1 / 91

Before (and after) 9/11

Before (and after) 9/11. What didn’t happen, and what was going on elsewhere?. 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

gwylan
Download Presentation

Before (and after) 9/11

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Before (and after) 9/11 What didn’t 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: Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime (6:37-12:17)

  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. InterestsPetroleumhttp://commdocs.house.gov/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/Timeline.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 80’s: 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 Sudan;Unocal 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 Secy’s of Commerce, Interior, and Army are all previous oil-related execs • Secy of Energy rec’d 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 FBI’s John O’Neill 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 he’s 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 pipeline;Afghan 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 pipeline;India 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 6:45, an hour before Flight 11 departure • Atta’s bags don’t make the transfer, though everyone else’s 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 • Atta’s bags -- why didn’t 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 Atta’s luggage

  33. The Hijackers The Atta Story -- FBI 10/5 • Photo from Portland Jetport gas station • Atta & al-Omari (A&O) at 8:28 PM (date cropped) • “same picture” at Moussaoui trial (2006) -- date shows as 11-10-01 (Saturday) though stamped MON • Timeline has other pictures of A&O at other places at 8:31 and 8:41, getting to Jetport at 9:15

  34. The Hijackers The Atta Story -- FBI Affidavit • Signed by FBI agent and US magistrate judge • Dated 9/12, 9:53 AM • Blue Nissan Altima rented by Atta • A&O on AA flight 11 • AA personnel found A’s two bags • Magistrate authorized search • Found incriminating evidence, including A’s 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 FBI’s 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, they’ll 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?ol=9-11/suspects/hijackers-visa-express-program-started-3-months-before-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 id’s Yemen al-Qaeda communication hub (run by Almihdhar’s 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 didn’t share Almihdhar-in-US info because didn’t know he was there (obviously false from other evidence)

  50. Hijackers -- the (non) investigations Malaysia aQ Summit (1/00) 1 • Many of OBL’s 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 doesn’t tell them what to look for, so Malaysians concentrate on locals

More Related