Atta’s Alleged Trip to Prague (from 9/11 Commission Report)

9/11 Commission ^ | July 22, 2004

[Shermy]

Atta’s Alleged Trip to Prague (pages 228-229)

Mohamed Atta is known to have been in Prague on two occasions: in December 1994, when he stayed one night at a transit hotel, and in June 2000, when he was en route to the United States. On the latter occasion,he arrived by bus from Germany, on June 2, and departed for Newark the following day.69

The allegation that Atta met with an Iraqi intelligence officer in Prague in April 2001 originates from the reporting of a single source of the Czech intelligence service. Shortly after 9/11, the source reported having seen Atta meet with Ahmad Khalil Ibrahim Samir al Ani, an Iraqi diplomat, at the Iraqi Embassy in Prague on April 9, 2001, at 11:00 A.M.

This information was passed to CIA headquarters. The U.S. legal attaché (“Legat”) in Prague, the representative of the FBI, met with the Czech service’s source. After the meeting, the assessment of the Legat and the Czech officers present was that they were 70 percent sure that the source was sincere and believed his own story of the meeting. Subsequently, the Czech intelligence service publicly stated that there was a 70 percent probability that the meeting between Atta and Ani had taken place. The Czech Interior Minister also made several statements to the press about his belief that the meeting had occurred, and the story was widely reported.

The FBI has gathered evidence indicating that Atta was in Virginia Beach on April 4 (as evidenced by a bank surveillance camera photo),and in Coral Springs, Florida on April 11, where he and Shehhi leased an apartment.On April 6, 9, 10, and 11, Atta’s cellular telephone was used numerous times to call various lodging establishments in Florida from cell sites within Florida. We cannot confirm that he placed those calls. But there are no U.S. records indicating that Atta departed the country during this period. Czech officials have reviewed their flight and border records as well for any indication that Atta was in the Czech Republic in April 2001, including records of anyone crossing the border who even looked Arab. They have also reviewed pictures from the area near the Iraqi embassy and have not discovered photos of anyone who looked like Atta. No evidence has been found that Atta was in the Czech Republic in April 2001.

According to the Czech government, Ani, the Iraqi officer alleged to have met with Atta, was about 70 miles away from Prague on April 8-9 and did not return until the afternoon of the ninth, while the source was firm that the sighting occurred at 11:00 A.M. When questioned about the reported April 2001 meeting, Ani - now in custody -has denied ever meeting or having any contact with Atta. Ani says that shortly after 9/11, he became concerned that press stories about the alleged meeting might hurt his career. Hoping to clear his name, Ani asked his superiors to approach the Czech government about refuting the allegation. He also denies knowing of any other Iraqi official having contact with Atta.

These findings cannot absolutely rule out the possibility that Atta was in Prague on April 9, 2001. He could have used an alias to travel and a passport under that alias, but this would be an exception to his practice of using his true name while traveling (as he did in January and would in July when he took his next overseas trip). The FBI and CIA have uncovered no evidence that Atta held any fraudulent passports.

KSM and Binalshibh both deny that an Atta-Ani meeting occurred. There was no reason for such a meeting, especially considering the risk it would pose to the operation. By April 2001, all four pilots had completed most of their training, and the muscle hijackers were about to begin entering the United States.

The available evidence does not support the original Czech report of an Atta-Ani meeting.70

[Shermy]

Footnote 69

[adam_az]

"6 Full Legislative Days Left Until The AWB Expires"

So, after Sept 13 does it take a different kind of vote than it would for an extension?

Since the import of certain foreign made weapons like AK47 are already banned anyway, how will this affect gun sales? Just make it easier to modify rifles with pistol-style grips, folding stock, etc made after a certain date?

[Southack]

You're getting off-topic here (check the thread title). But it won't be an "extention" after the 13th, it could only be a renewal, as in, *new* gun control. Also, whatever window exists after the expiration before any new gun control comes along...would at the very least allow legal exceptions to the AWB, lowering the cost of "pre-ban" firearms, for instance.

But the big thing is that the end of the AWB will be the SECOND federal repeal of gun control under Bush (1st was arming pilots).

No President other than Bush has ever presided over any repeals of federal gun control. Bush is set to have this happen twice. The anti-gunners are in full retreat!

Now, back to the topic of this thread...

6 Full Legislative Days Left Until The AWB Expires

[Shermy]

"Atta was in Virginia Beach on April 4 (as evidenced by a bank surveillance camera photo),and in Coral Springs, Florida on April 11, where he and Shehhi leased an apartment..."

Now hold on just a minute. Shermy's wayback machine recalls that Gloria Irish she drove around two for days...and one of them was NOT Atta.

For starters, look at the Oct. 15, 2001 Wash post article:

Sun Editor's Wife Found Rentals for 2 Hijackers FBI: Link May Be Just 'Coincidence'

[Shermy]

I never read anywhere that Gloria Irish rented anything to Atta, or met him. Rather it was Marwan Alshehhi and Saeed Alghamdi.

[ScaniaBoy]

....but I seem to remember a shared bank account.
Atta and someone else.

Does your wayback machine still work?

[browardchad]

...from the wife of the owner of the Florida AMI building that was hit with two anthrax casualties

Gloria Irish, wife of the editor of the Sun (not the owner of the AMI building), rented apartments in Delray Beach (not Coral Springs) to hijackers Hamza Alghamdi and Marwan Al-Shehhi (not Mohammed Atta) in May (not April) 2001.

[Southack]

Right. Atta used cash to get into Czech anonymously; meanwhile, his buddies used his cell phone in Florida to show that he never left the U.S. (wink, wink).

His whole travel schedule was set to show no connection to the people who gave him the anthrax. He always traveled under his own name except for the 1 trip where he needed to protect his client (e.g. those who gave him the anthrax in Czech). So he goes under his own name to the U.S., and his buddies then use his cell phone while he sneaks back into Czech.

Problem is, the real estate agent who showed his buddies (with Atta's cellphone) around in Florida, remembers someone *other* than Atta.

They pay their lease money just prior to the 9/11 attack, the cash or envelope with their rent payment is cross-contaminated with their anthrax, and that contaminated cash makes it through her husband's AMI building, infecting two employees and explaining why no anthrax letter was ever found in Florida.

6 Full Legislative Days Left Until The AWB Expires

[WOSG]

The Media (ie NYTimes) claimed to 'debunk' this story as early as 2002. (Actually they misreported it, but that's another story.)

OTOH, the record shows it hasnt fully been 'debunked'.
These details actually *reopen* the possibility, since the Czech source is firm in belief.

[WOSG]

and the other detail is this: The timing of a wire transfer in mid-April from a middle east bank to the hijackers' accounts.

It is quite possible Atta went somewhere to finalize arrangements.

[Southack]

"I never read anywhere that Gloria Irish rented anything to Atta, or met him. Rather it was Marwan Alshehhi and Saeed Alghamdi."

Oh, indeed! That's the whole thing. The 9/11 Commission wants you to believe that Atta was making those cell phone calls and renting that apartment in Florida...but it was his two buddies. Atta was away in Czech!

6 Full Legislative Days Left Until The AWB Expires

[bvw]

Hmmm ... and Vince Foster popped over to Switzerland for a few hours, yet master sadist Atta could not so jaunt? Not even to get final A-OK, mano-a-mano good-to-go? What a whitewash this is. They should have retained some doubt, at least.

[combat_boots]

The whole 911 thing is beginning to be a bit like 711 stores: just enough to tide you over until a real trip to the store, but not enough to satisfy anything but a craving. OTOH, it isn't like federal commissions to have misleading information in them, now is? Remember Ch. Just. Earl Warren's entry into the historic commission pageant?

[combat_boots]

Is it. Make that It.

[Shermy]

Here's what I'm researching.

The April 11 story involves Shehhi, so does the Gloria Irish story.

But they may be two different times, two different rentals.

[Wolfstar]

What the above information boils down to is that the Commission could not prove it either way. The Commission's report does not say when the source for this first reported the information to the Czech intelligence service. If it was before the 9/11 attacks, that lends considerable credibility to the report. If it was after, that doesn't necessarily discredit the source, but his or her memory could have been influenced by news reports.

The truth is we'll probably never learn the truth, unless Saddam or one of his senior staff spill the beans.

[Southack]

"The truth is we'll probably never learn the truth, unless Saddam or one of his senior staff spill the beans."

Ha! Who says that it was Saddam?! Other countries have Ba'ath Parties besides the old Iraq, you know!

Why, Middle-Eastern agents have even been known to work for more than just 1 government.

6 Full Legislative Days Left Until The AWB Expires

[Shermy]

Footnote 114 says Shehhi rented a place in Delray beach for others on May 28, which might be the Gloria Irish incident.

As for what was rented on April 11, I can't find anything.

[Southack]

Gee, it's all *fuzzy* right around the time that the anthrax meeting was happening, who would thunk it?!

6 Full Legislative Days Left Until The AWB Expires

[Shermy]

For the April 11 rental by Atta, this is the evidence by the Commission:

(chapter 7) 80. For Atta’s renting the apartment, see FBI report, “Hijackers Timeline,” Dec. 5, 2003 (citing 265A-NYNOTES 280350-302, serial 381; 265A-NY-280350-MM, serial 3817). For Shehhi’s presence in Florida, see, e.g., ibid. (Apr. 13, 2001, entry citing 265A-NY-280350-302, serial 17575).