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10.01.05, 02:41
Category: News & Opinion (General) Topic: Government
Synopsis: A research summary for educational purposes in "Liberty Issues"
Source: Original Summary
Published: January 9, 2005 Author: ratcat
For Education and Discussion Only. Not for Commercial Use.
Osama bin Laden - - Had Some Help
According to the U.S. government and the 9/11 Commission, an Islamic man in
Afghanistan, known as Osama bin Laden, used his terrorist organization, known
as al Qaeda (haters of freedom) to carry out the terrorist attacks on
September 11. Let's look at what was involved in bringing about one of the
most diabolical terrorist attacks in history.
The players:
Osama bin Laden - freedom fighter in Afghanistan, established military
training camps in Afghanistan and forced out the Soviets with the full support
and funding of the U.S. Congress and the CIA. Al Qaeda fighters were later
used in the Balkans by the Clinton Administration to overthrow Serbia.[1]
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld - presides over NORAD, the North American
Aerospace Defense Command, which uses ground-based radar, airborne radar,
satellites, fighter aircraft, "proven command structures" and intelligence
capabilities to enforce control of the skies over the United States and Canada.[2]
The President of the United States George W. Bush - presides over the
Pentagon, NORAD, and all intelligence agencies.
Dennis Hastert (R,IL), Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives - has
oversight over executive agencies to ensure that taxpayer money is used
legally and appropriately.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) - collects, evaluates, and disseminates
foreign intelligence to assist the President and senior U.S. Government
policymakers in making decisions relating to national security.
Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney - directed the response to
9/11 from the White House emergency bunker.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) - the investigative arm of the Dept.
of Justice, responsible to protect and defend the United States against
terrorist and foreign intelligence threats and to uphold and enforce the
criminal federal laws of the United States.
The National Security Agency (NSA) - part of the Dept. of Defense, responsible
for the collection and analysis of global communications, including radio and
the internet. Operates Echelon to monitor civilian telephone, fax and data
traffic.
John Ashcroft, Attorney General of the United States, Dept of Justice (DOJ) -
investigates and prosecutes violations of federal laws, represents the
interests of the president.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) - responsible for the safety of civil
aviation, regulates and controls the air traffic system, regulates commercial
air space.
* Fifteen of the nineteen alleged hijackers were able to obtain visas at the
U.S Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia so they could enter the United States.
Three used Visa Express where no interviews were required.[3] The Jeddah
Consulate had previously been used by the CIA to bring bin Laden recruits into
the U.S. for training, to be returned to Afghanistan to fight the Soviets.[4]
* In June of 2001, the FAA rescinded a 40-year-old rule allowing pilots to
carry guns into the cockpit.[5]
* Sec. of Defense Rumsfeld and the Joint Chiefs of Staff changed the
long-standing rules on how hijackings should be handled on June 1, 2001.[6]
Effective after that date, NORAD had to obtain approval directly from Rumsfeld
in order to respond to off-course aircraft - which as a matter of routine
occurred 67 times in the 8 months prior to 9/11. On the morning of 9/11,
Rumsfeld was in his "usual intelligence briefing" in the Pentagon and
"continued his briefing" [7] until he smelled smoke in his office.
* After the alleged al Qaeda operatives entered the U.S., they entered flight
schools at several different locations. Several attended U.S. military
training facilities, such as the Defense Language School at Lackland Air Force
Base in Texas, the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama,[8]
and the Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida.[9]
* Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House, and several other members of Congress
refused to meet with FBI agents who wanted to tell what they knew about a
planned terrorist attack on lower Manhattan. John Ashcroft's Dept. of Justice
intervened. David Schippers, Chicago attorney and previous Clinton impeachment
investigator, called several members of Congress (including Hastert) begging
them to take testimony from the FBI agents before the terrorist act
occurred.[10] The agents were later threatened with prosecution by the DOJ if
they went public with what they knew.[11]
* In July of 2001, a CIA official was reported to have met with Osama bin
Laden, who was receiving treatment for kidney problems at an American hospital
in Dubai. France's Le Figaro newspaper and Radio France International reported
that bin Laden checked into the American Hospital Dubai in the United Arab
Emirates, a 100-bed, acute-care general hospital, July 4 and stayed until July
14. He arrived from Quetta, Pakistan, accompanied by his personal doctor, four
bodyguards and a male nurse. Bin Laden received many visitors: local
dignitaries and family members, including the CIA agent,[12] Larry Mitchell,
who was widely recognized locally. Mitchell was recalled to the U.S. shortly
thereafter. At the time, bin Laden was wanted by the U.S. government for
possible involvement in the USS Cole bombing. The CIA dismissed the report as
"absurd." When questioned, both news agencies stood by their reports.[13] The
urologist who is said to have treated bin Laden, Dr. Terry Callaway, refused
to answer any questions.[12]
* An FBI informant in San Diego, California, provided housing and assistance
to two of the alleged hijackers: al-Mihdar and al-Hazmi. The informant claimed
he had no way of knowing that they were going to carry out a terrorist attack
[14] and had not provided their full names to the FBI. When their names were
placed on the Terrorist Watch List in Aug, 2001, the FBI couldn't find
al-Mihdhar even though his name was in the San Diego phone book [15] and they
had one of their informants housing him. When the Joint House-Senate
Intelligence Committees wanted to question the FBI informant about his role,
the FBI refused. To this day, the informant has not been questioned. A senior
member of the FBI’s Congressional Affairs Staff stated “the Administration
would not sanction a staff interview with the source." The FBI provided the
informant with a Dept. of Justice lawyer at taxpayers' expense.[16] Of course,
they didn't need to worry about the 9/11 Commission demanding to question him.
* The CIA did not put al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi's names on the Terrorist Watch
List until August 24, 2001, even though they had information identifying them
as suspected terrorists with visas to enter the U.S. for 18 months
previous.[17] The CIA began surveillance on Khaled al-Mihdhar in late 1999. In
testimony before the Joint Congressional Inquiry, CIA Director Tenet stated
that the CIA had learned after 9/11 that "in the mid-90s, al-Hazmi and
al-Mihdhar traveled to Bosnia" [18] where they participated in U.S.-funded
clashes between Muslims and Serbs.[1] At that time, the Clinton Administration
overthrew the Serbian government.
* The NSA delayed translation and dissemination of information obtained in
wiretapped phone calls concerning al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi until after 9/11.
The NSA had information associating al-Hazmi with the bin Laden network. NSA
Director Lt. Gen. Michael Hayden said even though the NSA did not share the
1998-99 interceptions, U.S. intelligence by the year 2000 had al-Hazmi and
al-Mihdhar "in our sights. We knew of their association with al Qaeda."[19] In
addition, the NSA intercepted on Sept. 10, 200
