Replies

Sensenbrenner Statement Regarding Today's Revelation that 9/11 Hijackers Used U.S. Public Libraries Prior to 9/11

To: National Desk

Contact: Jeff Lungren or Terry Shawn, 202-225-2492, both of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary

WASHINGTON, April 28 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.) issued the following statement regarding today's revelation that a number of the 9/11 hijackers used materials at U.S. public libraries prior to 9/11:

"Today we learned the 9/11 murderers used our public libraries to access the Internet and help plan their travel prior to 9/11. This newly released information demonstrates the critical importance of the PATRIOT Act's Section 215, which allows for the production of business records with a FISA court order. Section 215 provides - with appropriate safeguards - the tools necessary to help disrupt and prevent future terrorist attacks. We put Americans' lives at risk if we foolishly provide sanctuaries - even in our public libraries - for terrorists to operate."

Background:

During today's House Judiciary Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Subcommittee oversight hearing on Sections 206 and 215 of the USA-PATRIOT Act, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Kenneth L. Wainstein, responded during questioning:

"Investigators received information that individuals believed to be Wail Al Shehri, Waleed Al Shehri, and Marwan Al Shehhi visited the Delray Beach Public Library, in Delray Beach, Florida. Wail Al Shehri and Waleed Al Shehri entered the library one afternoon in July of 2001 and asked to use the library's computers to access the Internet. After about an hour, a third man, Marwan Al Shehhi, joined the two. Waleed and Wail Al Shehri were hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 11, while Al Shehhi was the pilot who took control of United Airlines Flight 175. Both of those flights crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11th.

"A witness, who recognized photos of the three individuals that ran in newspaper articles after September 11, provided the information about the Delray Beach library visit. While no records exist to confirm the hijackers' visit to the Delray Beach library, the timing, location, and behavior described by the witness are consistent with other information gathered in the course of the investigation.

"In addition, investigators tracing the activities of the hijackers determined that, on four occasions in August of 2001, individuals using Internet accounts registered to Nawaf Al Hazmi and Khalid Al Mihdar - 9/11 hijackers - used public access computers in the library of a state college in New Jersey. The computers in the library were used to review and order airline tickets on an Internet travel reservations site. Al Hazmi and Al Mihdar were hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which took off from Dulles Airport and crashed into the Pentagon. The last documented visit to the library occurred on August 30, 2001. On that occasion, records indicate that a person using Al Hazmi's account used the library's computer to review September 11 reservations that had been previously booked."

http://www.usnewswire.com/