Rather: "You know our frequency, Kenneth."
Posted on 04/28/2002 5:47:53 AM PDT by glorygirl
CBS 11 investigates very serious questions about what our government knew about planned terrorist attacks against America... including 9/11 and Oklahoma City. As far back as seven years ago, federal authorities may have been told terrorists were already in this country taking flying lessons and picking their targets. Sources say the evidence was overwhelming and the U.S. was clearly and repeatedly warned.CBS 11 Special Correspondent Steve Narisi traveled to the Philippines where the questions were first raised and perhaps even answered.
"My reaction was that they had done this and they have succeeded. Those were my words. They have done this and succeeded." That was the reaction of the Philippine police to September 11th. That's because seven years earlier, they uncovered a polot where Arab terrorists were already taking flying lessons... a plot that would fly a plane into a U.S. landmark. A plot turned over to U.S. authorities seven years earlier.
In 1994, terroritst from Kuwait, Iraq, and Pakistan were plotting assasinations, bombings and hijackings. In the early 90's terrorists with Al Qaeda connections established a cell in Manila. Members began experimenting with bombs.. scheming against American interests.
The ringleader was one of the men later to be convicted of the first World Trade Center bombing. His name is Ramzi Youssef. A key associate was Abdul Hakim Murad, a pilot who would later be convicted of similar crimes. Documents obtained by CBS 11 also show that at least two other terrorists based in the Philippines would later bomb U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
In the early 90's, the terrorists were targeting U.S. airliners flying routes from Manila and other Asian cities. General Roberto Delphin of the National Police says the plan he and others uncovered would have killed more than a thousand people. "There were five people who were directed to bomb a plane from different places and place a liquid bomb on board," says Delphin. The project was called "Bojinka" which means "Big Boom."
But before the terrorists could act, a suspicious fire at their Manila apartment in January of 1995 alerted police. Inside, investigators found a computer that held the master plan, bombing devices and Abdul Murad, who had come back to retrieve the evidence. After his arrest, Murad reportedly opened up to Philippine authorities, naming names and revealing plots. Colonol Rudolpho Mendoza was one of the lead investigators. He interrogated Murad several different times and was told that some of the members of the group, including Murad, were pilots. "Murad gave me important information about his training in California, in Florida, and he mentioned to us several names of co-trainees, pilot instructors, so on and so forth," says Mendoza. Murad then told police that he planned to use his skills to fly a hijacked jet into an American landmark. The CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. "(Murad) said, 'Youseff was interested in an operation that I am supposed to implement when the right time comes. Dive-crashing a commericial jet airliner into the CIA building,' so I was really surprised," says Mendoza. "I said, 'You mean to say you would really do that?' He said yes, because that is the highest expectations of supreme sacrifice for Islam, as a Muslim."
When terrorists later attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Mendoza and other Philippine police were not surprised.
"I recalled the information given to us by Murad, that maybe this is part of the old plan," says Delphin. "I was really frozen. I'm not joking, really frozen, recollecting all of this information we had gathered in 1995 from Murad. My reaction was, 'they had done this and they have succeeded,' those were my words. 'They have done it and they have succeeded.'"
In 1995, the investigation was handed over to U.S. authorities. The evidence provided helped convict Abdul Murad and Ramzi Youssef of conspiracy to bomb U.S. airliners. Later Youssef was also convicted for his role in the first World Trade Center bombing. As for the plan to crash a plane into an American landmark, Philippine police are uncertain how their American counterparts handled their warnings.
CBS 11 contacted the FBI. A spokesman stated that "The Bureau, prior to September 11th, possessed no information about crashing a jet into buildings." Ther terrorist cell in the Philippines was operating in the early 1990's, the very same time Timothy Mcveigh and Terry Nichols were plotting to blow up the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. Nichols was a frequent visitor to the Philippines and some people allege that that's where he learned to build the bomb that killed 168 people.
Reporter Steve Narisi will have that story Friday night.
I'm really not expecting any big investigations into this, but if there are, it will be entertaining to see how the press turns somersaults to avoid blaming the Clinton administration. It will all be the Bushes' (plural) fault.
Within days after 9/11, there were numerous interviewees on TV, some extremely well-spoken and credible, saying they repeatedly warned the Clinton administration about Bin Laden's activities, but they were ignored.
Rather: "You know our frequency, Kenneth."
It's being produced by the CBS affiliate in Dallas.
There is a difference.
Also, see U.S. News and World Report.
We were attacked on Sept. 11th. a few years before that, Arabs tried to blow up the WTC. To me that first attack lead to something serious! Somehow actually uncovering plans for an attack and seeing a smaller failed version of that attack succeed and still not taking terrorism seriously, vs. being drunk with too many Yaggermiester shots, playing sperm bank (and only accepting deposits) on a Saturday night, just don't seem corrolate!
Many of us recall the ex-president being quick to tell us not to blame OKC on Arabs and he seemed so self-satisfied when he was able to report that McVeigh was arrested. There might have been a connection/cover-up there between the Philippines info and OKC. Who knows?
Especially when they used that same evidence to convict Ramzi Youssef. I really wish somebody would ask Rumsfeld about this in one of his briefings. It would be interesting to see what his reaction is.
Also, you might want to read the thread from the article I posted above. Thread on U.S. News & World Report Story
Hmm...we know who was supposed to be on watch then. Slick was probably too busy molesting interns to care.
Then again, CBS 11 may be the exception to the rule.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Clinton not only was warned, he encouraged attacks with his criticisms and cutbacks of all military safety mechanisms.
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.