FBI arrests Texas doctor in hijacking case

USA Today ^ | 09/18/2001 - Updated 04:03 AM ET | By Kevin Johnson, Toni Locy and Richard Willing, USA TODAY

[jpthomas]

The FBI has arrested a San Antonio doctor who investigators say might have provided technical or financial support to at least one of the teams of terrorists whose hijackings killed an estimated 5,000 people last week. Albader Alhazmi, 34, a Saudi national, is being held by federal agents in New York as a "material witness" in the hijacking probe, law enforcement sources said Monday. That means he is thought to have information that is important to the terrorism investigation. FBI agents seized computers and other records from Alhazmi's home and a library at the University of Texas Health Science Center, where he is a radiologist in the final year of a 5-year residency. University officials were stunned that their mild-mannered colleague was arrested by agents investigating the attacks that President Bush has called an "act of war."

[wjeanw]

If some of the news reporting I have read is correct, there were a number of upper class Saudi young men involved in this terrorist attack. The question I wonder about is how will the Saudis respond when some of the government and diplomatic leaders find their own relations involved? Secondly, these young men's involvement with Bin Laden reveals the depth of disenchantment young Saudis have with their parents Western involvements and doesn't bode well for a long lasting coalition to fight terrorism that would include these "moderate" Arab states.

[Former Proud Canadian]

The present Saudi regime exists behind a line of secret police and American military and political might. Left to their own devices they would fall just like the Shah.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

He is not an American.

But when we get down to it, I hope we round up our American Terrorists that kill innocent Americans daily. Planned Parenthood.

[wjeanw]

Indeed! Isn't what we are seeing in these young men the crack in the dam?

[Dog Gone]

The Saudis are well aware of the danger of Islamic fundamentalism within their own country. The ruling Royal family has extensive internal security to prevent such an insurgency from developing. It is basically a police state and the citizens have far fewer rights than we do, of course.

This will come as no surprise to them that someone who is highly-educated and financially secure was part of a the terrorist network. I think we can expect full cooperation from the Saudis even if some of the statements they make publicly are actually intended for arab audiences.

[BenR2]

Bingo! In fact, as far as I can tell, NOT ONE of the hijackers came from a "terrorist" state (e.g., Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, or Sudan). EVERY hijacker killed on one of the four doomed 9-11 flights was from EITHER Saudi Arabia OR Egypt -- two "moderate" Arab states considered to be our "friends."

So, what does SECSTATE Powell do? Disses of Israel and begins kissing up to the "moderate Arabs" to build a "coalition" (barf)!

Thomas Jefferson didn't seek a "worldwide coalition" when he went after the Barbary Pirates: He just sent in US ships, and they got the job done.

These other countries weren't attacked! These other countries' airliners weren't hijacked! What dog do they have in this fight?

Bush's refusal to make this an AMERICAN struggle for the AMERICAN people shows him to be the one-world elitist that he is. He just can't act like Reagan did -- no matter how hard he tries.

America is not such a "superpower" if we have to grovel before dozens of third-rate countries before defending against the worst attack ever received on its own soil.

And Powell seems to LOVE being in the limelight like this. (It sickens me: I have read that Powell ALWAYS looks out for . . . Powell.)

The whole matter sickens me: We can't protect our own people with out Greece's and Egypt's "blessing?"

[gulfcoast6]

The Saudies knew a lot more than they say. Just burns me up that we got to depend on them to get our oil. They hate our guts and so, to heck with them.

[wjeanw]

Yes, I agree with you. I guess I am poor in conveying what I am trying to say. Let me try again. The old Saudi guard will support us, but there are fewer and fewer of those around. Yes, there is a police state, but when you have people motivated by strong religious beliefs, pure force is not successful over the long term. Right now it seems there is a significant number of the present leaders' sons who do not and will not support this kind of relationship in the future. Hence the time for a mixed coalition between the West and "moderate" Arab states is limited. Furthermore, their present support is also problematic since we can be unsure of who are working for people like Bin Laden. If we withhold information that other alliance members receive because of this, it will further add to the younger generation's feeling of being a puppet of Western corruption. That's all I was trying to say.

[SpinyNorman]

The FBI has arrested a San Antonio doctor who investigators say might have provided technical or financial support to at least one of the teams of terrorists whose hijackings killed an estimated 5,000 people last week. Albader Alhazmi, 34, a Saudi national, is being held by federal agents in New York as a "material witness" in the hijacking probe, law enforcement sources said Monday. That means he is thought to have information that is important to the terrorism investigation. FBI agents seized computers and other records from Alhazmi's home and a library at the University of Texas Health Science Center, where he is a radiologist in the final year of a 5-year residency. University officials were stunned that their mild-mannered colleague was arrested by agents investigating the attacks that President Bush has called an "act of war.

What the hell is it with the University of Texas?

First, we read of that treasonous professor, who railed against the USA as the worlds leading terrorist (and has many other "fine" publications in his bibliography) See thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3ba52e3842b1.htm

Now we have this crap. And I seem to recall that several of the suspects that the FBI have snatched off of planes were on their way to San Antonio.

Any freepers in San Antonio want to find out what the deal is? Sounds like a rats nest that needs to be flushed out.

[Dog Gone]

The Saudis do NOT hate our guts. I don't know what you're basing your opinion on, but it's surely not by having lived there.

The Saudis are FIRMLY in the western camp, and while their first allegiance is to their own country (and who can blame them for that?), they admire and respect the US.

They DID hate Bill Clinton who they felt they couldn't trust. But their goals and our goals in the current crisis are identical.

[mountaineer]

Alhazmi, who drove a Chevrolet minivan and lived in a gated community with his wife and children, does not match the profile of most of the 19 suicide hijackers

Reminds me of events around the time the Iranians seized the U.S. embassy and took all those hostages. Read the book "Not Without My Daughter" for a look at how "normal," middle-class, taxpaying Iranians the living in the U.S. reacted. Their first loyalty, even after years and years in the U.S., was to their lunatic homeland.

As for this guy's being a doctor, as if he should know better, see the thread about a Middle Eastern doctor in W.Va. getting decked by another doctor for expressing support for the terrorists. That dr. had been practicing in the U.S. for some 20 years and enjoying considerable wealth here. No matter.

[mtrott]

To see the patience and resolve of these educated, upper-class arabs is amazing, as well as frightening. Take this doctor, for example. He lives here for 4 YEARS, associates with successful, productive people, and within one year would have been able to enjoy a VERY good lifestyle with his family here. And he throws it all away for some religious blood-zeal harbored for years and years.

And using real names that are so easy to track, it makes you wonder if these people are just incredibly unintelligent, or have some religion-based, naive, "superiority complex" that makes them believe they are invincible.

[AppyPappy]

Egypt and Saudi Arabia are considered strategic partners. Any terrorist would be wise to use them as a "home" when trying to reach the US. They may not be natives of that country.

[Dog Gone]

The world has changed in 200 years and the reality of international events is far more complicated. It is absolutely essential that we work with the moderate arab states in this matter. Why? Oil, of course.

Terrorism involves the moderate Arab states, too, and the last thing we want is for Islamic fundamentalism to spread to these states. Who killed Anwar Sadat? Who sprays tourist buses with gunfire at the Pyramids?

If we manage this war wrong, it will backfire and we will have less friends in the Middle East. We simply can't afford that.

The actions we take MUST take these considerations into account. I don't believe that Ronald Reagan would have handled it any differently. He was no fool, either.

[walden]

I am an alum of the University of Texas, and unfortunately it's full of nuts. My economics professor was a die-hard socialist/communist, but since the students were mostly a bunch of hard-core capitalist accounting and business majors, it didn't matter. We just spewed back to him what he wanted to hear, and went on to learn the reality of economics ourselves in the marketplace.

UT has for decades been a safe-haven for fanatics and extremists of all types. Too bad. It's also a really good school in certain departments, so maybe the coming war will serve to clean it out. Maybe we draft all the young professors and teaching assistants, then retire all the old ones?

[mtrott]

Right, it seems the hatred is so strongly inculcated from childhood as to cloud their brains and consciences for the rest of their lives. No amount of kindness and generosity seems to be sufficient to overcome the desire to hurt the "Great Satan" of their youth.

[topher]

He is from the University of Texas -- that in itself probaby indicates he has ties to some "undesirables" in Austin. Only problem with the liberal leaning of Austin and UT, there are so many of them... Compiling a list of Arab students and Moslim students should be done (there was a report that Western Moslims are part of the Terrorist network, according to one of world's leading experts).

I will qualify that not all Moslims are bad or should be scrutinized, but at UT, the liberal reputation is so strong that it would allow terrorist cells to "grow and multiply".

Never attended either UT or A&M, but I have always liked A&M from the quality of people I have met in the computer industry. They are hard workers and very capable...

[ravingnutter]

Wow...this is scary...I work in the same building as a U.S Congressman and a Senator in San Antonio. Maybe I should ask for hazard duty pay....

[Alissa]

BTTT! This is getting close to home.