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===United States===
===United States===
Worldwide, many see the attack as a result of United States policy toward the Middle East and surrounding area during the previous years. {{Fact|date=July 2007}} [[Central CIA]] operations in Iran, aiding Iraq monetarily during the [[Iraq-Iran War]], more than a half a century of support for [[Israel]], and operations during the [[Cold War]] are cases which, according to scholar [[Chalmers Johnson]], have caused the "blowback" of 9/11. [[Blowback (intelligence)|Blowback]], according to Chalmers, is the term used to describe the consequences of foreign [[CIA]] intervention that was deliberately kept secret from the public. They believe that such acts of terrorism are only to be expected given the economic and cultural power of the United States and the multinational corporations which are identified with it. The creation of pockets of hatred, according to this viewpoint, is an inevitable consequence of the overwhelming outside economic pressure placed on poor countries with minimal control of their political destiny. Many also criticize the U.S.'s [[War on Terrorism]], fearing that a violent response will only continue the cycle. Notwithstanding this, many also believe that the attack was an extreme criminal act, and that cause does not equal justification.
Worldwide, many see the attack as a result of United States policy toward the Middle East and surrounding area during the previous years. {{Fact|date=July 2007}} A 2004 report by the [[Pew Research Center]] indicated that 38% of Americans believed that the U.S. did wrong in its dealings with other countries and that might have motivated the attacks.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Foreign Policy Attitudes Now Driven by 9/11 and Iraq|date=August 18, 2004|accessdate=2007-07-19|publisher=[[Pew Research Center]]|url=http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=866}}</ref> [[Central CIA]] operations in Iran, aiding Iraq monetarily during the [[Iraq-Iran War]], more than a half a century of support for [[Israel]], and operations during the [[Cold War]] are cases which, according to scholar [[Chalmers Johnson]], have caused the "blowback" of 9/11. [[Blowback (intelligence)|Blowback]], according to Chalmers, is the term used to describe the consequences of foreign [[CIA]] intervention that was deliberately kept secret from the public. They believe that such acts of terrorism are only to be expected given the economic and cultural power of the United States and the multinational corporations which are identified with it. The creation of pockets of hatred, according to this viewpoint, is an inevitable consequence of the overwhelming outside economic pressure placed on poor countries with minimal control of their political destiny. Many also criticize the U.S.'s [[War on Terrorism]], fearing that a violent response will only continue the cycle. Notwithstanding this, many also believe that the attack was an extreme criminal act, and that cause does not equal justification.


According to the [[September 11, 2001 time-line for the day of the attacks|timeline]], both air traffic controllers and [[NORAD]] could have reacted more quickly and coordinated better. Instead of doing so immediately, [[Boston]] ATC took 19 minutes to tell NORAD it may have a potential hijacking. Despite the fact that the plane remained on primary radar (turning the transponder off would only affect secondary radar) ATC did not, for whatever reason, relay position or heading information to the [[F-15]]s launched to intercept it. The hijacking of flight 175 goes unnoticed for nine minutes despite a significant change of heading. Though the U.S. "open sky" policy means planes can make minor changes in speed, heading or altitude without ATC permission, aircraft that go off course by hundreds of miles should draw active attention for basic safety reasons. The U.S. was repeatedly advised of its poor aircraft security arrangements on internal flights by other nations. Even months after the attack, ''Flight International'' magazine was drawing attention to lack of checks on check-in baggage and pure cargo flights. Whether by lack of investment, poor training, or simple foolishness, U.S. Federal authorities, it is claimed, did not do all they could have to prevent the attack from occurring, or being as successful as it was.
According to the [[September 11, 2001 time-line for the day of the attacks|timeline]], both air traffic controllers and [[NORAD]] could have reacted more quickly and coordinated better. Instead of doing so immediately, [[Boston]] ATC took 19 minutes to tell NORAD it may have a potential hijacking. Despite the fact that the plane remained on primary radar (turning the transponder off would only affect secondary radar) ATC did not, for whatever reason, relay position or heading information to the [[F-15]]s launched to intercept it. The hijacking of flight 175 goes unnoticed for nine minutes despite a significant change of heading. Though the U.S. "open sky" policy means planes can make minor changes in speed, heading or altitude without ATC permission, aircraft that go off course by hundreds of miles should draw active attention for basic safety reasons. The U.S. was repeatedly advised of its poor aircraft security arrangements on internal flights by other nations. Even months after the attack, ''Flight International'' magazine was drawing attention to lack of checks on check-in baggage and pure cargo flights. Whether by lack of investment, poor training, or simple foolishness, U.S. Federal authorities, it is claimed, did not do all they could have to prevent the attack from occurring, or being as successful as it was.

Revision as of 07:14, 19 July 2007

Template:Sep11

See also: September 11, 2001 attacks

The United States government quickly identified the 19 hijackers as being responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks, and linked the attacks to Osama bin Laden.

Initial investigation

The FBI investigation into the September 11, 2001 attacks, code named operation PENTTBOM, was the largest and most complex investigation in the history of the FBI, involving over 7,000 special agents.[1] Within 72 hours of the attacks, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was able to identify the 19 deceased hijackers.[2] None of the hijackers made attempts to disguise their names on flight and credit card records, and there were few people of Arabic descent on the flights. Mohamed Atta's luggage, which did not make the connection from his Portland flight onto American Airlines Flight 11, contained important clues about the hijackers and their plans. His luggage contained papers that revealed the identity of all 19 hijackers, and provided information about their plans, motives, and backgrounds.[3] The FBI was able to determine details such as dates of birth, known and/or possible residences, visa status, and specific identity of the suspected pilots. However, since none of these documents were ever presented in the Moussaoui trial (known as the 20th hijacker), these documents have never been scrutinized by independent legal experts (See "The Case against Zacarias Moussaoui" [1]). On September 27, 2001, the FBI released photos of the 19 hijackers, along with information about the possible nationalities and aliases of many.[4]

On the day of the attacks, U.S. intelligence agencies also intercepted communications that pointed to Osama bin Laden.[5] The United States government determined that al-Qaeda, headed by Osama bin Laden, bore responsibility for the attacks, with the FBI stating that evidence linking Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden to the attacks of September 11 is clear and irrefutable.[6] The Government of the United Kingdom reached the same conclusion, regarding Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden's culpability for the September 11, 2001 attacks.[7]

Witness reports of Hijackers

Main article: Organizers of the September 11, 2001 attacks

The Hijackers of American Airlines Flight 11, American Airlines Flight 77, United Airlines Flight 93, and United Airlines Flight 175 are responsible for the terrorist attacks of 9/11. A number of witness reports were recorded and testified to while the hijackings were in progress. While the hijacking was in progress, two stewardesses on American Airlines Flight 11, Betty Ong and Amy Sweeney, contacted airline personnel on the ground and were able to identify Mohamed Atta al-Sayed as one of four Middle Easterners [2] that had hijacked the plane[3].

Sales clerks identified two individuals to whom they sold tickets on American Airlines Flight 77 as the hijackers, Hani Hanjour and Majed Moqed[4]. While the hijacking was in progress on Flight 77, several passengers, including a flight attendant, Renee May, contacted and reported details of the hijacking to persons on the ground[5].

During the hijacking of United Airlines Flight 93, Jeremy Glick identified the hijackers as Arabic-looking and carrying knives [6][7].

A flight attendant on United Airlines Flight 175 was able to call a United airline mechanic while the plane was being hijacked and report that the crew had been killed and plane hijacked.[8]

Suspected hijackers

Main article: Organizers of the September 11, 2001 attacks

The PENTTBOM investigation was able to identify many hijackers within 72 hours because few made any attempt to disguise their names on flight and credit card records and they were among the few non-U.S. citizens [8] On September 27, 2001 the FBI released photos of the 19 hijackers, along with information about many of their possible nationalities and aliases [9]. Besides the hijackers, there were only two other individuals with Arabic sounding names on the four hijacked flights.

Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden

File:WTC 1993 ATF.jpg
Aftermath of the bomb detonation on the World Trade Center in 1993
September 17, 2001 - A small portion of the scene where the World Trade Center collapsed following the September 11 attacks.
September 14, 2001- "The Pile" , Manhattan
See also: Organizers of the September 11, 2001 attacks

Intelligence experts speak of a "short list" of prime suspects -- groups that possess both the means and the motive to carry out the crime. Two of the passengers had been identified as Al Qaeda members and were on the FBI's terrorist-alert list prior to 9/11: Khalid Almihdhar, and Nawaf Alhazmi[9][10]. It appears certain that all hijackers had Arabic origins, and none were Afghani; moreover, both in their immense scale, careful planning and refraining from claiming responsibility, the attacks are reminiscent of al-Qaeda's previous attacks such as the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings that killed over 200 people.

World Trade Center bombing of 1993

Main article: World Trade Center Bombing

In the World Trade Center bombing (February 26, 1993) a car bomb was detonated by Arab Islamist terrorists in the underground parking garage below Tower One of the World Trade Center in New York City. The 1,500-lb urea nitrate-fuel oil device [10][11]killed six and injured over a thousand people. [12]It was intended to devastate the foundation of the North Tower, causing it to collapse onto its twin.[13]

The attack was planned by a group of conspirators including Ramzi Yousef[14][15], Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, El Sayyid Nosair, Mahmud Abouhalima, Mohammad Salameh, Nidal Ayyad, Ahmad Ajaj, and Abdul Rahman Yasin.[16] They received financing from al-Qaeda member Khaled Shaikh Mohammed, Yousef's uncle, who would later allegedly admit to planning the September 11, 2001, attacks.[17]

Statements of motives prior to September 11, 2001

Main articles: Wikisource:Jihad Against Zionists and Crusaders, Osama bin Laden Fatwa, Videos of Osama bin Laden, Wikisource:Osama bin Laden's Declaration of War, and Osama bin Laden's Declaration of War

Since 1996 Osama bin Laden has stated in public proclamations (fatwas) and in interviews with journalists his common list of grievances which he cites as the reason for his declaration of war against the U.S.

In 1998 Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, (a leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad), co-signed a fatwa (binding religious edict) in the name of the World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders, declaring:

[t]he ruling to kill the Americans and their allies civilians and military - is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque (in Jerusalem) and the holy mosque (in Makka) from their grip, and in order for their armies to move out of all the lands of Islam, defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim. This is in accordance with the words of Almighty Allah, 'and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together,' and 'fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah'.[18][19]

In an interview with journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai published in TIME Magazine, January 11, 1999, Osama Bin Laden is quoted as saying:

The International Islamic Front for Jihad against the U.S. and Israel has issued a crystal-clear fatwa calling on the Islamic nation to carry on jihad aimed at liberating holy sites. The nation of Muhammad has responded to this appeal. If the instigation for jihad against the Jews and the Americans in order to liberate Al-Aksa Mosque and the Holy Ka'aba Islamic shrines in the Middle East is considered a crime, then let history be a witness that I am a criminal.[20]

Planning the 9-11 attacks

According to interviews by Al-Jazeera [21] as well as United States interrogations of al-Qaeda members Ramzi Binalshibh and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (captured in 2002 and 2003 respectively), Khalid Mohammed was the instigator and prime organizer of the attacks. Binalshibh may have been picked as a hijacker but he failed to get into the U.S.[22]

Khalid Mohammed had provided funding to his nephew Ramzi Yousef[23][24]for the World Trade Center bombing in 1993. In addition, he collaborated on Oplan Bojinka which called for ten or more airliners to be bombed in mid-air or hijacked for use as missiles. [25] Planning for Oplan Bojinka began in 1994, and was funded in part by Osama Bin Laden, but was thwarted by an accidental fire in 1995.[26][27][28]

In mid-1996, Khalid Mohammed presented a new plan to the leadership of al-Qaeda [29]that called for several airplanes on both east and west coasts [30] to be hijacked and flown into targets.

According to the Binalshibh and Khalid Mohammed, six of the hijackers played active parts in the planning, including the four who became the pilots. The other two were Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi[31]. CIA operatives reportedly monitored the movements of these two known militants when they visited the U.S. but did not notify the FBI or gain an inkling of what the hijackers were planning. [32]However, during a 2006 Moussaoui trial cross-examination,[33] FBI agents stated that the bureau was aware, years before the attacks in 2001, that al-Qaeda planned to use planes to destroy important buildings. Philippine Chief Superintendent Avelino Razon had noted such plans during the 1995 investigation of Oplan Bojinka, of which Razon said

I didn't imagine that they would ram a 757 aircraft into the World Trade Center. I thought the suicide mission [would involve] a Cessna light aircraft loaded with several kilos of explosives, like a Japanese Kamikaze World War II pilot diving into a target. [34]

The targets ultimately chosen were the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the United States Capitol. Flight 93 was apparently meant to crash into the Capitol. The White House was considered as a target; initially dismissed as being too difficult to locate from the air, it was later included in the plans. [35] In the communications that developed as the scheme took form, the Pentagon's code name was the Faculty of Arts, Capitol Hill was the Faculty of Law, and the World Trade Center was coded as the Faculty of Town Planning. [36]

September 11, 2001 attacks

See also: Organizers of the September 11, 2001 attacks

Al-Qaeda statements after 9-11

The Al-Qaeda's spokesman, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, said in a video sent to al Jazeera and broadcast in October 2001 the following:

The Americans should know that the storm of plane attacks will not abate, with God's permission. There are thousands of the Islamic nation's youths who are eager to die just as the Americans are eager to live. [37]

Taliban implication after 9-11

On October 4, 2001, British Prime Minister Tony Blair released information compiled by Western intelligence agencies connecting Osama bin Laden to the Afghanistan's Taliban leadership as well as being the leader of the al-Qaeda organization.[38]

The United States requested the Taliban to shut down all Al Qaeda bases in Afghanistan, open them to inspection and turn over Osama Bin Laden. The Taliban refused all these requests. Instead they offered to extradite Osama bin Laden to an Islamic country if the United States presented evidence of his guilt.[39] However the Taliban had previously deemed eyewitness testimony and satellite phone call recordings entered in the public record in February of 2001 during a trial as insufficient grounds to extradite bin Laden for his involvement in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. The U.S. government launched the 2001 war in Afghanistan on October 7, 2001 to achieve these ends and overthrow the Taliban.

Osama Bin Laden statements after 9-11

The FBI lists Bin Laden as one of the "10 Most Wanted" in connection with several incidents including the USS Cole bombing and the 1998 United States embassy bombings in East Africa. The FBI's "FBI Most Wanted Terrorists" poster does not specifically hang responsibility for 9/11 on bin Laden, instead it only states "Bin Laden is a suspect in other terrorist attacks throughout the world." [40] To this date, bin Laden has not been indicted for his involvement in 9/11, nor any crime after the 1998 bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya. 1998.[41]

On September 16, 2001, an Al Jazeera news presenter read a message purportedly signed by Osama bin Laden , in which the following words were stated:

I stress that I have not carried out this act, which appears to have been carried out by individuals with their own motivation.[42][43][44]

But the Taliban had claimed that they had taken away all his means of communication with the outside world. [45][46] In late October 2001, Al Jazeera journalist Tayseer Allouni conducted an interview with Osama Bin Laden which was videotaped. Al-Jazeera refused to broadcast it[47] and terminated its affiliation agreement with CNN [48] due to CNN's broadcasting of the interview on January 31, 2002.[49] In the interview, Bin Laden addressed the September 11, 2001, attacks, saying

If inciting people to do that is terrorism, and if killing those who kill our sons is terrorism, then let history be witness that we are terrorists...We will work to continue this battle, God permitting, until victory or until we meet God before that occurs." [50]

In November 2001, U.S. forces recovered a videotape from a destroyed house in Jalalabad, Afghanistan which showed Osama bin Laden talking to Khaled al-Harbi. In the tape, bin Laden seems to admit planning the attacks. Translations from the tape include the following lines:

...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...We had notification since the previous Thursday that the event would take place that day. We had finished our work that day and had the radio on...Muhammad (Atta) from the Egyptian family (meaning the Al Qaeda Egyptian group), was in charge of the group...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.[51]

In late November 2002, a letter attributed to Osama bin Laden and translated by British Islamists surfaced. 'Because you attacked us and continue to attack us' is the letter's simple claim of motive behind the September 11, 2001 attacks. Part of the letter includes an attempt at morally justifying the selection of a civilian target. Itemizing a list of perceived Western wrongdoings, the letter concludes that 'the oppressed have a right to return the aggression' and hinted at further attacks. Also included are a list of demands, advice, and a statement of grievances against the American government and its people. [52]

On February 11, 2003, Al Jazeera broadcast an audio tape purportedly from bin Laden. [53]

Shortly before the US presidential election in 2004, in a taped statement, bin Laden publicly acknowledged al-Qaeda's involvement in the attacks on the U.S, and admitted his direct link to the attacks. He said that the attacks were carried out because "we are a free people who do not accept injustice, and we want to regain the freedom of our nation." (full text)

In an audio message that surfaced on the Internet in May 2006 the speaker, who is alleged to be Osama Bin Laden, defends Zacarias Moussaoui, who was undergoing a trial for his participation in the September 11 attacks. The voice in the audio message says

"I begin by talking about the honorable brother Zacarias Moussaoui. The truth is that he has no connection whatsoever with the events of September 11th, and I am certain of what I say, because I was responsible for entrusting the 19 brothers — Allah have mercy upon them — with those raids, and I did not assign brother Zacarias to be with them on that mission."[54]

Other suspects within Al-Qaeda

As of 2004, several people including Mohammed, Binalshibh and Mohamed al-Kahtani, the 20th hijacker, were being held by the U.S. as illegal combatants; however, the United States had no one on trial for the attacks. In Germany, Mounir El Motassadeq was convicted of over 3000 counts of accessory to murder for helping finance the hijackers but the verdict was put aside and a new trial scheduled.[55] Abdelghani Mzoudi was acquitted in Germany on the same charges.[56]

Other alleged culpability

See also: 9/11 conspiracy theories

Initial reports following the attacks indicated that the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a Palestinian militant group, had claimed responsibility for the attacks, but this was denied by a senior leader of the group soon after. There are filmed reports of celebrations on the West Bank, although according to articles in the German magazine Stern and the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter, at least one of them was staged. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat denounced the attacks, saying it was counterproductive to any peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Next to claim responsibility were the Taliban of Afghanistan.[citation needed] The Taliban subsequently denounced the attack and claimed that it was not connected to Osama bin Laden, the Muslim leader living in Afghanistan whom the U.S. government declared the prime suspect.

Virtually all world leaders, including traditional rivals or enemies of the United States, denounced the attacks and expressed sympathy for the American people. In addition to the Taliban, this included Libyan president Moammar Qadhafi, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Iranian president Mohammad Khatami, and Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Various other nations and organizations have been listed as suspects, and are hereafter presented in alphabetical order.

Afghanistan

There is no concrete evidence that the Taliban government --which then controlled most of Afghanistan--knew of or approved of the September 11 attacks ahead of time. However, Taliban-controlled Afghanistan gave safe haven to Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda militia, which may have had a close relationship with the Taliban army and police. The Taliban also refused to extradite or deport bin Laden abroad or put him on trial themselves, saying the US government had not provided them with any evidence linking bin Laden to 9/11. There was speculation that the Taliban may be willing to hand bin Laden over for an Islamic trial in Pakistan (in a deal similar to the Lockerbie plane bombing trial in Holland), but ultimately this did not occur.

The Taliban had previously refused to extradite bin Laden to the USA, or prosecute him, after he was indicted by the US federal courts for involvement in the 1998 African embassy bombings that killed over 200 people, mostly African civilians. A few months before this bombing, Qadhafi's Libya had added bin Laden to an Interpol wanted list although it is unclear whether any extradition requests were made to the Taliban.

Because of the Bush Doctrine, which stated "We will make no distinction between the terrorists and those who harbor them", the United States and Britain invaded and overthrew the Afghan government in 2001, using air power, special forces and the Taliban's almost defeated opponents the Northern Alliance as a proxy land army. However, there have been allegations that the US-led invasion killed 5000 civilians or more, i.e. a higher number of civilians than killed in the 9/11 attacks.

Iraq

Further information: Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda

Immediately after the attacks, rumors began that Iraq could have played a role. For former Clinton CIA Director James Woolsey, Iraq's prior documented contacts with al-Qaeda was enough to draw suspicion. Woolsey argued a supposed link between Iraqi intelligence, Ramzi Youssef and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing served as a smoking gun for Iraq's interests in the attack. [11] He suggested the grand jury investigation into the 1993 attack turned up evidence pointing to Iraq that the Clinton Justice Department "brushed aside." Neil Herman, who headed the FBI investigation into the 1993 World Trade Center attack, noted that despite Yasin's presence in Baghdad, there was no evidence of Iraqi support for the attack. "We looked at that rather extensively," he told CNN terrorism analyst Peter L. Bergen. "There were no ties to the Iraqi government." Bergen writes, "In sum, by the mid-'90s, the Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York, the F.B.I., the U.S. Attorney's office in the Southern District of New York, the C.I.A., the N.S.C., and the State Department had all found no evidence implicating the Iraqi government in the first Trade Center attack."[12]

Claims that Saddam was behind the 1993 bombing are based on the research of Laurie Mylroie of the conservative American Enterprise Institute. Her research has been heavily criticized and terrorism experts consider her argument utterly baseless. Bergen, for example, calls her a "crackpot" who claimed that "Saddam was not only behind the '93 Trade Center attack, but also every anti-American terrorist incident of the past decade, from the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania to the leveling of the federal building in Oklahoma City to September 11 itself."[13] Daniel Benjamin, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, points out that "Mylroie's work has been carefully investigated by the CIA and the FBI.... The most knowledgeable analysts and investigators at the CIA and at the FBI believe that their work conclusively disproves Mylroie's claims.... Nonetheless, she has remained a star in the neoconservative firmament." (Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon, The Next Attack New York: Times Books, 2005, p. 145. [ISBN 0-8050-7941-6]). Dr. Robert Leiken of the Nixon Center comments on the lack of evidence in her work: "Laurie has discovered Saddam’s hand in every major attack on US interests since the Persian Gulf War, including U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and even the federal building in Oklahoma City. These allegations have all been definitively refuted by the FBI, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other investigatory bodies...."[14]

Some members of the Bush administration reportedly began to draw up such theories immediately after the attacks. The state-run Iraqi media praised the attacks but denied that Iraq was responsible. Despite massive investigations by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Office of Special Plans, no link between the government of Iraq and the 9/11 attacks was ever found. In September 2006, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence concluded that "there is no evidence that Saddam Hussein had prewar ties to Al Qaeda and one of the terror organization’s most notorious members, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi" and that there was no evidence of any Iraqi support of al-Qaeda or foreknowledge of the September 11th attacks.[15]

Israel

Main article: 9/11 Conspiracy theories

Various Arab- and Muslim-world news sources carried opinion pieces and articles promoting the claim that Jews, Zionists, or Israelis carried out the attacks in order to frame the Arab world to the benefit of Israel. A Gallup survey of 10,000 inhabitants of Islamic countries showed that only 18 percent believed that Arabs were responsible. Some Western outlets (mostly Neo-Nazi groups and anti-Zionists) also expressed similar beliefs that 9-11 was at least orchestrated, if not carried out, by Israel. Many of these people believe that the actions of prominent Neoconservative Jews within the Bush Administration during 9/11 demonstrate evidence of 9/11 being an Israel-centric decision to get the United States into a war in the Middle East to eliminate Israel's enemies and serve in the expansion of Greater Israel.

One urban legend claims that 4,000 Israelis (or Jews, depending on the version of the story that is told) who normally worked in the World Trade Center did not show up for work the morning of September 11 after being warned by the Israeli secret service. While this claim was reported in a government-owned Syrian newspaper, it has since been dismissed as "totally false" by reputable sources and disconfirmed by victims lists from the attacks. [16]

Pakistan

A senior-level U.S. government source told CNN in October of 2001 that U.S. investigators believed Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh (Ahmed Umar Syed Sheikh), a long time Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) asset, using the alias Mustafa Muhammad Ahmad, sent more than $100,000 from Pakistan to Mohammed Atta, the suspected hijack ringleader of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

"Investigators said Atta then distributed the funds to conspirators in Florida in the weeks before the deadliest acts of terrorism on U.S. soil that destroyed the World Trade Center, heavily damaged the Pentagon and left thousands dead.
In addition, sources have said Atta sent thousands of dollars -- believed to be excess funds from the operation -- back to Syed in the United Arab Emirates in the days before September 11.
Syed also is described as a key figure in the funding operation of al Qaeda, the network headed by suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden."[17]

CNN later confirmed that it was "Ahmed Umar Syed Sheikh, whom authorities say used a pseudonym to wire $100,000 to suspected hijacker Mohammad Atta, who then distributed the money in the United States." [18]

Soon after the money transfer was discovered, the head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, Gen. Mahmood (Mahmud) Ahmed resigned from his position. Indian news outlets reported the FBI was investigating the possibility that Gen. Mahmood Ahmed ordered Saeed Sheikh to send the $100,000 to Atta, while most Western media outlets only reported his connections to the Taliban as the reason for his departure. [19]

The Wall Street Journal was one of the few Western news organizations to follow up on the story, citing the Times of India: "US authorities sought [Gen. Mahmud Ahmed's] removal after confirming the fact that $100,000 [was] wired to WTC hijacker Mohammed Atta from Pakistan by Ahmad Umar Sheikh at the instance of Gen Mahumd." [20] The best coverage came from The Daily Excelsior, reporting "The FBI’s examination of the hard disk of the cellphone company Omar Sheikh had subscribed to led to the discovery of the 'link' between him and the deposed chief of the Pakistani ISI, Gen. Mehmood Ahmed. And as the FBI investigators delved deep, sensational information surfaced with regard to the transfer of 100,000 dollars to Mohammed Atta, one of the Kamikaze pilots who flew his Boeing into the World Trade Centre. Gen. Mehmood Ahmed, the FBI investigators found, fully knew about the transfer of money to Atta." [21]

According to the Washington Post, "on the morning of Sept. 11, [Porter] Goss and [Bob] Graham were having breakfast with a Pakistani general named Mahmud Ahmed -- the soon-to-be-sacked head of Pakistan's intelligence service".[57] On September 12 and September 13, Lt. Gen. Mahmood met with Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Senator Joseph Biden, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Secretary of State Colin Powell. An agreement on Pakistan's collaboration in the new "War on Terrorism" was negotiated between Mahmood and Armitage.[58][59][60][61] Lt Gen Mehmood Ahmed then lead a six-member delegation to the Afghan city of Kandahar in order to hold crisis talks with the Taliban leadership, supposedly in an attempt to persuade them to hand over Osama bin Laden.[22]

Saudi Arabia

In June 2001, a "high-placed member of a US intelligence agency" told BBC reporter Greg Palast that "after the [2000] elections, the agencies were told to "back off" investigating the Bin Ladens and Saudi royals".[62]

In May 2002, former FBI Agent Robert Wright delivered a tearful press conference apologizing to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11. He described how his superiors intentionally obstructed his investigation into Al-Qaeda financing.[63][64]

Agent Wright would later tell ABC's Brian Ross: "September 11th is a direct result of the incompetence of the FBI's International Terrorism Unit," specifically referring to the Bureau's hindering of his investigation into Yassin al-Qadi (al Kadi), who Ross described as a powerful Saudi Arabian businessman with extensive financial ties in Chicago.[23] One month after September 11, 2001 attacks, the US government officially identified Yassin al-Qadi as one of Osama bin Laden's primary financiers and a specially designated global terrorist.[65]

In an interview with Computerworld Magazine, a former business associate described his relationship with al-Qadi: "I met him a few times and talked to him a few times on the telephone. He never talked to me about violence. Instead, he talked very highly of his relationship with [former President] Jimmy Carter and [Vice President] Dick Cheney."[66]

The Muwafaq Foundation, which U.S. authorities have confirmed was an arm of bin Laden's terror organization, was headed by Yassin al-Qadi,[67] who was also known as the owner of Ptech[68] -- a company that has supplied high-tech computer systems to the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the United States Congress, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Federal Aviation Administration, and the White House. A former FBI Counter Terrorism Agent commented: "For someone like [al-Qadi] to be involved in a capacity, in an organization, a company that has access to classified information, that has access to government open or classified computer systems, would be of grave concern." Yacub Mirza— “a senior official of major radical Islamic organizations that have been linked by the US government to terrorism” —has recently been on Ptech's board of directors; and Hussein Ibrahim, the Vice President and Chief Scientist of Ptech, was vice chairman of a now defunct investment group called BMI, a company the FBI has named as a conduit used by 'al-Qadi' to launder money to Hamas terrorists.[69][70]

United States

Worldwide, many see the attack as a result of United States policy toward the Middle East and surrounding area during the previous years. [citation needed] A 2004 report by the Pew Research Center indicated that 38% of Americans believed that the U.S. did wrong in its dealings with other countries and that might have motivated the attacks.[71] Central CIA operations in Iran, aiding Iraq monetarily during the Iraq-Iran War, more than a half a century of support for Israel, and operations during the Cold War are cases which, according to scholar Chalmers Johnson, have caused the "blowback" of 9/11. Blowback, according to Chalmers, is the term used to describe the consequences of foreign CIA intervention that was deliberately kept secret from the public. They believe that such acts of terrorism are only to be expected given the economic and cultural power of the United States and the multinational corporations which are identified with it. The creation of pockets of hatred, according to this viewpoint, is an inevitable consequence of the overwhelming outside economic pressure placed on poor countries with minimal control of their political destiny. Many also criticize the U.S.'s War on Terrorism, fearing that a violent response will only continue the cycle. Notwithstanding this, many also believe that the attack was an extreme criminal act, and that cause does not equal justification.

According to the timeline, both air traffic controllers and NORAD could have reacted more quickly and coordinated better. Instead of doing so immediately, Boston ATC took 19 minutes to tell NORAD it may have a potential hijacking. Despite the fact that the plane remained on primary radar (turning the transponder off would only affect secondary radar) ATC did not, for whatever reason, relay position or heading information to the F-15s launched to intercept it. The hijacking of flight 175 goes unnoticed for nine minutes despite a significant change of heading. Though the U.S. "open sky" policy means planes can make minor changes in speed, heading or altitude without ATC permission, aircraft that go off course by hundreds of miles should draw active attention for basic safety reasons. The U.S. was repeatedly advised of its poor aircraft security arrangements on internal flights by other nations. Even months after the attack, Flight International magazine was drawing attention to lack of checks on check-in baggage and pure cargo flights. Whether by lack of investment, poor training, or simple foolishness, U.S. Federal authorities, it is claimed, did not do all they could have to prevent the attack from occurring, or being as successful as it was.

According to Senator Bob Graham, who was chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee from June 2001 through the buildup to the Iraq war, "Two of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers had a support network in the United States that included agents of the Saudi government, and the Bush administration and FBI blocked a congressional investigation into that relationship," as reported by the Miami Herald.

"And in Graham's book, Intelligence Matters, obtained by The Herald Saturday, he makes clear that some details of that financial support from Saudi Arabia were in the 27 pages of the congressional inquiry's final report that were blocked from release by the administration, despite the pleas of leaders of both parties on the House and Senate intelligence committees."[72]

See also

References

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Further reading

  • McDermott, Terry (2005). Perfect Soldiers : The 9/11 Hijackers: Who They Were, Why They Did It. Politico's Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84275-145-X.
  • 1000 YEARS FOR REVENGE: International Terrorism and the FBI by Peter Lance(2003). Covers the plotting, motives, and unsuccessful investigations of Al Qaeda in the US leading up to 9/11.ISBN 0-06-054354-X
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