Washington Post
 U.S. and British intelligence officials have identified Mohammed Atef, a former Egyptian policeman who is one of Osama bin Laden's closest aides, as a key planner of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, according to senior government sources. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in arguing the case against bin Laden and his al Qaeda terrorist group, said on Thursday that "one of bin Laden's closest and most senior associates was responsible for the detailed planning of the attacks." U.S. officials have confirmed in the days since that Blair was referring to Atef. |