Posted on 10/09/2001 3:54:56 PM PDT by sarcasm
WASHINGTON -- At least six of the 19 suspected hijackers in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks obtained U.S. visas in Saudi Arabia, then fanned out to major cities around the globe before traveling to the U.S., investigators have found.
After receiving their visas last year at the U.S. consulate in the Saudi city of Jeddah, the six men made their way, sometimes in pairs, to Hong Kong, Paris, London and Zurich, respectively, where they caught flights to various U.S. cities over an 18-month period.
A U.S. official identified the six as Khalid al Mihdhar, Nawaf Alhazmi, Salem Alhazmi and Hani Hanjour, all suspected of hijacking American Airlines Flight 77 which hit the Pentagon; and Ahmed Alnami and Ahmed Ibrahim A. al Haznawi, suspected of helping hijack United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania. Other investigators say there are numerous other Saudi connections among the hijackers, most of whom were carrying Saudi passports.
Saudi Arabia, a pivotal ally in the U.S. counterattack on terrorists, also is emerging as a critical location in the Federal Bureau of Investigation's attempts to reconstruct the hijackers' movements. U.S. investigators believe that Osama bin Laden's organization, al Qaeda, may have recruited there and used it as a staging point without detection by Saudi authorities.
But the FBI hasn't highlighted the Saudi connection, in hopes that a quieter approach could elicit more cooperation in the case from Riyadh, which for years has played down any domestic connection to terrorist activity.
As efforts continue to trace the hijackers' movements, the military operation aimed at eliminating al Qaeda is causing the FBI to redouble its efforts at preventing additional terrorist attacks. Attorney General John Ashcroft has been pressing the FBI to focus on eradicating al Qaeda and other terrorists' presence inside the U.S. -- rather than on preparing a full blown criminal prosecution, two U.S. officials said.
For instance, U.S. officials say there is intelligence information linking three of al Qaeda's top commanders -- Muhammad Atef, Abu Zubaydah and Ayman al Zawahiri -- to the Sept. 11 attacks. In one case, one of the suspected hijackers is believed to have had ties directly with one of the three bin Laden lieutenants, although a U.S. official wouldn't provide further details.
"There's some intelligence that would point to all three of those guys having an involvement," said a senior U.S. official. "Is that evidence that would stand up in court? I don't know, and I don't care. ... The value of tracing anything back to al Qaeda is only so you can predict any future but not yet implemented attacks."
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said President Bush believes Mr. bin Laden "virtually" claimed responsibility for the Sept. 11 attacks in a videotape released to an Arab satellite television station after the U.S. attacks began Sunday.
Investigators say that in recent days progress has been made at identifying possible associates of the hijackers in Europe, some of whom are in custody and at following a trail of financial transactions that seems to lead closer to Mr. bin Laden's senior commanders in Afghanistan.
The six suspected hijackers who left Jeddah in 2000 scattered around the globe. Mr. Haznawi and Mr. Alnami arrived in Miami within two weeks of one another from London earlier this year. Salem Alhazmi arrived in New York from Zurich on June 29, 2001, and Mr. Hanjour, who is the only one of the six who had a student visa, arrived in Cincinnati from Paris on Dec. 8, 2000.
According to the government official, Mr. Mihdhar and Nawaf Alhazmi arrived aboard the same flight into Los Angeles International Airport from Hong Kong on Jan. 15, 2000. Both then listed the Sheraton Hotel as their place of residence in the city. Mr. Midhar later left and re-entered the U.S. in New York in July, 2001.
Investigators now believe the operation's financing was arranged by top bin Laden aide Shaykh Saiid, who was using the name Mustafa Ahmad as an alias. Investigators don't know "for sure" that Mr. Saiid was the operation paymaster, but many investigators "seem to think that's right," said a U.S. official.
Several wire transfers totaling $100,000 came from the United Arab Emirates to a Florida bank account of suspected hijacker Mohamad Atta roughly a year before the attacks. The money is believed to come originally from Pakistan, an official said.
Mr. Ashcroft said 614 people have been detained in connection with the investigation of the Sept. 11 attacks and that the FBI is still seeking 229 others. Of those in custody, 165 are being detained on alleged immigration violations, according to Justice Department spokeswoman Mindy Tucker.
Various jihads around the world, the Balkans and Chechnya being the most notorious examples, have been supported primarily by rich individuals from Saudi Arabia. And who knows if that activity is supported by their government semi-officially disguised as something else. As far as I am concerned, nuking Saudi Arabia would have a much greater effect on the financing of jihads than bombing Afghanistan.
Yep. And that could prove very embarassing to certain members of President Bush's family.
What kind of newspaper or ragazine would even dare SUGGEST that our country would deal out visas in such a lazy, thoughtless fashion and hint that maybe our laws are too lax??
Oh........
.....errrrr.....
....never mind....
Hoe many Americans have hijacked airliners and flown them into office buildings?
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