Amazing, isn't it?
Hewitt often gets mocked for being a pom-pom waver, so it's certainly of interest when he isn't towing the WH line.
He said the office he worked for in the Reagan WH was concerned with counter intelligence. Something that looks innocent on the surface could be valuable for intelligence gathering or for planting an agent. The Dubai leadership could be completely on our side, but it's not the leadership who needs to be the threat. Giving them this deal could allow someone at a lower level, who is quietly supportive of al Qaeda, to learn far too much about how we do security at the ports, and to recruit and set up a network.
I don't usually give statements attributed to UBL or his lackies much credence, but it does sound plausible, especially when you consider the people in Saudi Arabia that support the agenda of Al Qaeda, e.g. Prince Nayef, and Khaled Bin Mahfouz.