Mexico arrests 9/11 suspect

Agence France-Presse | June 22, 2005

[HAL9000]

Mexico arrested Amer Haykel, a British man of Arab extraction, sought by US authorities in connection with the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, the Attorney General's office (PGR) said on Tuesday.

Haykel was arrested in Todo Santos, a town in the northeastern Mexican state of Baja California, officials said.

"The PGR arrested... Haykel, whom US authorities have linked to extremist groups presumably involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York," the office said in a statement.

Officials said Haykel was arrested at the Todo Santos fire department, following "investigative and intelligence work and exchange of information with the US government".

The statement did not explain why Haykel was at the fire station and also failed to include the suspect's age or where his passport was issued, which would confirm his nationality.

"The suspect, who was born in Beirut and speaks fluent Arabic, English, French and Spanish, was turned over to immigration authorities and taken to Mexico City to determine his legal status," the PGR statement said.

On June 15, Pakistani national Arif Ali Durrani was also arrested in Baja California in response to a US warrant on charges he was smuggling anti-aircraft missiles. Durrani was officially repatriated to Pakistan via Los Angeles.

A PGR official said it was "likely" the same system would be used for Haykel, whose repatriation could take place as early as Wednesday.

There have been persistent rumors that Mexico harbors terrorists from Arab extremist groups, but both the foreign ministry and the interior ministry here have always denied them.

[Flint]

"Now, will Mexico extradite him?"

Nope, he would face the death penalty and they won't send anyone to the US that does.

[Grampa Dave]

What I find amazing is how somethings never change.

My Dad was born in 1897 in Texas. He had two middle names. They were the surnames of the two women who helped his mother in his birth.

One of the women was married to a Texas Ranger. About twice a year he would go away on official duty for about 2-4 weeks. When he returned to the N Texas area where they lived, he would be very tanned and his Spanish was better and used often on his return. He was 30 something and this pattern continued until his retirement after WWI. During WWI his away from home official duties went from a couple times a year to about once a month. My Dad felt those away from home duties involved chasing down people who fled from Texas to Mexico to avoid jail and during WWI, military duty, and German Spies.

Flash forward to the few years after WWII. I had an uncle who was a well decorated warrior with the first Cav. He, some Cav buddies, Marine buddies and Airborne Ranger types would go fishing or hunting several times a year for a week or so. This was back when a man was lucky to get 1 week vacation per year. Later when I was 20 something and years after his last fishing/hunting trip, family gossip indicated that he was a Merc with his buddies. They apparently would go into Mexico to bring back German and Japanese nationals who operated out of Mexico during WWII. My Dad's joke was when these enemies of America ran out of money. Mexico would notify our officials, then our Mercs went in and got them, usually with no problems.

Mexico has been a safe haven for American Criminals and our enemies for at least 150 years.

[Redbob]

"One has to wonder what this guy did to turn the people that dispise us against him"

Prolly wrote one of our scum-sucking neighbors to the south a bad check.

[angelsonmyside]

Took the words right out of my mouth. Recruiting center maybe?

[Toadman]

Your post is an excellent post and an excellent point...

First off I support the Minutemen and feel we have an illegal alien crisis. I believe we must find a way to seal the borders. People want to come to the U.S. - fine, do it legally. Now to the point.

Every Mexican I know South of the border views every brown person who is NOT Mexican as a potential walking lottery ticket. A brown person, not Mexican, couldn't take a dump in the desert without being informed on.

I believe it would be easier for Islamofacist to sneak across our Northern border with Canada. From what I gleen, American hating vitriol spewing Islamofacist Mosques are not uncommon in Canada, and that border is less monitored than our Southern border.

Thanks for your post and that's my two cents.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

RICK RESCORLA =

Lifetime Lifesaving Hero who became part of the Tower II's gray dust after his getting almost everybody else outta there on September 11, 2001

http://www.strategyzoneonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24361

.

[staytrue]

how many other jihadists have already crossed blending in with the crowds?

None. The mexicans send about 17 billion a year from the US to mexico. If an arab terrorist gets through the southern border, it jeopardizes this revenue. The mexican illegals and the police and the common man know this and will do everything possible to stop terrorists to keep the gravy train running.

Further, if you are really worried about jihadists have already crossed blending in with the crowds, you should be 100% in favor of Bush's guest worker program. That way the crowd comes to the US govt. to check in and there are no crowds to blend in with.

[Grampa Dave]

"Your post is an excellent post and an excellent point..."

Sometimes, we all need some history about what we may feel is a new situation. Often it isn't.

"First off I support the Minutemen and feel we have an illegal alien crisis. I believe we must find a way to seal the borders. People want to come to the U.S. - fine, do it legally. Now to the point."

We are in total agreement.


"Every Mexican I know South of the border views every brown person who is NOT Mexican as a potential walking lottery ticket. A brown person, not Mexican, couldn't take a dump in the desert without being informed on."

Yep either as a bounty turnin or as a kidnap for ransom lottery ticket.

"I believe it would be easier for Islamofacist to sneak across our Northern border with Canada. From what I gleen, American hating vitriol spewing Islamofacist Mosques are not uncommon in Canada, and that border is less monitored than our Southern border."

Again, we are in agreement.

"Thanks for your post and that's my two cents."

Thanks for sharing your two cents with us.

[Grampa Dave]

"The mexicans send about 17 billion a year from the US to mexico. If an arab terrorist gets through the southern border, it jeopardizes this revenue. The mexican illegals and the police and the common man know this and will do everything possible to stop terrorists to keep the gravy train running."

That probably doesn't include the billions spent every year when our legal Mexican Americans return home for about a month after Thanksgiving or in the early spring.

[DoctorMichael]

On June 15, Pakistani national Arif Ali Durrani was also arrested in Baja California in response to a US warrant on charges he was smuggling anti-aircraft missiles. Durrani was officially repatriated to Pakistan via Los Angeles.

A PGR official said it was "likely" the same system would be used for Haykel, whose repatriation could take place as early as Wednesday.

WTF?

[kellynla]

and nearly four years after 9/11 our borders still remain unsecured...

[TheOtherOne]

Now on the AP

Mexico Says Man Linked to Sept. 11 Groups Arrested in Baja California

By John Rice Associated Press Writer
Published: Jun 22, 2005 MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico's government said it has detained a man believed linked to the groups that carried out the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States.

The federal attorney general's office, in a bulletin issued late Tuesday, identified the man as Amer Haykel and said he was a British citizen born in Beirut, Lebanon.

"According to U.S. authorities, he is linked to extremist groups believed to be involved with the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, in New York," the agency said.

It did not say if he faced any charges or if he was believed to be personally involved in any terrorist actions.

President Vicente Fox's spokesman Ruben Aguilar said Wednesday the arrest showed that Mexican officials are capable of detecting people illegally in the country and of protecting the border.

He was detained in Todos Los Santos in the municipality of La Paz near the tip of the Baja California peninsula. It said he was located at a fire station after a U.S. government tip, but it didn't say what he was doing at the time of the arrest.

He was brought to Mexico City for immigration processing.

Officials have long expressed concerns that terrorists might use Mexico or Central America to stage an attack on the United States.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, there have been a series of arrests and reports - from Panama to the Mexico-U.S. border - indicating that terrorists might be in the region. But so far, there has been little hard evidence that anyone was linked to al-Qaida or other terrorist groups.

Last week, Pakistani Arif Ali Durrani, 55, was arrested in the beach resort of Rosarito, across the border from San Diego.

A former U.S. resident, Durrani was handed over to U.S. officials, who charged him with illegally exporting parts used to cool fighter jet engines. Durrani has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and faces a trial in August.

Durrani served five years in prison for selling missile parts to Iran in the 1980s.

In July, a South African woman was arrested in Texas after she swam across the Rio Grande from Mexico. The arrest of Farida Goolam Mahomed Ahmed, 49, led to speculation of terrorist activities at the border, but officials found no evidence she was linked to terror groups.

She was convicted of illegal entry into the United States, making false statements to federal authorities and misuse of an altered South African passport. Authorities deported her in March.

Central American officials have also reported several alleged terrorist sightings or concerns - including the theory that terrorists were recruiting from the region's violent gangs.

But so far, the U.S. government has backed only one report: An alleged top al-Qaida operative, Adnan El Shukrijumah of Saudi Arabia, spent 10 days in Panama in April 2001.

AP-ES-06-22-05 0945EDT

[Jeff Head]

Poppycock.

There are already numerous examples of Arabics crossing the border posing as illegal aliens (or in the PC term, undocumented workers). One example is of the woman from last year in Texas who was aprehended, interrogated, and ultimately (after some time) deported who came across in that fashion who had very strong affiliations with organization providing monetary support to terrorist groups.

The INS has an entire designation of OTM, (Other than Mexicans), who they catch crossing the border. Many of them are in fact Arabic. I believe the number is in excess of 10% of all OTMs.

The coyotes work for money and they bring across whomever will pay, and do not know, or care to know these people's background any better than you or I. The drug cartels will use whomever they can in a similar fashion as mules crossing the border...mexican, arabic, etc.

The fact is that we do not know...and that is the entire issue because the numbers are potentially large, up to a potential of several thousand Arabics per month of whom we do not know how many may be terrorists (not to mention the Mexican and Central and South American gangs and drug cartel members uing the same border). To say or imply with any degree of certitude that NONE have crossed is simply rediculous.

As to Bush's plan...I believe there does noeed to be reform and a better, more workable guest program. But it must take into consideration the realities of the terror environment and be geared towards our national interests, both economic and security. Any plan that starts by giving a free pass to those already here illegally is a non-starter for me because, IMHO, out of the chute it does not accomplish those goals.

That's my opinion on the matter.

[MizSterious]

Another "get" on the West Coast. Ominous for California, perhaps?

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

So these wanted guys are repatriated when they're caught? I don't get that. They should be "repatriated" to Gitmo.

[weegee]

They just come to America to do the jihad that natural citizens won't do.

[NO_2_CORZINE]

northeastern Mexican state of Baja California

If the mexicans hadnt caught him, I'll bet he would have slipped right through the border.

[SierraWasp]

"Interesting ping..."

Yes! Thanks for it!!!

[SierraWasp]

The question is... Can you, or anyone else get the national Republican Party to agree with us???

[La Enchiladita]

They repatriot these guys that are wanted in connection with 911? That's almost impossible to believe.

Yeah, I don't get the repatriation part of it, either. They have evidence he was connected to 9/11, probably planning something in "Alta California."

What will Lebanon do about him?