Before (and after) 9/11

1
Before (and after) 9/11

• What didnt happen, and
• what was going on elsewhere?

2
Three main Before threads

• What the U.S. saw as its interests in the Mideast
• The activities surrounding the alleged hijackers
  in the U.S.
• What were they doing here?
• The (non) investigations
• Osama bin Laden (OBL or UBL)
• Warnings and Foreknowledge

3
U. S. Interestsin the Mideast

• dominance, oil gas

4
U.S. InterestsProject for New American Century
(PNAC)

• Devoted to matters of maintaining US
  pre-eminence, thwarting rival powers and shaping
  the global security system according to US
  interests.
• Consistent position regime change in Iraq
• Rebuilding America's Defenses Strategies,
  Forces, and Resources For a New Century (2000)
• Massive modernization, transformation, expansion
  of military
• Will take massive infusion of money from
  entitlements
• Because of public and institutional resistance,
  "the process of transformation, even if it brings
  revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one,
  absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event
  like a new Pearl Harbor.
• Clip Everybodys Gotta Learn Sometime
  (637-1217)

5
U.S. Interests PNAC
6
U.S. Interests PNAC in Bush Admin
7
U.S. Interests

• Union Oil Company of California
• 1890 founded
• 1995 cooperating with CIA, turning over
  information gained on Central Asian negotiating
  trips (part of larger CIA use of business)
• 1996 opens office in Kandahar during Taliban
  take-over
• 1996 anti-Taliban Massoud claims Unocal and CIA
  gave Taliban the money needed to take over
  Kandahar later CIA and Unocal said to give
  Taliban weapons and instructors
• 1997 agrees to pay 1M to set up facility (near
  Bin Laden compound) to train Pashtuns for
  building pipeline
• 1998-2005 discussed later
• 2005 China tries to buy, stymied by U.S.
  government national security concerns merged
  into Chevron

8
U.S. InterestsCentral Asia Cheney (CEO
Halliburton) "I cannot think of a time when we
have had a region emerge as suddenly to become as
strategically significant as the Caspian.
9
U.S. InterestsPetroleum http//commdocs.house.go
v/committees/intlrel/hfa48119.000/hfa48119_0.HTM

• 1998 Congressional testimony by
  Unocal
• Caspian/Central Asia rich in untapped petroleum
• Area is isolated
• Most pipelines were built during Russian
  Afghanistan era, head north, none south east
• Europe and former Soviet republics slow demand
  growth
• Asia is where big demand expected, where
  pipelines should go
• One main pipeline option is across Afghanistan,
  requiring a stable government having the
  confidence of governments, leaders, and our
  company

10
U.S. InterestsUnocal India Pipeline
11
U.S. InterestsHistory 79-91

• Based mostly on http//www.ringnebula.com/Oil/T
  imeline.htm
• 7/79 Carter orders aid to anti-govt forces in
  Afghanistan to induce Soviet invasion (ZbigBrz)
• 12/79 Soviets comply, after initial resistance
• mid/late 80s CIA works with Saudis to create an
  army to inject into Afghanistan
• Saudis pick OBL (wealthy construction family,
  close ties to royal family)
• 1989 Soviets leave Afghanistan
• 12/91 Soviet Union collapses
• Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan formed

12
U.S. InterestsHistory 93-96

• 1993 Oil companies start moving for the oil (200
  billion barrel estimate) also natural gas
• 1995 Unocal signs oil gas pipeline agreements
  with Turkmenistan
• Rt Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, to
  Indian Ocean
• 1995-97 Bridas (Argentine oil co.) in competing
  negotiations w/Turkmenistan/Taliban/Pakistan
• 8/96 Unocal Delta/Saudi sign memorandum of
  understanding with Russian Turkmen gas
  companies for building pipeline (same route)

13
U.S. InterestsHistory 97

• 1997 Congress declares Caspian/Caucasus a zone
  of vital American interest
• 10/97 Unocal others form Central Asia Gas
  Pipeline Ltd (CentGas) to build Afghan pipeline
• 12/97 Unocal invites Taliban reps to its Texas
  headquarters

14
U.S. InterestsHistory

• 1/98 Unocal and Pak/Turkmenistan/Taliban sign
  agreement on gas pipeline financing, with Unocal
  also considering an oil pipeline
• 1/98 Bridas wins the competition (?????)
• 2/98 Unocal VP tells Congress Taliban should be
  removed, replaced w/govt acceptable to Unocal
• 3/98 Unocal announces delay in finalizing
  project due to ongoing civil war

15
U.S. InterestsHistory

• 8/98 OBL-linked terrorists bomb African
  embassies
• 8/98 Clinton calls in 75-80 cruise missiles on
  Afghanistan and SudanUnocal suspends pipeline
  development
• 11/98 Trade Development Agency commissions
  Enron to investigate another route to Turkish
  coast (1bil more expensive)
• 12/98 Unocal cites business reasons, withdraws
  from the agreement

16
U.S. InterestsHistory

• 4/99 Pak/Turkmen/Afghan reactivate agreement
  without the U.S. interests
• 7/99 Clinton freezes Afghan assets, prohibits
  trade and other transactions
• 10/99 1st UN Security Council Res 1267 sanctions
  Taliban, demands OBL turnover without delay
• 10/00 USS Cole attacked
• 12/00 2nd UN Security Council Res 1333 more
  sanctions on Taliban, demands 1267 compliance

17
U.S. InterestsHistory 2001

• 1-2/01 Bush administration (BA)
• Cheney, Condoleeza Rice and Secys of Commerce,
  Interior, and Army are all previous oil-related
  execs
• Secy of Energy recd more oil as senator than
  all but 3 others
• BA immediately engages in active negotiations
  w/Taliban
• Taliban hires long-time Mujaheddin ally Laila
  Helms (niece of Richard Helms (former CIA head
  Iran ambassador) as go-between

18
U.S. InterestsHistory 2001

• 5/01 BA to Taliban on pipeline placement
  "Either you accept our offer of a carpet of gold,
  or we bury you under a carpet of bombs.
• 6/01 Ambassador to Yemen prevents FBIs John
  ONeill from entering Yemen to investigate
  aQ/Cole
• 7/01 Senior US officials tell former Pak foreign
  secretary that US military action against
  Afghanistan would start by mid-October BBC
  
• 9/11/01 .................................

19
U.S. InterestsHistory 2001

• 9/01 3rd UN Security Council Resolution 1373
  more sanctions
• 10/7/01 Aerial bombardment of Afghanistan
  begins, allegedly to get OBL and 9/11 accomplices
• 10/14/01 Taliban offers to turn over OBL to
  neutral country if US stops bombing and gives
  evidence of 9/11 guilt Bush rejects We know
  hes guilty.
• 10/16/01 Taliban moderate drops demand for
  proof but U.S. wants Taliban hard-liners out

20
U.S. InterestsHistory interlude

• 11/01 Bush order -- sitting or previous
  president (or family) can seal all presidential
  and/or vice-presidential records, including those
  of previous administrations does so for
  Reagan/Bush1 (also Clinton?)
• 1/02 Bush asks Daschle to limit Congressional
  9/11 investigations

21
U.S. InterestsHistory 2001-02

• 12/01 US-backed government takes over, under
  Hamid Karzai (former Unocal consultant)
• 12/01 Bush appoints Zalmay Khalilzad as special
  envoy to Afghanistan (former Unocal consultant in
  talks with Taliban in 1997)
• 2/02 Karzai and Pakistan pres agree to revive
  pipe-line Turkmenistan says it hopes will soon
  be built
• 5/02/02 Karzai and Turkmenistan/Pakistan
  counterparts hold talks on pipelineAfghan
  minister for Mines and Industries says Unocal is
  the lead company for building it.
• 5/30/02 Afghanistan,Turkmenistan and Pakistan
  agree to build the pipeline

22
U.S. InterestsHistory - later

• 4/10 Afghan, Pakistan, and India sign agreement
  to buy gas from Turkmenistan
• 12/10 Gas pipeline agreement signed
• 5/30/02 Afghanistan,Turkmenistan and Pakistan
  agree to build the pipeline
• 04/12 Failure to agree on gas transit fees
• India/Afghanistan re Afghan segment
• India/Pakistan re Pakistan segment
• 05/12 Afghan parliament approves pipelineIndia
  signs gas purchase agreement w/Turkmenistan

23
The Hijackers

• Did they even exist?
• What were they doing here?
• The (non)investigations
• Osama Bin Laden

24
The Hijackers Where did FBI get IDs?

• Head of Customs Boarder Protection testifies
  before 9/11 Commission
• On the morning of 9/11, they pulled manifests
  from airlines, noticed several suspicious
• Ran through lookout list
• In 45 minutes, they forwarded list of hijackers
  and passengers to FBI
• By 11AM, saw list with all 19 hijackers, all of
  whom turned out to be correct.
• Note original list had only 18 hijackers

25
The Hijackers (per FBI on 9/14) Flight 11

• Amir Bukhari 9/13 (died in small plane crash in
  2000)
• Waleed al-Shehri
• Adnan Bukhari 9/13 (alive in FL, passed
  polygraph)
• Wail al-Shehri (Saudi pilot, contacted officials
  to deny
• Abdulrahman al-Omari 9/13 (Saudi Air pilot,
  complained)
• Abdul Aziz al-Omari (confirmed name DoB, Saudi
  embassy says passport stolen in 1996)
• Amer Kamfar 9/13
• Satam al-Suqami (passport found before (FBI) or
  after (911C) North tower collapse)
• Mohamed Atta

26
The Hijackers (per FBI on 9/14) Flight 175

• Marwan al-Shehhi
• Faez Banihammad FBI Ahmed
• Mohand FBI Mohald al-Shehri
• Ahmed al-Ghamdi
• Hamza al-Ghamdi (also booked flights in Saudi
  Arabia for end of September)

27
The Hijackers (per FBI on 9/14) Flight 77

• Salem al-Hazmi (says never been to U.S., not out
  of Saudi Arabia in 2 years)
• Nawaf FBI Nawaq al-Hazmi
• Majed Moqed
• Khalid al-Midhar
• Mosead Caned (9/14 morning DoJ unreleased list)
• Hani Hanjour (not on passenger manifest)

28
The Hijackers (per FBI on 9/14) Flight 93

• Saeed al-Ghamdi (Saudi pilot name, residence,
  DoB, occupation match shocked and furious)
• Ahmed al-Nami
• Ahmad al-Haznawi
• Ziad Jarrah FBI Jarrahi -- correct on later
  versions of original manifests that were
  supposedly basis for identification

29
The Hijackers The Atta Story - 9/11 Comm

• Atta and al-Omari drive to Portland in rented
  blue Nissan
• Stay overnight
• Catch commuter flight to Boston
• Arrives at 645, an hour before Flight 11
  departure
• Attas bags dont make the transfer, though
  everyone elses do (though Atta was flagged by
  CAPPS -- Computer Assisted Passenger
  Pre-Screening)

30
The Hijackers The Atta Story - Problems

• Portland trip -- ringleader risks delay forcing
  postponement or cancellation of operation
• Attas bags -- why didnt they make the transfer
  (and why was there a will in them?)

31
The Hijackers The Atta Story develops

• CNN (9/12)
• Bukharis involved
• 2 individuals photographed going through Portland
  security
• Arabic flight training manuals found in car at
  Logan
• CNN (early 9/13, according to law-enforcement)
• Bukharis rent silver blue Nissan Altima in Boston
• Drive to Portland 9/10, drive back next morning
• Mitsubishi sedan found at Logan w/Arabic flight
  manuals, rented by Atta

32
The Hijackers The Atta Story develops

• CNN (later 9/13)
• Apology for Bukhari mistake (based on multiple
  law-enforcement reports)
• Still say flight manuals in Boston car
  w/references pointing to Atta and al-Shehhi
• CNN (9/14) -- Arabic language manuals in car
• CNN (later 9/14 per Portland Police)
• Atta one of two who boarded flight to Boston
• Nissan rented from same place as Boston car used
  by additional suspects
• WashPost (9/16) -- incriminating materials found
  in Attas luggage

33
The Hijackers The Atta Story -- FBI 10/5

• Photo from Portland Jetport gas station
• Atta al-Omari (AO) at 828 PM (date cropped)
• same picture at Moussaoui trial (2006) -- date
  shows as 11-10-01 (Saturday) though stamped MON
• Timeline has other pictures of AO at other
  places at 831 and 841, getting to Jetport at
  915

34
The Hijackers The Atta Story -- FBI Affidavit

• Signed by FBI agent and US magistrate judge
• Dated 9/12, 953 AM
• Blue Nissan Altima rented by Atta
• AO on AA flight 11
• AA personnel found As two bags
• Magistrate authorized search
• Found incriminating evidence, including As will
• So why all the misinformation on 9/13-14?

35
Hijackers -- what were they doing? Entry into US

• 91 Hanni Hanjour comes to Arizona

36
Hijackers -- what were they doing? Entry into US

• 1/00 Khaled Almihdhar Nawaf Alhazmi to LA
• Passports flagged as terror-related by Saudis
• CIA knows them, puts them on NSA watch list (for
  intercepts) but not State Dept watch list (to
  prevent entry) until 8/01, claims lost them in
  Bangkok after Malaysia aQ summit
• But Almihdhar tells KSM they were followed
• Thailand cables CIA about them in March, CIA
  claims no one saw this until May
• Settle in San Diego w/help from al-Bayoumi
  (called Saudi or other foreign intel by FBIs
  best source in the area)
• Live openly (in phone book, cell phone
  registered, etc.)
• Almihdhar leaves 6/00, returns to Yemen
  communication hub

37
Hijackers -- what were they doing? Entry into US

• 6/00 Ziad Jarrah arrives in Georgia
• Tourist visa from Berlin
• Stopped in Dubai
• UAE officials say stop was requested by CIA,
  question him for 4 hours, inform US, US says to
  let him go, theyll track him
• US denies knowing (but appears unlikely)
• Flies to Venice, FL, settles there

38
Hijackers -- what were they doing? Entry into US

• http//newsmine.org/content.php?ol9-11/suspects/
  hijackers-visa-express-program-started-3-months-be
  fore-911.txt (original WP article gone)
• Visa Express program -- started June 2001
• Only at the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia, to cut
  long lines, frees staff time to more thoroughly
  check suspicious ones
• No interviews or background checks -- data checks
  done by travel agencies (but 12 of 15 Saudi
  hijackers interviewed)
• Richard Armitage (PNAC) rejects requests from the
  Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force (FTTTF) to
  deny some visas (in July 2002)
• The information we have received from the FTTTF
  so far has been insufficient to permit a consular
  office to deny a visa. The information we have
  received states only that the FTTF believes the
  applicants may pose a threat to national
  security.

39
Hijackers -- what were they doing? Flying

• Ziad Jarrah
• Florida Flight Training Center (FFTC), Jun-? 2000
• Aiming for multi-engine license

40
Hijackers -- what were they doing? Flying

• Mohammed Atta Marwan Alshehhi
• Huffman Aviation (Venice), Jul-Dec 2000
• aiming for commercial licenses
• Atta already has private license
• Soloing by July
• Obnoxious attitude/authority problem, instructor
  wants to expell, owner Dekker talks to them, they
  improve
• Rent planes, gone for days at a time
• Go to Sarasota School (Sept), thrown out, return
  to Huffman
• Dekker says they leave after paying in Dec, but
  reportedly practice night-landing Huffman planes
  at another airport in Jan/Feb

41
Hijackers -- what were they doing? Flying
42
Hijackers -- what were they doing? Devout?

• Atta and Alshehhi
• Venice frequent two pubs, drink beer
• Atta never visits mosques or associates with
  Muslims
• Coral Springs Atta chain smoking
• Lots more (Las Vegas lap dancers, etc.)

43
Hijackers -- what were they doing? Living openly

• Nawaf Alhamzi and Ziad Jarrah
• Living in motel a few miles from NSA headquarters
  during Aug/early-Sept 2011

44
Hijackers -- what were they doing? Living Openly
45
Hijackers -- How did they get here? U.S. Saudi
visa office
46
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations2002
Congressional Inquiry

• Before 9/11, the intelligence community
  possessed no intelligence or law enforcement
  information linking 16 of the 19 hijackers
  including Atta to terrorism or terrorist
  groups.
• 
  Well....

47
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations The Yemen
Comm Hub 1

• 96? NSA monitoring OBL phone picks up Yemen
  number, later turns out to be a hub
• 8/98 East Africa embassy bombing
• 8/98 That investigation ids Yemen al-Qaeda
  communication hub (run by Almihdhars father-in
  law wife there)
• NSA CIA plant bugs, tap phones, satellite-watch
  visitors
• Intelligence bonanza -- counter-terrorism
  officials

48
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations The Yemen
Comm Hub 2

• 12/99 major info review to prevent Millennium
  attacks
• turns up two HJs connected to Yemen hub (
  heading to Malaysia aQ summit) also connected to
  East Africa bombing
• NSA identifies a number of HJs, fails to pass
  some of the info to CIA
• NSA report at the time shows clear knowledge of
  HJs connection to OBL

49
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations The Yemen
Comm Hub 3

• 00-01 -- many calls to/from hijackers
• 9/11 Commission NSA shared some but not all info
  w/CIA and FBI
• FBI agents working on aQ/Yemen said they never
  heard of the calls
• NSA says it didnt share Almihdhar-in-US info
  because didnt know he was there (obviously false
  from other evidence)

50
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Malaysia
aQ Summit (1/00) 1

• Many of OBLs close associates there
• CIA tracks Khalid Almihdhar from Dubai (where
  they copied his passport, which had a U.S.
  multi-entry visa)
• KA presence at summit provided to FBI (in an odd
  way), but existence of the visa NOT!
• CIA notifies Malaysia authorities about the
  summit, but doesnt tell them what to look for,
  so Malaysians concentrate on locals

51
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Malaysia
aQ Summit (1/00) 2

• Much surveillance, videotaping, photographing,
  cafe hard-drive checking
• No audio taping was done (inexplicably)
• Plans for Cole bombing and 9/11 allegedly
  discussed (how know if no audio taping?)
• Large number of hi-quality photos taken, not
  clear how many passed to CIA, or why only 2 or 3
  circulated in U.S. intelligence
• Some attendees captured in Mideast, US declines
  custody or doesnt interrogate

52
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Malaysia
aQ Summit (1/00) 3

• Knowledge of the presence of Nawaf Alhazmi and
  Khalid Almihdhar provided many future
  opportunities to foil the 9/11 plot, none taken.

53
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations CIA
doesnt tell FBI 1

• 1/00 FBI Strategic Info Op Center (SIOC) to deal
  with CIA/FBI communication problems
• CIA James tells FBI SIOC agent (who isnt a
  contact for this) about Malaysia summit and
  Almihdhar
• Then emails CIA people exactly what he told the
  FBI no mention of Almihdhar visa (dest NYC,
  3-month stay)
• New info arrives, does exactly the same thing
  with another SIOC agent, mentions suspicious
  activity but not criminal enterprise or impending
  attack (FBI matter)
• Later refuses to talk to Justice Dept, tells CIA
  Inspector General he has no recollection of any
  of this

54
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations CIA
doesnt tell FBI 2

• 1/00 FBI agent Doug Miller (assigned to CIA OBL
  unit) reads CIA cables about Almihdar US visa
  with NY destination and 3 month stay
• Drafts cable to FBI about it
• CIA person Michelle sees it, notifies deputy
  station chief, Tom Wilshire, who blocks it as
  not info for the FBI
• Michelle sends cable to CIA (but not FBI) saying
  info was shared w/FBI
• No one at CIA checks that FBI received info
  (standard practice)
• 9/11 Commission buries it, doesnt mention
  Wilshire
• Michelle apparently lies to CIA Inspector
  General, who reports that the block was due to
  wrong format or need for editing

55
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations CIA
doesnt tell FBI 3

• 1/00 Another FBI agent in CIAs OBL unit
  protests, but his superiors wont let him pass
  the visa info to the FBI
• Michelle insists next attack will be in SE Asia,
  will tell FBI when something comes up affecting
  them (i.e., US)
• Tom Wilshire sends CYA? email prior to 9/11
  expressing fear of Malaysia attack
• Post 9/11 allegation CIA trying to prevent FBI
  from interfering in (illegal, w/ Saudi intel)
  attempt to recruit Almihdhar and Alhamzi to
  monitor highjackers in U.S.
• (CIA says it stopped monitoring Atta in Germany,
  but German experts suspected this continued in
  US)

56
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Able
Danger 1, Jan 2000

• Secret U.S. Army Intelligence unit
• Uses computer analysis of connections between
  people
• identifies 5 aQ cells
• Brooklyn cell related to Brooklyn
• includes Atta, Alshehhi, Almihdhar, Nawaf Alhazmi
• not necessarily living in Brooklyn (or US)

57
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Able
Danger 2

• Identifies Atta/Sheikh Omar Abdul-Rahman (WTC
  93) connection
• 2x3 chart with 5 clusters of names around OBL
  in the center
• Chart disappears
• 2.4 Terabytes of data destroyed by a captain on
  pain of losing his job

58
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Able
Danger 3
59
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Able
Danger 4

• 9/11 Commission ignores Able Danger in spite of
  testimony by Col. Anthony Shaffer
• Defense Department Inspector General investigates
• Asks leading questions
• Browbeats Philpott, asking him again and again
  over several weeks until he apparently gets the
  picture and changes his story to say Shaffer
  probably talked him into thinking Atta was
  mentioned.
• Does not interview the perpetrators

60
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations John
ONeill

• FBI Deputy DIrector, leading authority on aQ,
  investigator of WTC 93
• Repeated obstruction of his aQ investigations
• The main obstacles to investigate Islamic
  terrorism were US oil corporate interests, and
  the role played by Saudi Arabia in it.
• Said the Bush administration slowed down
  aQ/terrorism investigations related Afghanistan
  because of negotiations with Taliban over an oil
  pipeline
• Resigns from FBI on August 22
• Offered job as security head of WTC (34th fl
  office)
• Dies in attack -- called son and friend to say
  fine, called the FBI, went back into the building
  to help

61
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Robert
Wright, FBI Chicago

• 12 years w/FBI, partner John Vincent, 27 years
  w/FBI
• Following 1998 embassy bombing, part of terrorism
  task force, investigating connection between
  Chicago cell and financial kingpin Yassim al-Kadi
  in Chicago
• Could follow suspects and file reports, but "The
  supervisor who was there from headquarters was
  right straight across from me and started yelling
  at me 'You will not open criminal
  investigations'
• In response to repeated efforts "I think it's
  just better to let sleeping dogs lie. (1/01)
• Federal prosecutor Mark Flessner assigned to
  build the cases "There were powers bigger than I
  was in the Justice Department and within the FBI
  that simply were not going to let it the
  criminal case happen.
• Wright eventually sued the FBI over their
  obstruction.

62
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Robert
Wright, FBI Chicago
63
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Phoenix
Memo, July 10, 2001

• Phoenix FBI office became concerned about
  possible flight training by terrorist suspects
• Agent Kenneth Williams wrote memo to FBI HQ about
  this
• http//www.thememoryhole.org/911/phoenix-memo/01.h
  tm (jpg)
• The purpose of this communication, is to advise
  the bureau and New York of the possibility of a
  coordinated effort by Osama bin Laden to send
  students to the United States to attend civil
  aviation universities and colleges. Phoenix has
  observed an inordinate number of individuals of
  investigative interest who are attending or who
  have attended civil aviation universities and
  colleges in the State of Arizona....
• The memo recommends the FBI compile a list of all
  flight training schools and assign liaisons to
  start watching them, and interagency sharing of
  info
• Published copy had much redacted material,
  raising suspicions that it contained names of
  some of the hijackers
• It was ignored (?) by FBI HQ

64
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Coleen
Rowley, Aug 2001

• Chief attorney for Minneapolis FBI, famous 5/02
  memohttp//www.time.com/time/covers/1101020603/m
  emo.html
• Investigating Moussaoui (20th hijacker),
  suspicion that he was going to try to fly
  something into the WTC, confiscated his laptop,
  tried to get permission to examine it, FBI HQ
  refused to get permission, finally obtained on
  9/11
• FBI HQ never told Minneapolis of the Phoenix
  pilot memo
• In the weeks leading up to 9/11, frustrated field
  agents in Minneapolis bitterly joked that key
  officials in Washington "had to be spies or moles
  ... working for Osama bin Laden."
• Office head, Marion Spike Bowman, given award
  for exceptional performance by FBI Director
  Mueller, 12/01
• Mueller continued to state FBI had no prior
  knowledge after repeated attempts by Rowley to
  disabuse him of that fact.
• No one in FBI was ever investigated about all this

65
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Coleen
Rowley, Aug 2001
66
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Harry
Samet, Aug 2001

• http//www.reason.com/news/show/36676.html
• Minneapolis FBI investigating Moussaoui
• Moussaoui wanted to hijack a plane and had the
  weapons with which to do it, believes it is
  acceptable to kill civilians and approves of
  martyrdom.
• Training on 747 simulator (just wanted to do
  it) suspicious of terrorism
• Suspected connection to terrorist camp
• Filed over 70 reports, ignored
• Supervisor Mike Maltbie blocked Aug 31 letter to
  FAA
• Maltbie and David Frasca (radical fundamentalist
  head) said only wanted facts on connection to
  foreign power for FISA court, but suspicions were
  enough for criminal search
• Samet told pressing to hard for warrant would
  hurt career

67
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Harry
Samet, Aug 2001
68
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Sibel
Edmonds, 2002

• Hired by FBI Language Services Section (high
  security) as translator in Sept 01 for detainee
  interrogations
• Dec 01 - March 02 Complaints to superiors about
  things she uncovered -- many, including
• FBI, State Department, and Pentagon infiltrated
  by a Turkish Israeli-run intelligence network
  that paid high American officials to steal
  nuclear weapons secrets
• FBI received information in April 2001, from a
  reliable Iranian intelligence asset, that Osama
  Bin Laden was planning attacks on 4-5 cities with
  planes, some of the people were already in the
  country and the attacks would happen in a few
  months
• Retaliation -- access cut, computer taken,
  polygraph, fired
• Subsequently became most gagged person in U.S.
  history
• 9/11 Commission relegated her to a small
  irrelevant footnote

69
Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Sibel
Edmonds, 2002
70
Hijackers -- Osama bin Laden

• So, was OBL guilty?

71
Hijackers -- Osama bin Laden In his own words 1

• September 16, read by himselfI stress that I
  have not carried out this act, which appears to
  have been carried out by individuals with their
  own motivations.
• Broadcast around the world, except in the U.S.
  Bush administration told media it might contain
  secret signals to aQ terrorists

72
Hijackers -- Osama bin Laden In his own words 2

• September 28, in Pakistani newspaper"I have
  already said that I am not involved in the 11
  September attacks in the United States. As a
  Muslim, I try my best to avoid telling a lie. I
  had no knowledge of these attacks, nor do I
  consider the killing of innocent women, children,
  and other humans as an appreciable act. Islam
  strictly forbids causing harm to innocent women,
  children and other people...
• "There exists a government within the government
  of the United States. That secret government
  must be asked as to who carried out the
  attacks.ll The United States should trace the
  perpetrators of these attacks to those person who
  want to make the present century a century of
  conflict between Islam and Christianity so that
  their own nation could survive."
• Bush administration same response

73
Hijackers -- Osama bin Laden In his own (?)
words 3

• December 13 videotape found in a house in
  Jalalabad during Afghanistan invasion
• Pentagon re-sequence for release, but available
  in both formshttp//www.npr.org/news/specials/re
  sponse/investigation/011213.binladen.tape.html
• So-called smoking gun
• Spoken by face very different from OBL in face
  analysis
• Duke University OBL expert Bruce Lawrence this
  is not OBL, and a January tape threatening the US
  is doubtfully OBL
• Muslim world didnt buy it
• Bush Its preposterous for anybody to think
  this tape is doctored. Thats just a feeble
  excuse to provide weak support for an incredibly
  evil man.

74
Hijackers -- Osama bin Laden In his own (?)
words 3

• "The brothers, who conducted the operation, all
  they knew was that they have a martyrdom
  operation and we asked each of them to go to
  America, but they didn't know anything about the
  operation, not even one letter. But they were
  trained and we did not reveal the operation to
  them until they are there and just before they
  boarded the planes.... Those who were trained to
  fly didn't know the others. One group of people
  did not know the other group."
• "....we calculated in advance the number of
  casualties from the enemy, who would be killed
  based on the position of the tower. We
  calculated that the floors that would be hit
  would be three or four floors. I was the most
  optimistic of them all inaudible due to my
  experience in this field I was thinking that the
  fire from the gas in the plane would melt the
  iron structure of the building and collapse the
  area where the plane hit and all the floors above
  it. This is all that we had hoped for."

75
Hijackers -- Osama bin Laden Which doesnt
fit?Thanks to Steven Jones, 9/11 Revisited
76
Hijackers -- Osama bin Laden Facial Analysis
77
Hijackers -- Osama bin Laden Guilty of 9/11?

• FBI Website for OBL as most wantedhttp//www.fbi
  .gov/wanted/terrorists/terbinladen.htm
• Usama Bin Laden is wanted in connection with the
  August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States
  Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and
  Nairobi, Kenya. These attacks killed over 200
  people. In addition, Bin Laden is a suspect in
  other terrorist attacks throughout the world.

78
Hijackers -- Osama bin Laden No hard evidence?

• http//www.teamliberty.net/id267.html
• On June 5, 2006, the Muckraker Report contacted
  the FBI Headquarters, [phone], to learn
  why Bin Ladens Most Wanted poster did not
  indicate that Usama was also wanted in connection
  with 9/11. The Muckraker Report spoke with Rex
  Tomb, Chief of Investigative Publicity for the
  FBI. When asked why there is no mention of 9/11
  on Bin Ladens Most Wanted web page, Tomb said,
  The reason why 9/11 is not mentioned on Usama
  Bin Ladens Most Wanted page is because the FBI
  has no hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to
  9/11.
• Surprised by the ease in which this FBI spokesman
  made such an astonishing statement, I asked, How
  this was possible? Tomb continued, Bin Laden
  has not been formally charged in connection to
  9/11. I asked, How does that work? Tomb
  continued, The FBI gathers evidence. Once
  evidence is gathered, it is turned over to the
  Department of Justice. The Department of Justice
  than decides whether it has enough evidence to
  present to a federal grand jury. In the case of
  the 1998 United States Embassies being bombed,
  Bin Laden has been formally indicted and charged
  by a grand jury. He has not been formally
  indicted and charged in connection with 9/11
  because the FBI has no hard evidence connected
  Bin Laden to 9/11.

79
Hijackers -- Osama bin Laden The White Paper?
80
Hijackers -- Osama bin Laden After 9/11

• Invasion and escape from Afghanistan

81
Hijackers -- Osama bin Laden After 9/11

• FBI Director Robert Mueller, April 19, 2002 at
  the Commonwealth Club "The hijackers also left
  no paper trail. In our investigation, we have
  not uncovered a single piece of paper either here
  or in the U.S. or in the treasure trove of
  information that has turned up in Afghanistan and
  elsewhere that mentioned any aspect of the
  September 11th plot.

82
Warnings and Foreknowledge

• Sometimes they are hard to separate....

83
Warnings /Foreknowledge 2001Foreign Governments
2001

• 23 warnings from 11 foreign governments
• many specifically mentioning planes and symbolic
  urban targets

84
Warnings /Foreknowledge 2001U.S. Intelligence

• June George Tenet briefing Rice on threat of aQ
  attack is described by Richard Clarke as having
  his hair on fire
• July 5 CIA briefs Ashcroft a significant aQ
  attack is imminent and could occur at any time
• July 5 Acting FBI director Tom Pickard briefs
  Ashcroft about terror threat in U.S.Ashcroft I
  do not want to hear about this any more
  (Pickard, under oath)
• July Ashcroft stops flying commercial CBS

85
Warnings /Foreknowledge 2001Foreign Governments
2001

• Germany, June The BND (German intelligence)
  warns the CIA and Israelis that Mideast terrorist
  plan to hijack commercial aircraft to use as
  weapons against American and Israeli cultural
  symbols
• Jordan, Summer intercepts communication on
  attacks planned for WTC, passes to Washington
• France, Aug-Sept French intelligence repeatedly
  warns of imminent attacks
• Cayman Islands, week before caller to talk show
  reports imminent OBL attack on US

86
Warnings /Foreknowledge 2001Foreign Governments
2001

• Russia, August
• Moscow knew about the perpetrators, and warned
  Washington about their preparations for the
  attacks two weeks beforehand Izvestia, 9/12
• Putin says he ordered intel service to warn the
  US government "in the strongest possible terms"
  of imminent assaults on airports and government
  buildings MSNBC interview, 9/15
• Bizarre case Mike Vreeland (Naval intelligence
  spy) has letter in Russian detailing Iraqi plans
  to attack WTC, 3-Mile Island, Pentagon with
  planes, tries to warn US government, rebuffed

87
Warnings/Foreknowledge 2001Insider trading on
put options

• The trades
• American Airlines 9/10 -- 60x
• United Airlines 9/6-10 -- 90x (9/6 285x)
• No other airlines
• Morgan Stanley 9/7-10 -- 27x
• Merrill Lynch 9/5?-10 -- 12x
• Worldwide Japan, North America, Europe
• regulators will "certainly be able to track down
  every trade. SEC enforcement chief William Lucas
• UK Financial Services Authority clears OBL et al

88
Warnings/Foreknowledge 2001Insider trading on
put options

• 9/11 Commission response
• The trades were all investigated and led to
  investors who had no connection to terrorists.
• Ummm....

89
Warnings /Foreknowledge 2001Insider trading on
put options

• Relation to Intelligence
• First report Israeli Institute on
  Counterterrorism
• PROMIS software
• Incorporates data from variety of databases in
  different languages into one readable format
• Used by FBI to monitor transactions in a virtual
  real-time environment

90
The 9/11 Commission

• How it was delayed,
• how it started,
• how it was compromised

91
The 9/11 Commission