Posted on 09/15/2001 7:18:41 PM PDT by t-shirt
Seven pilots were among 19 hijackers
By Ben Fenton and Toby Helm
(Filed: 15/09/2001)
NINETEEN men, including seven trained pilots, were named by the FBI yesterday as being responsible for hijacking the four American airliners to destroy the two World Trade Centre towers and damage the Pentagon.
Mohamed Atta: tower crash pilot
To prevent the trail of 52 people they want to question about the attacks from going cold, the FBI circulated their names to airlines and the operators of railway lines and marine passenger vessels.
John Ashcroft, the Attorney General, said: "It's pretty clear that there were probably others involved in these endeavours and it's our interest to track those individuals down."
Evidence emerged that the terrorist operation that killed thousands in New York and Washington had been planned for at least five years and that for six months the hijackers had been investigating Logan airport in Boston, where two of the planes took off.
At least five of the 10 hijackers had been travelling under Saudi documents or came from Saudi Arabia to gain entry to America and flight-training schools in Florida. Saudi citizens are not required to get FBI clearance to obtain flight training in America.
The 19 hijackers were Marwan Al Shehhi, Fayez Ahmed, Mohald Al Shehri, Hamza Alghamdi and Ahmed Al Ghamdi on United Airlines Flight 175 which destroyed the World Trade Centre; Waleed M Al Shehri, Wail Al Shehri, Mohamed Atta, Abdulaziz Alomari and Satam Al Suqami on American Airlines Flight 11, which also destroyed the World Trade Centre; Khalid Al-Midhar, Majed Moqed, Nawaq Alhamzi, Salem Alhamzi and Hani Hanjour on American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed on the Pentagon; and Ahmed Alhaznawi, Ahmed Alnami, Ziad Jarrahi and Saeed Alghamdi on United Airlines Flight 93 which crashed in Pennsylvania.
Of the 19 names, at least two-thirds had surnames associated with the south-west corner of Saudi Arabia or Yemen, which is where the bin Laden family originates.
America remained on its highest state of alert, with fighter aircraft still circling the skies over seven of its major cities and FBI agents on duty at all major airports.
The Secret Service, responsible for the security of America's senior leaders, kept Vice-President Dick Cheney away from President George W Bush, a precaution only usually taken in time of war.
He was at the presidential retreat of Camp David as the president attended a prayer service in the National Cathedral in Washington, 70 miles away.Seven pilots were among 19 hijackers
Meanwhile, police in Belgium and Holland arrested a total of six Islamic extremists yesterday as forces across Europe, helped by FBI units on special European duty, combed the Continent in the hunt for terrorists linked to Tuesday's attacks.
In Germany, police and teams of FBI officers were concentrating on Hamburg where three hijackers in Tuesday's suicide attacks were running a cell dedicated to the "spectacular destruction" of key American buildings.
Mohamed Atta, 33, from the United Arab Emirates, who took the controls of the first plane that hit the World Trade Centre, was part of the Hamburg cell.
In Brussels, Belgian police arrested two Islamic extremists and seized weapons including machine pistols. The arrests followed tip-offs from the Belgian state security service that one of those arrested may have been preparing attacks on American targets in Europe.
Dutch police said they had arrested four Muslim radicals on Thursday in the port of Rotterdam. Across the US, there was continued evidence of edginess, with 12 people detained at airports around New York late on Thursday.
They were reported to be armed Arabs, some of whom had certificates from Florida flight training schools and had been originally booked on transAmerican flights on Tuesday. But these reports proved to be untrue.
Only one person was detained for any length of time, on suspicion of proffering a fake pilot's identity card. Two people were detained on a cruise ship in Miami but authorities refused to say if their detention was linked to Tuesday's atrocities.
An Iranian being held in prison in Hanover, Germany, warned the White House last week that a terror attack big enough to threaten the world order would be launched on America within days, the German federal prosecutor's office said.
The man, who was awaiting deportation, made a total of 14 calls to the American authorities in the days immediately before the attack. He specified that the attack would come this week.
But the Iranian was not taken seriously by the FBI or German authorities because his warnings were considered too vague.
So why was bin Laden (and who ever else) allowed to operate all this terror training/planning groups throughout the USA and worldwide?
Why did the FBI and CIA, State Department not work with others countries to shut them down overseeas?
Any liberal lapdog suck up socialist Klintoon loving lerkers...Pay attention here...morons
The latest reports are that 4 of the 5 terrorists on one plane were pilots. There were also other posts about a flight instructor (in Afghanistan?) who said he was "forced" to train 14 flight students there.
It would not surprise me if all or at least 4 on each of the terrorist flights were pilots of one ilk or another.
PBS showed a fascinating documentary this week about Saudi. Apparently there's plenty of opposition to the Saudi royal family, with many supporters of bin-Laden among the Saudi people. PBS may repeat it or have transcription up at their web site. It's well worth watching. Many CIA agents are interviewed and describe the problems with getting agents into Arabian countries.
Gee, the incompetence, the corruption, and the treason, of the Klinton Administration couldn't have something to do with it, now could it?? LOL
I wonder who made THAT rule?
CIA Reportedly Warned FBI About One Suspect (6 Stories of Prior Knowledge By FBI & Government)
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3ba3756f074a.htm
FBI 'Ignored Leads'
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3ba232131410.htm
Iranian Man in Germany Warned of Attack (WasAllowed to Ring WhiteHouse &CIA,Wasn't TakenSerious)
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3ba1c69709c5.htm
U.S. Gets Promise of Pakistani Cooperation
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3ba1c3340837.htm
How the World Trade Center Fell (Deadly Mistakes Made "I Would Have Given Order To Get Out!"Expert)
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3ba1b16f79fa.htm
Ashcroft: 18 Hijackers Involved in Attack (How Could So Many CarryOut Plot Undetected?ClintonHelp?)
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3ba141a25556.htm
(5)Suspects Caught Crashes on Camera (They Watched Crashes & Celebrated, Also Some Suspects Abroad)
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3ba0e1b83f28.htm
FBI Looks at bin Laden's Strong Ties to Boston (Why Didn't They Look & Act Before?!!)
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3ba02db8669d.htm
48 Iraqi & MidEasterns Caugh At Tightened Mexican Border Following U.S. Terrorist Attacks!
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3ba00b391f72.htm
ABC NEWS REPORTS 12 Plane HighJackers/Suspects Identified (Dead) & Arrest Warrants Issued For Others
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b9f8fbd7b5f.htm
Already Weak Airlines Stand to Lose Billions
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b9f18ae602c.htm
FBI Seizes 911 Tape (He Heard Some Sort of Explosion, Was It Shot Down Before Reaching Camp David?)
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b9ee9762979.htm
B-25&767 Hit WTC,3 Planes Hit Pentagon, Bomb Near WhiteHouse,PittsBHit,Who Coordinated?,10000Die
(This thread has over 50 different news stories on it.)
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b9e390647f1.htm
Breaking: US Congress Subpoena Orders Ashcroft To Release Clinton Evidence on Sept. 11, 2001
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b99d9b10b76.htm
From what I understand the FBI and other government compare airport employee, airline employee, and contractor employee databases with NCIC and Interpol.
A friend of mine worked at Hert Rental at the airport told me that checks were done often comparing the databases including his company. And he had to do FBI background even though he never worked in the lugguage or onboard any planes.
The FBI knew about these guys and ignored it. Who ordered it?
Possibly the eigth was the guy detained on an immigration charge in Minnesota.
Probably because the FBI thought the greatest threat to the U.S. was "right-wing extremists and militia groups." That's what a top FBI official said a few years ago in a TV interview. I was stunned when I heard it. It is sickening now to think how their resources have been misdirected over the years.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.