http://www.freerepublic.com/fo cus/news/707518/posts
We arranged an interview Sunday afternoon. Evidence of his 'credibility' became evident before we even arrived at the home. Michael Hamdan lives in a gated community in Henderson, Nevada, so beautifully manicured and green that the fine Nevada dust was blissfully absent. Even his garage floor was clean. The backyard contained a pool, and sits on the border of the golf course, the jewel of this Green Valley housing complex. No sooner did we pass the gate than I asked, "What would he need this for?" The inside of his home was equally well-appointed, and while not ostentatious, would surely be the envy of the average "Special Agent."
Hamdan's artistic taste: There was a Picasso print on the wall.
Michael Hamdan is an articulate retiree who emigrated lawfully from Beirut Lebanon in 1987. He had worked for IBM in the Gulf and later for Cartier. "My fame is my family," he told us, and his proudest moment was when he stood up in the Los Angeles convention center and took his oath of United States citizenship.
He pays his taxes, has the social security number; the whole nine yards.
We sat mesmerized while he described the last week of his life. It was a week that had turned a Real American into a sleepless, anxious man disappointed and frustrated and not knowing where to turn. It began Saturday, June 15, 2002 and ended on Saturday, June 21, 2002, when the FBI and Mayor Goodman declared Michael Hamdan "not credible." And this story is still not over yet. He wasted no time telling his story - a little more than what most other media dared to report. He gave us the timeline.
June 15: Hamdan is out running errands and stops at Good Guys, a huge music warehouse on West Sahara, about 4 miles west of the strip. He buys a small TV and orders a larger one, then leaves the store and turns right, south, on Las Vegas Boulevard (The Strip). Then, the familiar slow ride past world famous Casinos: The Rivera, Circus Circus, The Sahara, The Mirage, etc.. Planning to turn east on Tropicana Blvd., several miles south, Mr. Hamdan calls his wife - somewhere near "Treasure Island."The Most Infamous Cell Phone in Las Vegas
Sierra Times Photo
The cell phone is a new Seimens. It's one of those 'global types.' It'll work as well in London, Paris, Tokyo and Mecca - just as well as it does in Vegas. He has not had it long enough to program it so he hand dials his home number to call his wife. But he hears no click. Thinking he had not pressed the send button, he moves the phone away from his ear when he hear voices. The voices are speaking his native Arabic so he begins listening.
The words he hears make him freeze. It is pure Arabic, with no English and is one voice speaking to a second voice that keeps saying "Tayeb." Tayeb in Arabic means more than OK, it means acceptance or recommendation, "I got it."
"The first voice had a thick, harsh accent from the Gulf Region. It could have been from Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dabu or Iraq," Hamdan said firmly.
The exact words - words that affected room holiday reservations in Las Vegas were:
"We are in the city of corruption. We are in the city of gambling and prostitution. And they are talking about freedom. We are going to hit them on their day of freedom." He repeats this twice during 60-90 seconds.
"In the background, I heard more people, and another Arabic voice could be heard yelling, 'It's enough! Stop it! It's enough!'". Hamdan implies that someone realized that his loud mouth associate was spilling the beans over a cell phone.
Mr. Hamdan was frozen in fear and began to sweat.
"The voices were not from the street," Hamdan reported, "they were highly educated... using formal words." He told us that the city of corruption was "Medinat el Fasad" in Arabic. It sounded like one guy was reporting and making a statement and the other man was taking it.
The phone goes dead. Mr. Hamdan continues to drive and arrives home. His wife asks him if he is alright, and notices that he looks pale, but he is too disturbed by the call to speak even to her. Later that evening, he finally shares with her what had happened.
The frightened couple does not know whether to call the police, FBI, or media. Hamdan is concerned for his family's safety. At two in the morning, his conscious prevails over his concern for safety "If God forbid, something happens," Hamdan said, "I could never live with myself."
June 16th: 2 a.m. Hamdan speaks with an FBI operator and asks to speak with anyone with authority about serous information. He does not provide the nature of that information, just states that it's valuable. No return call is received from the FBI. This is Sunday morning.
12:00 p.m. No sleep. Could happen when you've overheard that the city you've made your home may be a "Jihad Target." Hamdan again calls the FBI and speaks to a different operator. She says, "I do not see your name." This time, because the operator is very professional and claims to have 14 years experience with the FBI, he tells her what had happened - in detail. The operator takes his report and tells him that they would find an agent immediately to call back.
He waits.
And waits.
Nobody ever calls.
From the link in the above reply. This guy is credible, in my opinion. The words he hears make him freeze. It is pure Arabic, with no English and is one voice speaking to a second voice that keeps saying "Tayeb." Tayeb in Arabic means more than OK, it means acceptance or recommendation, "I got it."
"The first voice had a thick, harsh accent from the Gulf Region. It could have been from Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dabu or Iraq," Hamdan said firmly. The exact words - words that affected room holiday reservations in Las Vegas were:
"We are in the city of corruption. We are in the city of gambling and prostitution. And they are talking about freedom. We are going to hit them on their day of freedom." He repeats this twice during 60-90 seconds.
"In the background, I heard more people, and another Arabic voice could be heard yelling, 'It's enough! Stop it! It's enough!'". Hamdan implies that someone realized that his loud mouth associate was spilling the beans over a cell phone.