Hijacker Stopped for Speeding Two Days Before Sept. 11 Attacks

ananova ^ | Jan. 8, 2002

[mountaineer]

A Maryland police officer stopped one of the September 11 hijackers for speeding just two days before the US terror attacks.

The state force has released a video of the moment filmed by a dashboard-mounted camera in his patrol car. It didn't capture any images of Ziad S Jarrah, who was one of the hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 which crashed in Pennsylvania.

A police spokesman said the officer was wearing a wireless microphone and the audio track captured the driver giving simple "yes" and "no" answers to the trooper's questions, reports CNN.

The state trooper stopped Jarrah for speeding on Interstate 95 shortly after midnight on September 9. In the video, the officer can be seen approaching Jarrah's car, obtaining his driver's licence and registration, and returning to the patrol car for a radio check of the credentials.

Police said the trooper then is seen returning to the driver's car and is heard explaining the citation as he obtains a signature on the ticket.

A month after the hijackings, US authorities discovered a letter written by Jarrah to his girlfriend in Germany and postmarked September 10.

In the letter, which was mistakenly addressed and returned to the US, Jarrah told his girlfriend he had done his duty. "I have done what I had to do," he wrote. "You should be very proud, it is an honour, and you will see the result, and everyone will be happy."
Story filed: 17:10 Tuesday 8th January 2002

[mountaineer]

[Travis McGee]

Did he have legal status in the USA?

[browardchad]

I saw the video on Fox -- zzzzzzzzz. A routine traffic stop, highjacker's voice not caught on video, much humming and paper rustling by a state trooper. Non-news.

[mountaineer]

Don't know, but it seems his driver's license was OK.

[ChadGore]

ok people . . . let's get tourist guy in this picture!

[Common Tator]

I believe the thrust of the story is the Democrats removal from the law the requirement that a persons drivers licence expire when the visa expires.

If that was the case, a traffice stop would result in an arrest and deportation. The Democrats said that was unfair and and 3,000 people died so Democrats could be fair with aliens living in the United States.

[mountaineer]

His family says he went to the U.S. at about this time to learn to fly. A student visa was issued to him May 21, 2000. (source).

[Common Tator]

I believe the thrust of the story is the Democrats removal from the law the requirement that a persons drivers licence expire when the visa expires.

If that was the case, a traffice stop would result in an arrest and deportation. The Democrats said that was unfair and and 3,000 people died so Democrats could be fair with aliens living in the United States.

[Fred Mertz]

You can say that again. I believe your perception is correct.

[mountaineer]

related thread.

[mountaineer]

Hindsight's 20/20, I guess.

[Travis McGee]

Thanks, that's a big piece of the puzzle.

[aristeides]

According to the second installment of Der Spiegel's four-part series on 9/11, Atta was stopped for reckless driving in Fort Lauderdale on Apr. 26, and either did not have or did not show a driver's license, but nevertheless escaped with a warning, and a requirement that he appear in court at the end of May with a valid license. Atta got a Florida license on May 2, but he did not appear for his court appearance. Then, on July 5, he was stopped again for speeding, in Delray Beach. He now had the Florida driver's license, and the policeman's computer check "for mysterious reasons" did not reveal that Atta was being sought for the first offense in Broward County.

These hijackers were "protected," my guess would be by a CIA connection, like Sheikh Rahman before the '93 WTC bombing.

[Pericles]

Want to blow your minds?

Alleged Hijackers May Have Trained at U.S. Bases

Hold on to your seats when you read BIN LADEN GATE

[aristeides]

Look at Wallaby's comments and my links on this other thread. Months before he was stopped in Maryland, Jarrah was stopped for questioning at Dubai airport because he had been put on a watch list at the request of the U.S. government on suspicion of being a supporter of terrorist organizations.