Breaking: Man who allegedly met with terrorist Atta has been caught (Iraqi connection to 9/11?)

CBS News' David Martin | July 8, 2003 | myself

[ALOHA RONNIE]

NEVER FORGET


...If the CLINTONS had accepted the 3 Offers from the President of the Sudan during the 1990's to extradite OSAMA bin LADEN to a U.S. Jail and Trial...

...instead of refusing them...

...OSAMA would not been able to issue orders to Al Qaeda to hi-jack American Airliners and smash them in the Twin Towers and Pentagon in 2001.


NEVER FORGET

[TrebleRebel]

Very thoughtful posts. The CIA have everything to gain from covering up -- a no-win situation for them. I tend to believe that a meeting did take place, much was discussed, and there were many more persons of interest involved.

[finnman69]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-2885834,00.html

Iraqi With Alleged Links to Atta Arrested

Wednesday July 9, 2003 2:19 AM


By JOHN J. LUMPKIN

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. forces have arrested the Iraqi diplomat alleged by some Czech officials to have met with the lead Sept. 11 hijacker five months before the attacks.

U.S. government officials said Ahmad Khalil Ibrahim Samir al-Ani was arrested on July 2. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said al-Ani had been interrogated but had provided little information.

The arrest was first reported Thursday by CBS News. U.S. investigators have dismissed Czech accounts of an April 2001 meeting in Prague between suicide hijacker Mohammed Atta and al-Ani, who is widely believed to be an intelligence agent.

Some Czech officials stand by their claims, the only known link between Saddam Hussein's government and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

``Atta and al-Ani met,'' Czech U.N. Ambassador Hynek Kmonicek said a year ago in an interview with The Associated Press.

Czech officials said Atta had contacted al-Ani, who was later expelled from the Czech Republic, to discuss an attack on the Prague building that serves as the headquarters for U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Other Czech officials retracted the account after U.S. investigators said that Atta was in the United States during the time he was supposed to have been meeting with al-Ani.

[piasa]

What's the date on that article?

[piasa]

I like that last bit:

Other Czech officials retracted the account after U.S. investigators said that Atta was in the United States during the time he was supposed to have been meeting with al-Ani.

It should probably read:

Other (unnamed, possibly nonexistant) Czech officials retracted the account after (unnamed, possibly nonexistant) U.S. investigators said that Atta was in the United States during the time he was supposed to have been meeting with al-Ani.

I think this claim that Atta couldn't possibly have been in Prague was based on a Newsweek article. I don't have the article in question but it is referenced in the NY Post article snippet below. If my memory is correct, the article in Newsweek used unnamed sources in making the claim that Atta was in Norfolk casing the navy base... but curiously it didn't quote anybody on the specific dates for the alleged Norfolk visit.

HIJACKER EYED U.S. NAVY BASE
New York Post ^ | 10/22/01 | WILLIAM NEUMAN

Posted on 10/22/2001 1:07 AM PDT by kattracks

October 22, 2001 -- Lead suicide hijacker Mohamed Atta visited a Virginia naval base at least twice this year, perhaps thinking of making an aircraft carrier one of his terror targets, it was reported today.

Atta made the trips to Norfolk in February and April, according to Newsweek.

Federal sources* told the magazine that investigators believe Atta may have considered flying a commercial jet into an aircraft carrier during his day of terror Sept. 11. (/snip)

(* My note - whoever they are)

[DoctorMichael]

Hmmmmmmmmm..................

[Fred Mertz]

Good posts and analysis. Thanks for keeping me in the loop.

[justshutupandtakeit]

"It was an Istsy Witsy Tiny Weeney Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" worked well in One, Two , Three I recall.

[ravingnutter]

FYI...while the Prague meeting has been refuted by some officials, people seem to forget that Farouk Hijazi, an Iraqi intelligence officer met with bin Laden in Kandahar in Dec 1998.

Also forgotten is that in 1998, two of bin Laden’s senior military commanders, Muhammad Abu-Islam and Abdullah Qassim, visited Baghdad for discussions with Qusay Hussein. This and info on other meetings can be found here.

Also in 1998, an Arab intelligence officer, who knows Saddam personally, predicted in Newsweek: "Very soon you will be witnessing large-scale terrorist activity run by the Iraqis." The Arab official said these terror operations would be run under "false flags" --spook-speak for front groups--including bin Laden's organization. This was reported by Laurie Mylorie.

Then there were the predictions by an Iraqi with ties to Iraqi intelligence, Naeem Abd Mulhalhal, in Qusay's own newspaper several weeks before the attacks that stated bin Laden would “demolish the Pentagon after he destroys the White House and ”bin Laden would strike America “on the arm that is already hurting.” (referencing a second IRAQI sponsored attack on the World Trade Center). Another reference to New York was “[bin Laden] will curse the memory of Frank Sinatra everytime he hears his songs.” (e.g., “New York, New York”) which identified New York, New York as a target. Mulhalhal also stated, “The wings of a dove and the bullet are all but one and the same in the heart of a believer." which references an airplane attack.

The Arabic language daily newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabic also cited the cooperation between Iraq, bin Laden and Al December 1998 editorial, which predicted that “President Saddam Hussein, whose country was subjected to a four day air strike, will look for support in taking revenge on the United States and Britain by cooperating with Saudi oppositionist Osama Bin-Laden, whom the United States considers to be the most wanted person in the world.” This info is in the link provided in the para above. How could these people have had foreknowledge without Iraq being involved?

And what about Ramzi Yousef (known to his associates as "Rashid the Iraqi.") and his uncle Khalid Shaikh Mohammed?

There are just too many things that point to Iraqi involvement, even without the refuted evidence.

[piasa]

An Isikoff opinion piece- and that's what it is- what a surprise. You'll have to do better than that- I don't see where this editorial debunks anything, much less the Prague meeting. Do you have the wrong link?

As for the content of the piece, it's a joke. Subtract all of the unnamed unsourced quotes and "facts" and there is precious little left. One named source, and a ton of BS. The named source is a person who RESIGNED from... guess what, folks... the STATE DEPARTMENT.

Was the resignation of Thielman, shall we say, disciplinary, or was he just a disgruntled liberal, or someone who has some concerns about how well he wrote his own CYA notes before 911?

[anglian]

Mahmud Dhiyab al-Ahmad Minister of the Interior=captured 7 spades

[rwfromkansas]

Where is RAdio free Europe located? Prague?

[Almondjoy]

HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH have you learned nothing? It is not the man that matters.. it's the methodology. You don't think Al-Qadea would have continued their fight without Osama? I pity you.....

[ALOHA RONNIE]

...By is own admission OSAMA bin LADEN personally issued the orders for the Attacks of September 11, 2001 ...in the year 2001.

...An OSAMA in Jail wouldn't have been able to issue those orders because a responsible President CLINTON had made sure by the Mid-1990's that he couldn't, if CLINTON had had our Nation's Security in mind ..that is.

...Granted others would have continued in OSAMA's place but not with the Religious Charisma and smarts of an OSAMA who had been able to kick the Soviets out of Afghanistan during the 1980's.

[ishmac]

Where is Radio Free Europe located? Prague?

Yes, RFE is in Prague at the top of Wenceslaw Square in the former parliment building. It moved there from Munich around '95.

[ishmac]

I'm surprised people don't make more of the threat Saddam made during the infamous April Glasbie meeting of 1990. The meeting is usually recalled to denounce Bush I's inept diplomacy, but in the midst of the meeting Saddam makes this charming remark:

The United States wants to secure the flow of oil. This is understandable and known. But it must not deploy methods which the United States says it disapproves of -- flexing muscles and pressure.

If you use pressure, we will deploy pressure and force. We know that you can harm us although we do not threaten you. But we too can harm you. Everyone can cause harm according to their ability and their size. We cannot come all the way to you in the United States, but individual Arabs may reach you....[My emphasis]

A whole transcript of the meeting can be found here. The meeting took place eight days before the invasion of Kuwait. Note that Saddam said "Arabs," not merely "Iraqis." And I don't recall that Saddam is noted for making idle threats.

[Almondjoy]

You really have no clue how they work do you? If Osama been taken in it would have resulted in no more than say if President Bush were killed... sure it would of created a little "shock and awe" but the commands would of come from Al-Zawari(sp?) or a million other top guys. Osama is a figure head.. nothing more.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

OSAMA bin LADEN =

America's Enemy No 1 =

For a Reason.

Freeper 'BKO'.. who was America's No. 1 HILLARY-Fighter BARBARA K. OLSON... lost her life while smashing into the 1st Floor of the Pentagon on the Morning of September 11, 2001 because OSAMA pulled the trigger on America.

If OSAMA's Trigger Finger were tied up in a U.S. Jail, like it should have been by the Mid-1990's, our beloved BKO would be alive today...

...and so would WTC Tower 2, Battle of IA DRANG-1965 Lifesaving Hero RICK RESCORLA.

The CLINTONS have much to answer for their NOT being tough on Terrorism during their stay in our Oval Office.

May they NEVER return to do US more harm.

[Almondjoy]

You say the same thing over and over but you offer no logical proof why 9/11 wouldn't happened if one guy was in custody. I'm sorry but without logic your arguement is flawed. Without reason you are only giving your opinion. Without fact you are lost.