[caa26]

I think this story is a load of crap. Remeber everyone, with Al Qaeda's finances they could have bought a plane if they wanted one. Why would Atta attempt to get a federal loan and act like a lunatic in front of her? Al Qaeda operatives were attempting to blend in this country.

[VOA]

Al Qaeda operatives were attempting to blend in this country.

Yes, but I don't think they totally succeeded. (see my post 32 above, especially the
abandoned airplane story)

I really do wonder if Atta and Co. were told to not be totally "slick", that way
they'd appear to be too incompetent and bumbling to be disciplined terrorists.

It will be interesting to see if this lady's story is exposed as B.S.
Associated Press says that ABC reports that the lady passed a lie detector...
maybe she's just a head case who truly believes in a delusion...

[tank_sherman]

Rem[em]eber everyone, with Al Qaeda's finances they could have bought a plane if they wanted one. Why would Atta attempt to get a federal loan and act like a lunatic in front of her?

Isn't it more amusing to have your enemy foot the cost of their own destruction than to pay for it yourself? Don't you recall the SEC investigation into the short sales on airline stocks in the weeks leading up to 9/11? (Still haven't heard the results of that one.)

Al Qaeda doesn't want to invest its own money in operations when it can finance its operations by using US tax dollars or investment dollars (you and I both have probably contributed, albeit unknowingly and involuntarily).

[Mitchell]

Why would Atta attempt to get a federal loan and act like a lunatic in front of her?

Maybe because he was a lunatic? Many a lunatic can't help but act like a lunatic, at least some of the time.