was in Hamburg with hijackers Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah.”

http://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/Hamburg%20cell/common/

http://www.longwarjournal.org/tags/Ahrar%20al%20Sham/common/

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Note Photo included at link.

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/03/911_recruiter_report.php

“9/11 recruiter reportedly freed in Syria”

By THOMAS JOSCELYN
March 11, 2014

SNIPPET: “Zammar’s freedom was reported by Zaid Benjamin, the Washington correspondent for Radio Sawa, on his Twitter feed on Mar. 2.”

SNIPPET: “Zammar, who was freed in late 2013, was exchanged for Syrian army officers who were being held by jihadist forces. The exchange of prisoners was reportedly negotiated by Ahrar al Sham, an al Qaeda-linked group that frequently fights alongside the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria. The Ahrar al Sham is a major constituent of the Islamic Front, a coalition of seven large Islamist fighting groups in the country.

The Long War Journal reported on Dec. 17, 2013 that a longtime senior al Qaeda operative known as Abu Khalid al Suri was a founding member of, and senior leader in, Ahrar al Sham. Al Suri was killed by a suicide bomber in late February. Other al Qaeda operatives continue to serve in leadership roles within Ahrar al Sham, US intelligence officials have told The Long War Journal.”

SNIPPET: “Both the “Joint Inquiry Into the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001,” a report prepared by the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, and the 9/11 Commission documented Zammar’s role as the recruiter for al Qaeda’s Hamburg cell. The cell included the terrorists who would go on to serve as the pilots aboard the hijacked planes on 9/11.

Zammar has been part of the jihadist scene since the 1980s.”

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http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2014/03/reports_911_recruiter_freed_in.php

“LWJ’s prior warnings about 9/11 recruiter’s release”

By THOMAS JOSCELYN
March 11, 2014 2:36 PM

SNIPPET: “I warned that jihadists in Syria were seeking to free Zammar, on two occasions during congressional hearings last year.

On May 22, 2013, I testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. You can read my written testimony submitted for the hearing, which was titled “Assessing the Threat to the Homeland from al Qaeda Operations in Iran and Syria,” here.”

SNIPPET: “So, I warned about this again during a hearing on Sept. 10, 2013 before the full House Committee on Homeland Security. The hearing was titled, “Implications of Syria Situation for Homeland Security,” and you can read my testimony here.”

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