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-

[Mo1]

In particular, Saddam wanted Abu Nidal to revive his network of "sleeper cells" in Europe and the Middle East to carry out a new wave of attacks

Attacks on Europe also??

[Qwinn]

Oh, I already posted it on the Charlie Rose website. That crowd of irredeemable leftists is of course dismissing it instantly.

Qwinn

[Eva]

Bump for future reference.

[HRoarke]

Good work on Charlie Rose but alas I fear it's as futile to argue there as it is at DU...

"In great attempts it is glorious even to fail"
Cassius Longinus

[denydenydeny]

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.

I have not seen the actual, specific date of the emergency room visit identified in any story, only some time in the month of June 2001. I identified it as June 22 or 23 because the Palm Beach Post later reported that on June 22

The landlord, Charles Lisa, notices that the “skinny and frail” AL-HAZNAWI has what appears to be an “infected gash” on his left leg. He directs the two men to nearby Holy Cross Hospital for treatment.

I assumed that Al-Haznawi would have gotten to the hospital very soon after that.

[Imperialist]

Are not Nidal and AQ each one in the same?

[Blood of Tyrants]

BUT WHERE ARE THE WMD'S? THIS MEANS NOTHING WITHOUT WMD'S! (The Rats are getting more shrill and more desperate.)

[Angelus Errare]

Post #246 may well help us to chop the date down a little bit further to within the June 2001 timeframe.

[FreeReign]

According to reports, Abu Nidal was found dead on August 19.....I had the same thought as you.

Has Nidal's death ever been confirmed or do we simply have the word of Aziz and other Iraqi and Palestinian "officials" that he is dead?

Anybody?

[Imperialist]

"the mastermind was Khalid Sheikh Muhammed."

And the Bosses were Saddam and Osamma.

[Lady In Blue]

What do you think?

[Chapita]

***********"Kerry will start opening up about the, heretofore unknown, fact that he was in Vietnam. He was!"*************************************************************************************************

That makes him 1/3,000,000th of the team! Three million equals, unless you get extra points for throwing away awards and medals!

[Lancey Howard]

[GOPJ]

The economy's getting better and now this!!! Poor dems...

[okie01]

Your good work on the timeline is invaluable.

[Paul Atreides]

If only Kerry would say something about Vietnam, I wouldn't have to speak of rumors.

[Ben Hecks]

Here's a link with some info on the death of Abu Nidal:

http://www.aljazeerah.info/News%20archives/2002%20News%20archives/August%20

[denydenydeny]

In the light of today's Telegraph story it makes sense that Saddam wanted Abu Nidal dead. If the story is true, then Nidal was a huge, huge loose end left over from the 9/11 operation which needed to be tied up.

[Alas Babylon!]

Makes you wonder just what the FBI sees in Dr. Hatfill. Are they barking up this wrong tree on purpose, or are they simply stupid?