Accused September 11 plotter Zacarias Moussaoui withdraws guilty pleas.

CNN ^ | July 25, 2002

[jern]

Accused September 11 plotter Zacarias Moussaoui withdraws guilty pleas.

[StriperSniper]

he's gonna walk. I feel it in my bones.

Good! Then he can feel it in his bones, his head, and any other place that can be beaten, and he will no longer be able to walk! ;-)

[Lent]

"In the name of Allah ... I will tell the truth to the best of my ability," Moussaoui swore.

Oh, oh. I see why the judge wouldn't accept his evidence and plea.

[Shermy]

"What weapon of mass destruction did he conspire to use?"

He may have had different roles and history besides the Minnesota incident. He may have not been planned to go on the 9/11 planes - or something else that day.

I have yet to see any journalist ask why the cropduster allegations were dropped from the complaint against him...too troubling to reveal to the people their use as chemical weapons - he did have wind pattern maps.? Might warnings to the American people, which we deserve, impinge on the profits of some industry?

[fuente]

Friends don't let friends watch CNN

[Shermy]

"was detained on immigration charges on Sept. 11"

Is this accurate? I thought he was detained before?

[Reagan Man]

Can I watch Fox News is I so choose?

Sure hope so. =^)

[kattracks]

I think you're right.

[okie01]

"...he did have wind pattern maps.? Might warnings to the American people, which we deserve, impinge on the profits of some industry?"

C'mon, Shermy, you know better than that.

The feds don't want to make an issue of the anthrax angle or promote any fear of a "sleeper-mounted" broadspread biological attack.

Until, that is, we are prepared to a.) smash Saddam with one lightning blow and b.) insure that the domestic consequences of doing so are mimimized. Meanwhile, the administration's reluctance to broach this subject is perfectly understandable.

[Catspaw]

Moussaoui was detained by the FBI in Minneapolis in August, 2001 on an immigration violation. The Minneapolis FBI weren't allowed to poke around in his laptop until 9/12. He was charged shortly after that.

I'll do a google check & post. I thought I saw a timeline of Moussaoui somewhere.

[Catspaw]

I couldn't find the timeline of Moussaoui, but here's one on pre 9/11.  There seems to be some confusion as to when Moussaoui was arrested on immigration violations.  I've come across 8/13, 8/16 and 8/17.  I believe the 8/16 date is correct.

 

Warning Timeline

Tick-Tock of Warnings, Threats Before Sept. 11

May 16 — What did the Bush administration and other parts of the federal government know about possible threats to U.S. interests before Sept. 11? And when did officials know of warnings? Below is a timeline of key dates.

April 18, 2001: Federal Aviation Administration issues an advisory. "The FAA does not have any credible information regarding specific plans by terrorist groups to attack U.S. civil aviation interests ... Nonetheless some of the current active groups are known to plan and train for hijackings ... The FAA encourages U.S. carriers to demonstrate a high degree of alertness."

June 22, 2001: FAA issues an information circular to private air carriers. "Although we have no specific information that this threat is directed at civil aviation, the potential for terrorist operations, such as an airline hijacking to free terrorists incarcerated in the U.S., remains a concern."

June 26, 2001: State Department issues a worldwide caution to Americans traveling or living abroad.

End of June, 2001: Counterterrorism Security Group (CSG) meets to discuss possible threats.

July 2, 2001: As a result of the CSG meeting, the FBI releases a memo about threats overseas. In a message to law enforcement agencies, FBI says there were threats to American interests overseas and that a domestic strike could not be ruled out.

July 2, 2001: FAA issues an internal communication that says a terrorist convicted in a plot to disrupt the millennium had intended to use explosives in an airport terminal.

July 5, 2001: Bush asks National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to see what was being done about various concerns.

July 6, 2001: Counterterrorism Security Group meets again and suspends nonessential travel of U.S. counterterrorism staff because of concern about potential attacks in Paris, Turkey and Rome.

Mid July, 2001: Concern addressed about specific threat against President Bush at G-8 summit in Genoa, Italy, which brought together eight countries with the most powerful economies.

July 10th , 2001: FBI's office in Phoenix sends memo to FBI headquarters alerting of an increase in flight school interest by Arab nationals, and suggesting inquiry of similar activity in other states.

July 18, 2001: FAA issues an internal communication suggesting a "high level of caution" on the part of the airlines. It refers entirely to concern about attacks in the Arabian Peninsula.

July 18, 2001: FBI sends advisory reiterating its July 2 message. "We're concerned about threats as a result of the millennium plot conviction," the advisory says, referring to a July 13 conviction of an Algerian accused of being part of a plot to detonate a suitcase bomb at Los Angeles International Airport.

July 31, 2001: FAA issues an internal communication encouraging airlines to be on high level of alert, says terror groups are known to be planning and training for hijackings.

Aug. 1, 2001: FBI issues advisory noting the third anniversary of the deadly bombings of two U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Aug. 6, 2001: Bush receives a report that does not have warning information but does discuss Osama bin Laden's methods of operation. It also mentions a concern of a traditional hijacking.

Aug. 16, 2001: Zacarias Moussaoui is detained in Minnesota. Moussaoui was arrested after he sought flight training at a Minnesota flight school.

Aug. 16, 2001: FAA issues warning about disguised weapons. Officials were concerned about some reports that the terrorists had made breakthroughs in cell phones, key chains and pens as weapons.

Aug. 28, 2001: Information is received from French intelligence that Moussaoui has links to bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

Aug. 28, 2001: FAA issues advisory about possible violence against U.S. carriers flying in and out of Israel.

Sept. 11, 2001: Four planes are hijacked in the United States and are crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field.

[PJ-Comix]

I just saw his mother on TV but she was speaking in French, not Arabic. Is Moussaoui from Algeria? I heard that a lot, if not most, Arabs in Algeria speak French, not Arabic.

[nycbiggie1]

i beleive if he pleads quilty, there is no trial - we NEED a trial in order to bring out the information he knows about the alquaeda network.

[kerberos3]

What a three-ring circus. What is this world coming to?

[Shermy]

Oh, O.K. Okie01. :)

Still, I think the "anthrax" angle with the cropdusters is might be off base.. misleading because "cropdusters" and "Anthrax" came to the public mind at the same time, so they connect the two. Then the experts come and show that Anthrax couldn't be spread well that way (though that doesn't mean the terrs wouldn't try).

But cropdusters could be for a different form of attack - chemical. Remember, Atta asked "how much poisons does it hold" to one Florida man. Al Qaeda goes for simplicity, often. 9/11 has been described as "high concept, low tech" - they find seams in security and the like. How about a simple chemical attack with simple components, purchased right here in the USA?

Computer in Kabul holds chilling memos: PC used by al-Qaida leaders reveals 4 years of terrorism (12/31)

"....Files outlining al-Qaida efforts to launch a program of chemical and biological weapons, code-named al Zabadi, Arabic for curdled milk. As part of the plan to develop a “home-brew nerve gas,” members were given a long reading list that included a study titled “Current Concepts: Napalm.”

.........

HOME BREW

Soon after the African (1998) bombings, the computer files show al-Qaida embarking on potentially its most deadly project: the “curdled milk” biological- and chemical-warfare program. A memo written in April 1999, apparently by Zawahri, notes that “the destructive power of these weapons is no less than that of nuclear weapons.”

The memo laments al-Qaida’s sluggishness in realizing the menace of these weapons, noting that “despite their extreme danger, we only became aware of them when the enemy drew our attention to them by repeatedly expressing concern that they can be produced simply.”

As a first step, the memo suggests, militants must brush up on their reading. The memo gives a detailed precis of an American history of chemical and germ warfare. It lists a catalog of exotic killers, from anthrax to Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

A May 7, 1999, file indicates that by that time, al-Qaida leaders had earmarked $2,000 to $4,000 for “start-up” costs of the program. In a letter dated May 23 and written under one of Zawahri’s aliases, the author reports discussing some “very useful ideas” during a visit to Abu Khabab, the alias of an elderly Egyptian scientist. “It just needs some experiments to develop its practical use.”

Particularly encouraging, the letter in the computer files said, was a home-brew nerve gas made from insecticides and a chemical additive that would help speed up penetration into the skin. The writer said Khabab had supplied a computer disk that gave details of “his product” in a WinZip file, and “my neighbor opened it by God’s will.”

U.S. officials, citing satellite photos and intelligence gathered from local residents, say Abu Khabab experimented with nerve gas on dogs and rabbits at a camp near the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad. The camp, one of several in the area hit by U.S. bombs after Sept. 11, was known as Abu Khabab in honor of the scientist.

In a letter dated May 26 and stored in the computer under the same alias as earlier correspondence, the author says he was “very enthusiastic” about the Zabadi project and was especially pleased with Abu Khabab’s “significant progress.”

So perhaps the terrs had some chemical they could add to insecticide to make it more effective, and would deploy it with cropdusters - a tool made for spreading insecticide. This could have been an alternative plan, or just one of many more thought up.

I see your point about not alarming people. But that doesn't preclude other motives too.

[steveo]

Some trick is afoot, and he's gonna walk.

Not too far I suspect.

[DWPittelli]

You ask "Why in hell is this judge so adamant about getting this guy off? Lemme guess. A terrorist-hugging Clinton appointee." Maybe, but more likely she doesn't want the whole thing to be overturned based on mental incompetence. Also, there would have to be a full trial anyway if the government wants to go for death, so it doesn't save much time or money to refuse to accept the pleas. Also, a judge has to ensure that the defendant is clear on what he's pleaing to; given this guy's language skills and changing stories, that's pretty hard.

The only upside to accepting his partial plea is that then we don't have to worry about him getting off scot-free -- and that, I hope, is pretty much out of the picture, especially now after his open-court admissions/attempted pleas.

[okie01]

"But that doesn't preclude other motives too."

It's true that crop-dusters are less than ideal for biological attacks, but could be readily adapted for chemical attacks. Indeed, there are several off-the-shelf agricultural pesticides that could be quite dangerous if sprayed on humans (or, perhaps, water supplies) at high concentrations.

And bringing all this up in a public trial would be, I'm sure, opening up a can of worms the administration would much prefer to open at their own convenience.

My response was directed at your assertion that the administration might be more concerned with the profits of a particular industry than with public safety. That's something I'm not buying, at all.

I can well imagine a circumstance, though, where the media would get on the cropduster connection so that people would start freaking out every time a cropduster came into view. Which could have an irrational, though disastrous, effect on that particular industry...and all the farming operations they serve. And, thus, our food supply...

[Mixer]

If anyone had any faith left in the justice system it is now all gone.

[weegee]

"I didn't take my fingers off of it!"

"I want a do over!"

He's already played his hand. Now all we are doing is postponing the inevitable by playing a game of words and legal manuvers (sort of like Snakes and Ladders).

[weegee]

I don't know how the charge was worded or what definitions the government uses, but it is clearly more than just "malicious vehicular assault" (e.g. deliberately using a car as a weapon to hit someone).

The plan was to hit buildings and cause a fuel explosion. The plane was a bomb. Dead is dead.

Does the definition of "weapons of mass distruction" carry with it an intended body count range, a potential explosive damage yield, or a financial damage value?