Terrorist Behind September 11 Strike was Trained by Saddam

The Telegraph ^ | December 14, 2003 | Con Coughlin

[quidnunc]

Iraq's coalition government claims that it has uncovered documentary proof that Mohammed Atta, the al-Qaeda mastermind of the September 11 attacks against the US, was trained in Baghdad by Abu Nidal, the notorious Palestinian terrorist.

Details of Atta's visit to the Iraqi capital in the summer of 2001, just weeks before he launched the most devastating terrorist attack in US history, are contained in a top secret memo written to Saddam Hussein, the then Iraqi president, by Tahir Jalil Habbush al-Tikriti, the former head of the Iraqi Intelligence Service.

The handwritten memo, a copy of which has been obtained exclusively by the Telegraph, is dated July 1, 2001 and provides a short resume of a three-day "work programme" Atta had undertaken at Abu Nidal's base in Baghdad.

In the memo, Habbush reports that Atta "displayed extraordinary effort" and demonstrated his ability to lead the team that would be "responsible for attacking the targets that we have agreed to destroy".

The second part of the memo, which is headed "Niger Shipment", contains a report about an unspecified shipment — believed to be uranium — that it says has been transported to Iraq via Libya and Syria.

Although Iraqi officials refused to disclose how and where they had obtained the document, Dr Ayad Allawi, a member of Iraq's ruling seven-man Presidential Committee, said the document was genuine.

"We are uncovering evidence all the time of Saddam's involvement with al-Qaeda," he said. "But this is the most compelling piece of evidence that we have found so far. It shows that not only did Saddam have contacts with al-Qaeda, he had contact with those responsible for the September 11 attacks."

-snip-

[Imperialist]

Nice catch and thanks for the post.

All the Islamic terror we have faced since the 1991 Gulf War has had Saddam's hand in it or behind it, including OKC. He wanted revenge after his massive defeat at Kuwait. 9/11 was Saddam's doing, with AQ as the willing black flag. This is the real reason our brave President and Troops attacked Iraq. I hope during Bush's re-election campaign he decides to tell us Americans what is really going on with the War on Terror. It would make the Dems/Libs/UN/EU look like dumb asses and would show commie China in a different light.

[KSCITYBOY]

Paul - sadly you have nailed the liberals a-holes reaction perfectly - hard to believe they live in this country.

[plain talk]

smoking gun. It will be interetsing to see how the dems spin this.

[Mitchell]

The second part of the memo, which is headed "Niger Shipment", contains a report about an unspecified shipment — believed to be uranium — that it says has been transported to Iraq via Libya and Syria.

And Pres. Bush today signed Syria sanctions legislation. Are these related?

[Redleg Duke]

Meg, One thing about this administration is the lack of leaks, unlike the previous sieve administration.

[Lady In Blue]

Just read it! Thanks,blackie. This is dynomite!

[Qwinn]

Good news! National Review's The Corner has now linked to the Telegraph article.

Qwinn

[arasina]

Atta wouldn't necessarily have been taking flying lessons for those 3 days. Didn't he learn that elsewhere? He could have just been polishing his other "skills" or sealing a deal...or, like you said, getting a nasty bio-weapon. Did anyone ever check his printing/handwriting against those on the anthrax letters sent in the U.S.?

[HRoarke]

I recall Dan Rather bringing up Saddam Hussein on Letterman's first show back after 9/11. If this turns out to be true, watch him take credit for calling his shot...

[okie01]

According to the timeline jwalsh07 posted in #192, Atta's whereabouts in June are circumscribed as follows:

1. At sometime in June, he is recalled working out in a gym.

2. He rented a safe deposit box at a BOA branch in Miami. That date is obviously subject to confirmation. I wonder if he stored some envelopes in the safe deposit box...

3. On June 12, he is reported to have been present when al-Shehhi moved into a new apartment at Delray Beach.

4. On June 13, Atta himself moves into a new apartment in Coral Springs.

5. On June 28, he flies into Las Vegas and departs on July 1.

Offhand, I see enough gaps to allow a five-day round trip to Baghdad...

[Peach]

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.

[MEG33]

I have designated myself..Wet Blanket in Chief...I can enjoy being wrong!

[Peach]

This link, posted on FR some months ago, details some meetings and dates we know about for Atta and other notables.

http://www.geocities.com/republican_strategist/Iraq-Bin-Laden.html

[Qwinn]

WorldNetDaily is now reporting this story as well.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=36124

Qwinn

[happygrl]

MOST interesting additional info regarding the armed nerve gas warhead.

Question that comes to mind: was it disarmed (can that be done once it's armed ?), or is nerve gas still within the weapon ?

Archy or Section9, can you help ?

[Henk]

I'm not sure what to make of this, yet. What do you think?

I think it's a fake. Obviously so.

[okie01]

"does anyone have a general date cited by the doctor who said that he (Atta) may have been exposed to anthrax?"

From the timeline...

“Late summer” (mid-to-late-August?) 2001—ATTA and AL-SHEHHI go to Huber Drugs in Delray Beach, FL, where the owner Greg Chatterton later identified them as frequent customers. ATTA seeks treatment for “palms that appeared to be reddened from a chemical burn or raw from construction work.” Link Chatterton asks if he had been working with solvents or dipping his hands into chemicals such as ammonia or chlorine, which ATTA denied. When asked what he did for a living, ATTA replies that he was in computer work. ATTA is given a tube of Acid Mantle, a cream which restores acidity to skin that’s been exposed to too much base, such as ammonia. ATTA pays $5.49 for it. AL-SHEHHI complains of chest congestion and a cough and is given Robitussin and urged to seek medical treatment at Urgi-Med, a nearby walk-in clinic. Within a day or two, AL-SHEHHI returns with a prescription for an antibiotic, which Chatterton said he filled. Chatterton could not recall which drug was prescribed, only that it was not for Ciproflaxin, later famous as the anti-anthrax drug of choice. The FBI perused the store’s records, which are not computerized, and concluded that AL-SHEHHI must have used an alias. “That’s why they came here,” said Chatterton later. “Think about it—you go to a small-town pharmacy, not part of a computer bank” which would archive prescription records. Urgi-Med at first confirmed to a reporter that “at least one hijacking suspect” had been treated at the clinic, but a manager for the clinic later called the reporter back and said that clinic officials would have no comment on the matter.

Another of the terrorists was treated for a sore which, upon reflection, the doctor concluded was probably cutaneous anthrax. I'll see if I can find the timeframe on that next.

[walden]

"Plug Nickel says that the major alphabet soup people won't run it."

No bet.