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Terrorist Known Before 9/11, More Say
NY Times ^ | September 2, 2005 | THOM SHANKER

Posted on 09/01/2005 10:22:30 PM PDT by neverdem

WASHINGTON, Sept. 1 - A Defense Department inquiry has found three more people who recall seeing an intelligence briefing slide that identified the ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks a year before the hijackings and terrorist strikes, Pentagon and military officials said Thursday.

But the officials said investigators who reviewed thousands of documents and electronic files from a secret counterterrorism planning unit had not found the chart itself, or any evidence the chart ever existed.

The officials acknowledged that documents and electronic files created by the unit, known as Able Danger, were destroyed under standing orders that limit the military's use of intelligence gathered about people in the United States.

At a Pentagon briefing on Thursday, four intelligence or military officials said investigators had interviewed 80 people who served directly with Able Danger, a team organized to write a counterterrorism campaign plan, or were closely associated with it.

Of those 80, 5 in all now say they saw the chart, including Capt. Scott J. Phillpott of the Navy and Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer of the Army, whose recent comments first brought attention to Able Danger.

At the briefing, the officials said that four of the five recalled seeing a picture of Mohamed Atta, the member of Al Qaeda who planned and carried out the attacks, while one said the chart contained only Mr. Atta's name.

The officials stressed that their inquiry was continuing, and that they still could not definitively prove or disprove whether the unit identified Mr. Atta - and, perhaps, other members of the hijacking team - before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The witnesses "are credible people," said Pat Downs, a senior policy analyst for the under secretary of defense for intelligence. But investigators "can't find the document," Ms. Downs said.

Another official who described the inquiry...

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 911; abledanger; atta; clintonfailures; clintonlegacy; clintonscandals; coverup; defensedepartment; hillaryknew; mohammedatta; sept11; terrorism; whitewash
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To: Southack


I still think Sandy Berger is in on this Able danger thing up to his belt buckle. (pun intended)


41 posted on 09/02/2005 8:53:58 AM PDT by Cindy_Cin
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To: popdonnelly; Southack; El Gato; Travis McGee; Squantos; SunkenCiv
By the way, it was the Times that gave the editorial signal yesterday to start dumping on Bush for the hurricane.

Who was surprised with Waiting for a leader from the NY Times Editorial Board? It was so typical that it really wasn't worth posting just to mock it. At least the supposedly "paper of record" had the story visible on its homepage when I saw it. Now it's the first story "below the fold" of its Washington section's webpage.

Now is the time to be on alert for other stories being covered below the radar of Katrina's aftermath like F.B.I. Abandons Disputed Test for Bullets From Crime Scenes, which is "above the fold" of the Washington section webpage. BTW, just how can the FBI lose the front door from its Mount Carmel, Waco assault?

42 posted on 09/02/2005 10:09:13 AM PDT by neverdem (May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows that you're dead.)
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To: neverdem; Berosus; blam; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Do not dub me shapka broham; ...

"a year before the hijackings and terrorist strikes"? Gosh, I thought the Clinton administration was too busy creating a list of criminals to pardon on the way out the door, and opening up the Strategic Reserve to reduce the $2 a gallon gas price to notice anything irrelevant like terrorist team leaders. I wonder, what *was* down in Sandy Berger's pants?

FLIGHT 77 - More 9/11 Revisionists at Work!
08/31/05 | vanity
Posted on 08/31/2005 9:05:18 AM PDT by genefromjersey
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1474111/posts


43 posted on 09/02/2005 10:19:36 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Down with Dhimmicrats! I last updated by FR profile on Sunday, August 14, 2005.)
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To: SunkenCiv
"I wonder, what *was* down in Sandy Berger's pants?"

Really! Somehow, I don't think it was the effects of the Metamucil finally working!
44 posted on 09/02/2005 10:38:34 AM PDT by Convert from ECUSA (tired of all the shucking and jiving)
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To: oolatec
* Note: I am not saying these guys are lying. There has to be more evidence than word of mouth.

Was the evidence ever found on Sandy Burglar? No! Was he convicted? Yes! Word of mouth from the librarians worked for that scenario! The chart was probably one of the items Burglar took and it has now been destroyed!

45 posted on 09/02/2005 11:37:39 AM PDT by Road Warrior ‘04 (Kill 'em til they're dead! Then, kill 'em again!)
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To: neverdem
The witnesses "are credible people," said Pat Downs, a senior policy analyst for the under secretary of defense for intelligence. But investigators "can't find the document," Ms. Downs said.

Anyone look in Sandy Burger's pants? Or in Joe Wilson's wife's purse?

46 posted on 09/02/2005 2:12:04 PM PDT by BushisTheMan
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To: bitt

Bump!


47 posted on 09/02/2005 2:47:06 PM PDT by JLO
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To: neverdem

Oh gee, more authoritative witnesses to the able-danger note. Has John Podhoretz (who I like and respect as a usually excellent journalist) issued his apology yet to Congressman whats-his-name ?


48 posted on 09/02/2005 7:01:37 PM PDT by driftless ( For life-long happiness, learn how to play the accordion.)
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To: oolatec
There has to be more evidence than word of mouth.

Eyewitness accounts are not "word of mouth". "Word of mouth" that is second hand reports, would be called hearsay evidence, but eyewitness accounts, while often wrong, are admissible in court. The that that we have multiple eyewitnesses is very good corroboration. In intelligence circles we would say the information was confirmed by multiple sources (as long as they either had no direct connection with each other, or each were providing first hand evidence).

What you are asking for, I presume, is *physical evidence". The problem with physical evidence is that it can destroyed, often deliberately.

49 posted on 09/02/2005 7:45:05 PM PDT by El Gato
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To: elfman2
No body, no crime

They wish. Five people see you throw someone into the sea and then shoot them, I guarantee that you will be convicted of murder.

50 posted on 09/02/2005 7:48:28 PM PDT by El Gato
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To: driftless

IIRC, Congressman Weldon.


51 posted on 09/02/2005 8:39:02 PM PDT by neverdem (May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows that you're dead.)
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