Video Shows 9/11 Hijackers' Security Check

Yahoo! News ^ | Thu, Jul 22, 2004 | AP

[yonif]

WASHINGTON - Some of the hijackers who crashed a jetliner into the Pentagon (news - web sites) on Sept. 11, 2001, twice set off alarms as they passed through metal detectors that morning at Washington Dulles International Airport, but security screeners did not appear to question them about utility knives investigators believe they were carrying as part of the takeover plot, according to newly disclosed surveillance video.

The video represents the only footage known to exist showing any of the Sept. 11 hijackers boarding their final flights that fateful morning. It shows most of the hijackers in Washington were pulled aside to undergo additional scrutiny after alarms went off at metal detectors but then were permitted to board American Airlines Flight 77.

The video also shows an airport screener hand-checking the baggage of one hijacker, Nawaf al-Hazmi, for traces of explosives before letting him continue onto the plane with his brother, Salem, a fellow hijacker. Al-Hazmi had been added to a U.S. government terrorism watch list just weeks earlier.

The disclosure of the video late Wednesday came just before the release of the final report by the Sept. 11 commission, which is expected to include a detailed accounting of the events that day.

Details in the grainy video are difficult to distinguish. But an earlier, preliminary report by the commission describing activities at Dulles is consistent with the men's procession through airport security as shown on the video.

No knives or other sharp objects are visible on the surveillance video. Investigators have said the hijackers at Dulles were believed to be carrying utility knives either personally or in their luggage, which at the time could legally be carried aboard planes if the blades were less than 4 inches long and were not considered "menacing." There is no indication on the video that security screeners questioned the hijackers about any knives.

All 58 passengers — including the hijackers — and six crew members, along with 125 employees at the Pentagon, died when the flight crashed into the Pentagon at 9:39 a.m. on Sept. 11.

The video shows hijackers Khalid al-Mihdhar and Majed Moqed, each dressed conservatively in slacks and collared shirts, setting off metal detectors as they pass through security around 7:18 a.m. Moqed set off a second alarm, and a screener manually checked him with a handheld metal detector.

The pair were known to have traveled together previously and had paid cash to purchase their tickets aboard Flight 77 on Sept. 5, 2001, at the American Airlines counter at Baltimore's airport.

Al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi had been known to be associated with al-Qaida since early 1999 by the National Security Agency, and were put on a terrorism watch list on Aug. 24, 2001.

Only Hani Hanjour, believed to have been the hijacker who piloted Flight 77, passed through Dulles security that morning without being subjected to a secondary security check, according to the video.

Moments after Hanjour passed alone through the security checkpoint, wearing dark slacks and a short-sleeved shirt, the final two hijackers, the al-Hazmi brothers, both wearing slacks and Oxford shirts, walked through the checkpoint.

Nawaf al-Hazmi, described by investigators as the right-hand accomplice of hijacker-planner Mohammed Atta, set off two metal-detectors, and a screener manually checked him with a handheld device.

Nawaf and his brother, each wearing slacks and Oxford shirts, were directed to a nearby counter, where they appeared to closely examine their tickets while another screener checked Nawaf's carryon bag with an explosive trace detector. Each was cleared to board Flight 77.

The Associated Press obtained the video from the Motley Rice law firm, which is representing some victims' families who are suing the airlines and security industry over their actions in the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Even after setting off these alarms, the airlines and security screeners failed to examine the hijackers' baggage, as required by federal regulations and industry-mandated standards, or discover the weapons they would use in their attack," lawyer Ron Motley said.

Elaine Teague, who is suing over the death of her 31-year-old daughter, Sandra, said she had previously been shown the footage by the FBI (news - web sites). But the terrorists' faces had been digitally disguised.

Teague said she was surprised at how relaxed security was, given that airlines had received three warnings from the Federal Aviation Administration (news - web sites). One such warning, issued in June 2001, cited "unconfirmed reports that American interests may be the target of a terrorist threat from extremist groups."

___

On the Net:

FBI information about Flight 77: http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/penttbom/aa77/77.htm

Commission chronology on events at Dulles:

http://www.9-11commission.gov/hearings/hearing7/staff_statement_3.pdf

[yonif]

What a big failure indeed. Security must be trained not only to spot the PHYSICAL things (like knives, guns, etc.) BUT also the MENTAL things. Not only should they be using racial profiling immediately, airlines should have staff which will, especially on international flights, question every single passenger at some point or another, maybe when they are waiting in line to check in (questions like where you are going, why, and other special questions following a tactic of looking at the movement of the person and also looking at whether he is contradicting himself. In Israel, for example, I was questioned the same thing 4 times at various different times during the questioning period). Also look more closely at people with one way tickets. Finally, security should have priority over the comfort of the passenger waiting to get on the plane.

[Diogenesis]

WERE THE SCREENERS LAZY, IN DENIAL, OR NAMED "ABU-MOHAMMED"?

[endthematrix]

"The video represents the only footage known to exist showing any of the Sept. 11 hijackers boarding their final flights that fateful morning."

Anybody know rules, regs and any future probability of cameras within the aircraft cabin?

[SpyGuy]

WERE THE SCREENERS LAZY, IN DENIAL, OR NAMED "ABU-MOHAMMED"?

I suspect "none of the above." They were afflicted--by mandate--by a far more dangerous malady: political correctness.

[SpyGuy]

Also look more closely at people with one way tickets.

I'm sure the next time the terrorists execute one of these hijackings, they will be flying on round-trip tickets.

[kyguy]

Actually, the only part of that I would question is that if Khalid Al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi were placed on a terror watch list on 24AUG, why were they allowed to board a plane? I'm not aware of how such lists operated before 12SEP2001: Did they only check names at Immigration, or were the lists made availble to domestic carriers?

As far as their weaponry, before this happened, carrying that sort of thing was permissable, and an everyday occurence. I used to take my pocket knife with me whenever I flew, you could carry nearly any tool as carry-on luggage, and the only things that they were stopping were those that could go boom. These terrorists found a chink in our armor and exploited it. We kept them from getting AK47s on the plane, so they went low-tech and brought knives. Now we're preventing them from bringing knives onto planes, but what's next? Broken glass can cut quite well, a pencil isn't a very effient stilleto but it can get the job done, and I'd be willing to bet that you could construct an innocent-looking plastic item that could have a cutting edge good for a few slashes. The terrorists have already demonstrated that they're willing to go to extreme measures, and that they're quite determined. Certainly, the passengers and flight crew aren't going to follow the old mantra of "comply with their demands and no one gets hurt", but that's an awfully risky last line of protection, don't you think? I hope and pray that our Air Marshals are as well trained as we've been told they are, but until there's a couple on every flight, I don't think I'm convinced that we're not at risk.

You are absolutely correct that it's not just the physical objects we carry through that need to be carefully considered by the security folks. At the same time, though, we should be cautious that we aren't trading essential liberties for temporary security. Taken to the extreme, why not shackle and handcuff every passenger before the aircraft door is closed? Be sure to wear your Depends on the longer flights! And don't show up to the ticket counter without five years' worth of paystubs, tax returns, and bank statements as well as a current copy of your credit report.

Perhaps I'm getting a littly lengthy here. I'm not trying to flame you, I'm really only thinking out loud. I realize that there is a certain balance to all of this, but at some point we need to decide that we have "enough" security that we can stop encroaching on our freedom. And I'm quite afraid that even at that point, shy of putting every passenger in leg irons and handcuffs, we are still going to be vunerable.

[yonif]

I hope and pray that our Air Marshals are as well trained as we've been told they are, but until there's a couple on every flight, I don't think I'm convinced that we're not at risk.

I agree.

[beaversmom]

I like the idea of questioning passengers.

[Belisaurius]

I seriously doubt the 9-11 hijackings could be replicated. Those planes would land with a load of po'd passengers and five puddles of jelly that used to be terrorists.

[7.62 x 51mm]

"I like the idea of questioning passengers."

I like the idea of PROFILING ALL PASSENGERS.

[naturalman1975]

"Now we're preventing them from bringing knives onto planes, but what's next? Broken glass can cut quite well, a pencil isn't a very effient stilleto but it can get the job done, and I'd be willing to bet that you could construct an innocent-looking plastic item that could have a cutting edge good for a few slashes."

We had a case here in Australia last year where a man on a flight attacked with two sharpened wooden stakes - the type used in horror movies to go after vampires. He intended to take over and crash the plane - fortunately, post September 11, people didn't just stay in their seats and cooperate. He quite seriously injured one of the flight attendants who got between him and the pilots cabin - these weapons were pretty effective.

[agere_contra]

The Sept 11 hijackers travelled on return tickets. Which they brought with credit cards, and not with cash.

a) Suicide bombers don't care if they buy return tickets they're not likely to use.

b) I understand that half the hijackers didn't actually know it was a suicide mission. Though I'm not sure how anyone can know this for a fact, of course.

[Jim_Curtis]

They didn't have illegal weapons. They were legally boarded passengers. All the billions taken from the American people to be spent on anti-terrorist measures and nothing was done to stop legally boarded passengers from flying our airplanes into buildings.

I'd like to take a close look at where the mountain of money that was supposed to have been spent on airplane/airport security, actually went.

[rageaholic]

Angry moon god allah was watching over those terrorists that morning.

[CFW]

In this image from a surveillance video from Washington's Dulles Airport the morning of September 11, 2001, and obtained by the Associated Press, one hijacker out of the five hijackers that boarded American Airlines Flight 77 is being pulled aside to undergo additional scrutiny after setting off metal detectors but then permitted to board the fateful flight that later crashed into the Pentagon. Four out of the five hijackers who boarded Flight 77 were pulled aside to undergo additional scrutiny. (AP Photo/APTN)

[m1-lightning]

No directive yet.

JetBlue first to install cameras

SouthWest Airlines installs cameras

Although such a measure is not required, Southeast believes it's only a matter of time before the Federal Aviation Administration and Homeland Security Department makes it mandatory for all airlines.

[SpyGuy]

Suicide bombers don't care if they buy return tickets they're not likely to use.

I never suggested that they did. My point was that terrorists know what airline security is screening for and will do whatever it takes to thwart the screening process.

The terrorists may be crazy but they're not stupid. We, on the other hand, with our political corectness...

P.S. I have read numerous news articles that stated that some of the Sept 11 hijackers were traveling on one-way tickets paid with cash. I have also read some articles that state that none of them did. So much for accurate reporting in our media. But then, facts don't matter to the journalists of today, as long as they can get their stories to promote their agenda.

[2rightsleftcoast]

I like the idea of stopping all Muslim immigration.

[7.62 x 51mm]

I'll second that, and raise you deportation for all of them back to any Islamic hellhole, permanently.

[2rightsleftcoast]

Exactly!!!