Posted on 02/14/2006 9:17:26 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
A SECRET US military intelligence unit had terrorist ringleader Mohammed Atta in its cross-hairs before the September 11, 2001, attacks 13 times, a congressman claimed today, citing the unit's records.
Data produced by the Pentagon unit code-named Able Danger, which used data mining to investigate the al-Qaeda network, showed Atta's name 13 times, Republican Representative Curt Weldon told a news conference. "Thirteen times we have hits in the data that's still available, that we were told was destroyed," he said, citing recent analyses of data gathered by Able Danger before the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.
"They knew he was up to no good and that he was planning something."
Mr Weldon, vice chairman of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security Committee, spoke on the eve of a House Armed Services joint subcommittee hearing on Able Danger which he has initiated.
The House representative has pressured Congress and the Pentagon to investigate Able Danger since August, arguing that government officials became aware of Atta's ties to al-Qaeda earlier than admitted.
Mr Weldon said he now had proof there had been several attempts to transfer the information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but they were blocked by lawyers for the administration of President George W Bush.
"We have information that will be testified to under oath that there were attempts to transfer information to the FBI on at least three occasions, and on all three of those occasions in September of 2000, lawyers within the administration denied those meetings from taking place," he said.
"At least one" witness would testify under oath that Atta had been on the US intelligence radar before the attacks, the Pennsylvania politician said.
"At least one additional witnesses has come forward who just retired from one of the intelligence agencies who will also testify under oath that he was well aware of, and identified, Mohammed Atta's both name and photo prior to 9/11 occurring," he said.
Mr Weldon also said that Able Danger had detected problems in Yemen, which if they had been properly communicated, could have prevented the attack on the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden in October 2000.
He has criticised the official investigative panel on the 9/11 attacks as lacking and for months has alleged that the authorities were trying to hide pre-September 11 errors committed in tracking al-Qaeda to protect senior officials.
The issue has reopened a long-standing controversy over the failure of the US intelligence agencies to share information that might have prevented the September 11 attacks.
Ladies and gentlemen, the next "THIS time we've got him!!!!" thread on DU.
Bump for Able Danger.
"We have information that will be testified to under oath that there were attempts to transfer information to the FBI on at least three occasions, and on all three of those occasions in September of 2000, lawyers within the administration denied those meetings from taking place," he said.
Ummmm...Refresh my memory. WHO was President in September 2000? It sure as hell wasn't George W. Bush.
What is with the Australian press?
Reporting on this fringe trivia when we have a constitutional crisis
over a blood-lust, shotgun shootin' Dick Cheney?!?!
Seriously, I think the MSM here in the USA is just about to get a
bit of a backlash. They've done nothing but obsess over a couple of
stay shotgun pellets and are devoting chunks of the ex-new program
that is still called "NightLine" to the atrocity committed by Cheney:
not calling the major news offices himself with the story.
Before taking his wounded buddy to the hospital.
bump for later
If it were W's administration, this would have been trumpetted to the world 10,000 time in the press by now.
"We have information that will be testified to under oath that there were attempts to transfer information to the FBI on at least three occasions, and on all three of those occasions in September of 2000, lawyers within the administration denied those meetings from taking place, he said."
The date doesn't make sense.
Bush wasn't elected until Nov., and he was sworn in in January of 2001. The Clintons were too busy carting off the White House furnishings and pardoning drug dealers and contributors to the Clinton Presidential Library fund.to fully brief the incoming President..and their outgoing staffs were busy ruining the office computers and writing graffiti on Inauguration day.
I didn't read that in transcript of Weldon's press conference. I did read this:
No, I don't think it's Bush. I think it's career underlings that were holdovers from the previous administration who are fearful they're going to be embarrassed when the story is told. They're more concerned about their careers than the safety of the country. They're more concerned with their careers and their little fiefdoms than they are about what really happened in the run-up to 9/11. I mean, Richard Nixon covered up a third-rate burglary and had to resign from office. What's going on here?
And I believe I read that the one of the several hearings taking place will begin at 2:30 PM EST today, some open, some closed, closed because people who are afraid for their careers and possibly their lives.
Do you have a link to the press conference?
Hope this helps. The thread is titled Able Danger Update. Baynative posted a transcript starting at #53
MSM alert! lol- Look how they're trying to spin this now.
The DC elite must be starting to sweat, the Able Danger scandal is finally starting to break...of course they're going to cast blame at Bush as if this didn't go back to Clinton. They still disrespect the power of the new media. We know the truth, and if they run with this story, soon the rest of America will too!
Click on the Able Danger link at the top of the Forum page for all related articles and audio clips. The keyword is ATTA.
AFTER the fact it's always EASY to put it all together. If you have NOTHING on him but suspicion, there's nothing you can do.
You're right!
I've changed the name of the ping list. No longer the OKC/911 Connection, now Domestic Terrorism. The Able Danger scandal occupies an interesting position between OKC and 911, so I will be pinging this list to anything related. I will try to limit these pings to new information, since it looks like the MSM is running with it now.
lol This should be fun!
Bookmark
LOL! I know. They really should be ashamed of themselves.
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