Posted on 06/04/2004 6:34:33 PM PDT by blam
Ex-curry waiter's Sept 11 tip-off thought 'too fantastic'
By Oliver Poole
(Filed: 05/06/2004)
The failure of the British and American security services to act on leads that might have helped prevent the September 11 terrorist attacks is starkly exposed by their investigation of Niaz Khan.
Eighteen months before the attack on the Twin Towers the former curry waiter from Burnley entered an FBI office in New Jersey and told startled agents he had been trained to hijack a plane and fly it into a building.
His tale of al-Qa'eda training camps equipped with mock Boeing aircraft was carefully noted by two FBI counter-terrorism experts, and filed away.
Though he passed two lie detector tests, his allegations were ignored as too fantastic to be believed.
After three weeks of questioning two agents flew him to England where he was handed over to security officials. After a day in custody he was released and forgotten.
Mr Khan's story is impossible to confirm independently. It is a tale of a disaffected youth addicted to gambling who says he was enticed by Osama bin Laden's henchmen to their bases around Lahore, Pakistan. In return he was to receive money to pay off debts crippling his family.
He provides a detailed account of being taught hijacking techniques and how he was subsequently sent to America in April 2000 to meet a contact who would instruct him on his suicide mission. On the flight to Newark he says he panicked, and once in the United States approached the authorities.
What is certain is the failure to investigate properly what in America is now being considered one of the most important potential warnings of the September 11 attacks.
On his return to Britain Mr Khan, now 29, was released and allowed to travel to his home in Oldham. To his "astonishment" no further questioning occurred.
After the September 11 attacks the American authorities contacted the British security services demanding he be re-interrogated but did not receive an official reply. Mr Khan, having seen the attacks on television, called the Crimestoppers hotline. He was told to contact his local police station where he was interviewed for half an hour.
The case has now been detailed in the US Senate and investigated by the American 9/11 Commission. Lawyers for the September 11 victims have visited Britain to interview him.
Mr Khan said yesterday: "No one took any action. If I had been white maybe they would have listened. But nobody cared."
Hmm...since Mr. Khan's tale was uttered during the Clinton Administration, this will receive scant notice.
I can see the headlines now " Bush fails to follow up on old intelligence about airplane attacks". Just because it happened under Clinton doesn't mean they won't try and stick it to the President, after all look at the 9-11 commission.
April 2000?
Wonder who was president? Wonder who was counter-terrorism cheif?
If true, those two FBI agents ahould be sent to prison for a long, long time.
That will never happen, look at what whorerucchi did to the Weavers and he walked.
Interesting ... but what the #@&% is a "curry waiter"!? :)
I second the motion!
This going to be in the book ya think?
Curry is the most popular food in England presently. Presumably, he serves curry.
BTW, did you see the article that claims curry (tumeric) reduces the risk of alzheimers? I eat curry once a week. (I just can't remember why, lol)
Not in Clinton's, maybe in Tenent's? (Nah!)
What will they think of next!
Damn ... now i need a curry ... or "Red Dwarf" ... or both!
??? That's like saying he's a soy sauce waiter, or a ketchup waiter.
You mean this leading indicator hasn't yet overtaken Puget Sound?
BTTT
Woulda...Coulda...Shoulda
John Bachelor covered this in depth tonight. Khan blew his al Queda cash in Atlantic City, and was more afraid of their wrath than that of the Feds, so he sung.
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