News and Document archive source
copyrighted material disclaimer at bottom of page

NewsMine9-11inquiry — Viewing Item


Panel describes how attackers got money { September 11 2001 }

Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
   http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/22/911.commission/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/22/911.commission/index.html

9/11 panel describes how attackers got money
New details on hijackers' visa, immigration violations
From Phil Hirschkorn
CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The 9/11 commission has released new details about how 19 hijackers and suspected conspirators in the attacks of September 11, 2001, were financed.

The two new reports -- released Saturday shortly before the commission closed -- also revealed visa and immigration violations among the suspected hijackers.

The commission released pictures of hijackers' visas -- including the charred remains of Ziad Jarrah's visa, plucked from the wreckage of United Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Eight other alleged 9/11 conspirators applied for visas, and three of them succeeded, the reports said. Alleged plot mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed secured a visa in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in July 2001 under an alias, according to the reports.

The other two visas obtained were for Mushabib al-Hamlan, who ultimately did not participate, and Mohamed al-Kahtani, who was refused entry into the United States by an alert customs officer, the reports said.

Mohammed was captured in March 2003 and is being held at an unknown location. Al-Kahtani is being held at the U.S. detainee facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Al-Hamlan's whereabouts are not publicly known.

The independent National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States released its so-called "final report" on July 22 in a 570-page book.

Congress established the bipartisan panel to investigate events before, during and immediately after the attacks.

Financing terror
The first of the new reports -- referred to as monographs -- deals with financing. It concluded -- as in previous reports -- that preparations for the attacks cost somewhere between $400,000 and $500,000 -- of which about $300,000 was spent in the United States. The costs do not include expenses for terrorist camp training, the report said.

Al Qaeda, which spent at estimated $30 million a year according to the CIA, was funded primarily by donors and corrupt charities, not Osama bin Laden's personal wealth or bin Laden-owned business fronts, the report says.

Bin Laden received $1 million a year from his family and was cut off in 1994. The origin of 9/11 funds is unknown but no money for the attacks was raised in the United States. The hijackers did not self-finance or have jobs.

The monograph reveals in detail how the hijackers received money from wire transfers, cash and traveler's checks, and credit or debit cards for overseas bank accounts. The report says most of the funds were sent by Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, a nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Immigration violations
A second monograph details how all of the 9/11 hijackers violated some aspect of immigration U.S. laws while gaining entry to, or remaining in, the United States:


Jarrah attended flight school in June 2000 without properly adjusting his immigration status, rendering him inadmissible each of the subsequent six times he reentered the United States between June 2000 and August 5, 2001.

Hani Hanjour did not attend school after entering on a student visa in December 2000.

Mohamed Atta failed to present a proper M-1 (vocational school) visa when he entered the United States in January 2001 and had previously overstayed his tourist visa.

Nawaf al-Hazmi and Satam al-Suqami overstayed the terms of their admission.

Each of the 19 submitted a visa application stating that he was not seeking to enter the United States to engage in terrorism.

At the time they presented themselves to U.S. ports of entry, all 19 had been trained in Afghan camps and had prepared for and planned terrorist activity.

At least two (al-Suqami and Abdul Aziz al-Omari) and possibly as many as seven of the 19 had false travel stamps -- associated with al Qaeda -- on their passports when they applied for visas.
The new documents also explain that the al Qaeda terrorist network favored using Saudi passports for its operatives because irregularities in the country's passport issuance system made the passports more readily available.

Saudis flee the U.S.
The second monograph also details 11 flights that left the United States between September 13 and September 24, 2001, carrying Saudi nationals, including members of bin Laden's family.

"Fearing reprisals against Saudi nationals, Rihab Massoud, deputy chief of mission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C., called Dale Watson, the FBI's assistant director for counterterrorism, shortly after the attack and asked for help in getting some of the kingdom's citizens out of the country," the document states.

The commission says White House Counterterrorism Security Coordinator Richard Clarke appears to be the most senior official involved in approving the flights.

"President Bush and Vice President Cheney told the commission that they did not speak with Saudi government officials about the flights before their departure," the document states. "The president told the commission that the first he knew about the issue was when he read about it in the newspaper."

The commission states that all the Saudi nationals were screened by the FBI to make certain they were not a threat to national security, and that no terrorists escaped from the United States on any of the Saudi flights.






berger-incident
bush-interview
commission-failure
commission-recommendations
conflicts-of-interest
congress-report
dissent
hampering-probe
public-heaings
senator-graham-alleges-coverup
9 11 probe quit
911 attacks preventable panel head believes { December 19 2003 }
911 commission chairs son runs for new jersey senate { October 19 2006 }
911 inquiry fired
911 panel cites communication failures between nyfd nypd { May 18 2004 }
911 panel reaches deal on access to papers { November 13 2003 }
911 panel to get more access to memos
911 probe panel
911 victim families not taking bribe money
Air defense flaws detail in 911 panel { April 25 2004 }
Ashcroft blames clinton rules for 911 { April 14 2004 }
Ashcroft blames intelligence sharing wall { April 14 2004 }
Battle over 911 panels deadline intesifies { January 29 2004 }
Breaks on 9 11 truth commission
Bush disagrees with saddam 911 connection { June 17 2004 }
Bush grants commission extension { February 4 2004 }
Bush press conference during 911 hearings
Bushs 911 coverup { June 18 2003 }
Chair says attack was preventable
Chief assess blame but holds off on higher ups { December 19 2003 }
Cia report criticizes cia leaders actions { January 8 2005 }
Commission could subpoena oval office files { October 26 2003 }
Commission investigates FBI { April 13 2004 }
Commission tells of many warnings { July 25 2004 }
Commission votes to subpoena pentagon
Congressional investigation angers cia fbi
Conspiracy theories abound in 911 probe { December 29 2003 }
Deal 911 commision { November 15 2002 }
Failed put hijackers watch list { May 15 2003 }
Families seek curb probe officer
Grassley investigate 911
House 911 inquiry
Kean says 911 attacks could have been prevented { December 19 2003 }
Kean says 911 report will be surprising
Most families havent taken payoff fund { August 31 2003 }
News reporters ordered not to investigate 911
No iraq link to 911 says panel
Panel describes how attackers got money { September 11 2001 }
Panel grills alqaeda chiefs on 911 { May 12 2004 }
Panel has glimpse presidential briefings { November 16 2003 }
Panel has testy exchange with firefights police { May 18 2004 }
Panel may subpoena its summaries of bush briefings { January 31 2004 }
Panel plans hard questions for fbi doj { April 6 2004 }
Panel probes failures of air defenses
Panel requests documents { June 19 2003 }
Panel seeks declassification of 911 warning memo
Panel urged disciplinary { December 11 2002 }
Panel will sharply fault role of congress { July 22 2004 }
Report citing blame for 911 supressed till after election { October 19 2004 }
Secrets of 911
Tenet lies about not seeing bush in august 2001 { April 16 2004 }
Terrorism catchall too vague an enemy for war { July 23 2004 }
Top brass says no chance hijackers fly into pentagon { April 15 2004 }
Victims relatives press white house for sept 11 details { October 29 2003 }
Why does 911 inquiry scare bush { July 11 2003 }

Files Listed: 55



Correction/submissions

CIA FOIA Archive

National Security
Archives
Support one-state solution for Israel and Palestine Tea Party bumper stickers JFK for Dummies, The Assassination made simple