Sept 11 suspect not a Kuwaiti citizen, says Embassy

IRNA ^ | June 08 2002

[knighthawk]

Kuala Lumpur, June 8, IRNA -- The Kuwait Embassy here has asserted that Khaled Sheikh Mohammad, identified as the probable mastermind behind the Sept 11 attacks by US investigators, is not a Kuwaiti national.

In a statement faxed to IRNA here, Kuwait Ambassador to Malaysia Fahad Al-Metairi said recent reports by world news agencies claiming that Khaled was a Kuwaiti national or that the Kuwaiti citizenship was withdrawn from Khaled's father were "totally baseless".

"He is a Pakistani national and holds a Pakistani passport. He was born in Kuwait and lived in Kuwait for a while before leaving it as many other foreigners do," he said.

He said this, however, did not mean Khaled held a Kuwaiti citizenship, and therefore had no affiliation to Kuwait.

"In this regard, I wish to reaffirm that Kuwait's stance against Sept 11 attacks is clear. Kuwait has been supporting the US and the international community in the war against terrorism," Al-Metairi added.

[knighthawk]

Middle East list

If people want on or off this list, please let me know.

[keri]

FYI

[Nogbad]

I had heard he was Pakistani,
and more precisely,
from Baluchistan.

I think we should try to learn a lot more about this man.

[Mitchell]

Thanks for the ping, keri.

It's looking more and more like Pakistan is at the center of things. But it's not clear how to reconcile this with the apparent involvement of Iraq (the Prague meeting, etc.) or with the nationalities of the hijackers (none of whom were Pakistani). The nature and the composition of the alliance against us are elusive.

[Nogbad]

Whatever happened to the men arrested
in connection with the anthrax mailings?
Were they not Pakistani?

Was there not also a Pakistani doctor or professor
arrested, or under suspicion?

This story has dropped from the news like a stone.

On another note,
I heard last night, on CNBC
Paul Gigot
(Editor of the Editorial Page of the WSJ)
stating that they had asked the FBI 2 weeks ago
to e-mail them a report
and were told that the person in charge did not have access to e-mail.

What we are learning about the incompetence of the FBI is staggering.

[Nogbad]

the nationalities of the hijackers

Another remark about this.
It has been suggested, that, as a point of honour,
Bin Laden wanted the operation to be carried out
primarily by Saudis.

One also has to consider the language problem.
It would have been essential that the hijackers
be able to communicate easily in their native language.
The languages of Pakistan are unrelated to Arabic.

Pakistanis might have been chosen
to carry out other operations
(such as the delivery of anthrax).

[glc1173@aol.com]

"It's looking more and more like Pakistan is at the center of things."

A Paki illegal - who claimed Brit citizenship - is now documented as having done extensive recon work around the WTC a couple days before 9/11; see full exclusive story.

[Mitchell]

Thanks, glc1173, for the link to the story on Ashar Iqbal Butt aka Mobasser Mahmood, from Pakistan. Bump to the others.

I wonder if there's any relationship with another Pakistani named Butt -- Muhammed Butt, who died in custody last Fall, reportedly of heart disease, but showing symptoms of gum disease that were said to be consistent with radiation poisoning (but which were also consistent with natural causes).

[Mitchell]

Yes, all the men detained in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in connection with the anthrax mailings were Pakistani (without exception, as I recall).

Irshad Shaikh, his brother Masood Shaikh, and Asif Kazi, of Chester, PA, are not, to my knowledge, being detained any longer, and their grand jury appearance was postponed indefinitely (this happened in December, 2001, I think). Allah Rakah (or Rakha) was reported to be cleared of any connection with terrorist activities, although, the last I heard, he was still in jail on immigration charges.

[Mitchell]

The fact that much of the FBI apparently operates without access to e-mail is absolutely astounding (and very discouraging). This type of thing is the only way we can ultimately lose to terrorists -- if we act like a lumbering dinosaur, we'll be vulnerable to others with greater flexibility and tactical agility (not to mention the information resources that we're presumably ignoring and they may not be).

[Mitchell]

I agree. A operational team needs to be tight-knit. A common language is essential, and a common culture and background are very helpful.

[McGavin999]

to e-mail them a report and were told that the person in charge did not have access to e-mail.

What we are learning about the incompetence of the FBI is staggering.

Not having access to e-mail says nothing about the competence or incompetence of the FBI. It says everything about the incompetence of the US Congress and the committees that oversee the FBI, and who write the laws that restrict the FBI. You're looking that the symptoms, not the cause.

[Nogbad]

Gigot also told another story
about how an FBI employee was amazed
how the people at the WSJ
were able to pull out newspaper articles
from their computer data base.

He had never seen such a thing before.

[Mitchell]

Gigot also told another story about how an FBI employee was amazed how the people at the WSJ were able to pull out newspaper articles from their computer data base.
He had never seen such a thing before.

This is absolutely ridiculous. There just aren't words for how ridiculous this is.

And is it just the FBI? How much of the rest of the U.S. government is operating as if it were 50 years ago?