Posted on 08/10/2005 2:26:47 PM PDT by ElCapusto
War on Terror 9/11 commission members want claim on Atta pursued
WASHINGTON – Members of the commission that uncovered the government's failures to share intelligence among agencies before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks want to know whether U.S. defense intelligence officials knew for more than a year that four of the hijackers were part of an al-Qaeda cell but failed to tell law enforcement. Lee Hamilton, co-chairman of the now-disbanded commission, said Tuesday that members of the Sept. 11 commission could issue a statement by the end of the week after reviewing claims that defense intelligence officials had identified ringleader Mohammed Atta and three other hijackers.
"The 9/11 commission did not learn of any U.S. government knowledge prior to 9/11 of surveillance of Mohammed Atta or of his cell," said Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana. "Had we learned of it obviously it would've been a major focus of our investigation."
The commission's report on the terrorist attacks, released last year, traced government mistakes that allowed the hijackers to succeed. Among the problems the commission cited was a lack of coordination across intelligence agencies.
Rep. Curt Weldon, a Pennsylvania Republican who serves as vice chairman of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security committees, said a classified military intelligence unit known as "Able Danger" identified the men in 1999.
That's an earlier link to al-Qaeda than any previously disclosed intelligence about Atta if the information, which Weldon said came from multiple intelligence sources, is true.
A group of 9/11 widows called the September 11th Advocates issued a statement Wednesday saying they were "horrified" to learn that further possible evidence exists, and they are disappointed the 9/11 Commission report is "incomplete and illusory."
"The revelation of this information demands answers that are forthcoming, clear and concise," the statement said. "The 9/11 attacks could have and should have been prevented."
With the 9/11 commission disbanded for a year under provisions of the legislation that created it, some of the panel's members have said congressional committees should investigate Weldon's assertions.
According to Weldon, Able Danger identified Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, Khalid al-Mihdar and Nawaf al-Hazmi as members of a cell the unit code-named "Brooklyn" because of some loose connections to New York City.
Weldon said that in September 2000 Able Danger recommended that its information on the hijackers be given to the FBI "so they could bring that cell in and take out the terrorists." However, Weldon said Pentagon lawyers rejected the recommendation because they said Atta and the others were in the country legally, so information on them could not be shared with law enforcement.
Weldon did not provide details on how the intelligence officials identified the future hijackers and determined they might be part of a terrorist cell.
Defense Department documents shown to an Associated Press reporter Tuesday said the Able Danger team was set up in 1999 to identify potential al-Qaeda operatives for U.S. Special Operations Command. At some point, information provided to the team by the Army's Information Dominance Center pointed to a possible al-Qaeda cell in Brooklyn, the documents said.
However, because of concerns about pursuing information on "U.S. persons" – a legal term that includes U.S. citizens as well as foreigners admitted to the country for permanent residence – Special Operations Command did not provide the Army information to the FBI. It is unclear whether the Army provided the information to anyone else.
The command instead turned its focus to overseas threats.
The documents provided no information on whether the team identified anyone connected to the Sept. 11 attacks on New York City and Washington that killed nearly 3,000 people.
If the team did identify Atta and the others, it's unclear why the information wasn't forwarded. The prohibition against sharing intelligence on "U.S. persons" should not have applied since they were in the country on visas and did not have permanent resident status.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said he was unaware of the intelligence until the latest reports surfaced.
But Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the 9/11 Commission looked into the matter during its investigation into government missteps leading to the attacks and chose not to include it in the final report.
Hamilton said 9/11 Commission staff members learned of Able Danger during a meeting with military personnel in October 2003 in Afghanistan, but that the staff members do not recall learning of a connection between Able Danger and any of the four terrorists Weldon mentioned.
One 9/11 commission member is conspicuously not referred to in this article.
How many other Clintonista failures have been covered up by the career bureaucrats, Clinton appointees who burrowed into the agencies, and the impotent/biased 9/11 Commission??? Hope this is just the beginning of the revelations and re-assessments, but I'm not counting on it.
Go ask Jamie Gorelick and her Staff about it
Jamie, Jamie come out, come out where ever you are?
Was it Shakespeare who said he "doeth protest too much?"
Don't tell me the Commission did not know this. Gorelick was there when it happened. She sure as heck knew it.
I think the Commission itself ought to be investigated for covering this up.
Hmmm...give me a hint. Is this member female and a Clinton appointee?
*ping-a-ling*
Jamie Gorelick kept that nugget of information on her side of the Gorelick Wall.
That makes two of us.
The Clinton administration bears full responsibility for this muslim attack by their PC incompetence.
I can't thank you enough for posting this...I have been looking for a thread on this topic all afternoon.
I heard on Fox News today, that the 9/11 commission is sending its minions to the archives to check every piece of evidence the commission had, to see if they "overlooked" this...
Also, supposedly the Pentagon said today, that they DID turn over documents relating to this to the 9/11 commission 2 years ago..(which makes one wonder why Rummy didn't know about them)...
Also, Kristin Breitweiser ( jersey girl) was on Neil Cavuto, and seems to STILL blame Bush, even though this intelligence was turned over prior to Bush being President, and was NOT pursued...because Hillary's buddy Jamie Gorelick built the wall....
US Spec Ops Command was hyper-sensitive about it's role regarding intra-US operations. They were roundly criticized for their part in Waco and Koresh. We all learned that they are not to take part in any operation within the US, that that is the role of the FBI and the Justice Department.
If these terrorists were in the US legally, then the legal nuances would have been a real headache. I can see them dropping the case and feeling justified for doing so. My guess, though, is that FBI WAS informed. Spec Ops Command has continual contact with the FBI, and what might not have been formally passed along would have certainly been informally passed up the FBI food chain. In fact, I can see them working the subject WITH FBI involvement each step of the way.
Maybe this explains why Sandy Berger was stuffing his socks and pants with high security documents!
I see the entire article made no mention of Gorelick. I wonder why?
Whats with the "Intelligence Commission" it was JAMIE GORELICK, HER AND ONLY HER THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE 3,000 DEAD CITIZENS OF 9/11....
And until that point is made, the commission and everything is a joke....
SHE sat on that commission and NEVER said a word, knowing all the time this was so...and then Clinton, Clinton and Gore, the previous administration tryed to blame it on Bush?????
Curt Weldon was on Washington Journal this morning. You can watch and listen to him here:
http://www.c-span.org/VideoArchives.asp?z1=&PopupMenu_Name=Defense/Security&CatCodePairs=Issue,DESE;
Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA)
Representative Curt Weldon (R-PA), Armed Services Committee Member and Homeland Security Committee Member, discusses military intelligence.
8/10/2005: WASHINGTON, DC: 30 min.
I heard on Fox News today, that the 9/11 commission is sending its minions to the archives to check every piece of evidence the commission had, to see if they "overlooked" this...
Unfortunately, Sandy Burglar smuggled them out of the archives in his pants.
Weldon's going to be on with Mark Levin today/this evening. Link up and listen at www.wabc.com...
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