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| New Evidence Suggests Radical Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki Was an Overlooked Key Player in 9/11 Plot |
| 2011-05-21 |
| A year-long investigation by the Fox News' specials unit has uncovered new and overwhelming evidence that the American cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, the first U.S. citizen on the CIA's kill or capture list, was an overlooked key player in the 9/11 plot. In a new hour-long special, "Fox News Reporting: Secrets of 9/11," which debuts May 20 at 10 p.m. EDT, federal investigators go on the record for the first time about their painstaking work to investigate how Awlaki may have facilitated the hijackers in California and Virginia and possibly knew the details of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil. "It was my feeling that they had to have a network," Criminal PENTTBOM (FBI's codename for the 9/11 case) investigator Jimmy Bush told Fox News in his first television interview. "There was a mosque and the imam of that mosque was Anwar al-Awlaki, which raised my suspicions." Former FBI Agent Bob Bukowski said the evidence strongly suggested Awlaki and his mosques on the East and West coasts were at the center of a network of helpers that enabled the hijackers to find apartments and obtain fake ids. "The investigation at the time obviously was very suspicious," Bukowski said. "Knowing and proving are always two different things." Fox News was told by multiple sources with first-hand knowledge of the 9/11 case -- including the former head of the joint congressional inquiry Sen. Bob Graham -- that the contact between Awlaki and hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdar and Hani Hanjour, three of the five hijackers who flew into the Pentagon, was not casual or coincidental but rather evidence of a purposeful relationship. ... For the first time, Fox News reveals how those in the alleged 9/11 support network are still living in the U.S. Asked if he believes the network of helpers is still here, Graham told Fox News that the network was never disrupted -- so there is every reason to believe it remains in place. "I have no reason to believe it's not." Also: Radical imam invited to speak about 'moderate Islam' at the Pentagon after 9/11 may have known about attacks in advance Shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki was invited to the Pentagon to speak about 'moderate Islam', after a flawed vetting process. New Mexico-born al-Awlaki was billed as the featured speaker on 'Islam and Middle Eastern Politics and Culture'. According to Fox, the Defense Department lawyer who vetted al-Awlaki wrote that she 'had the privilege of hearing one of Mr. Awlaki's presentations in November and was impressed by both the extent of his knowledge and by how he communicated that information and handled a hostile element in the audience'. The department was said to be interested in booking a 'moderate Muslim' to speak to the defense community in the aftermath of September 11. However, it seems that the Department of Defense was unaware that Al-Awlaki had been interviewed at least four times by the FBI a few days after September 11, because of alleged ties to the hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi, Khalid al-Mihdhar and Hani Hanjour. Those men are accused of being among the five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, which was flown into the Pentagon. It is believed he may have been aware of the terrorist plot before September 11, 2001. According to Fox, the Pentagon also seemed unaware of al-Awlaki's alleged soliciting of prostitutes. A former high-ranking FBI agent told Fox News that there was tremendous 'arrogance' about the vetting process at the Pentagon. 'They vetted people politically and showed indifference toward security and intelligence advice of others', the former agent said. |
| Posted by:Zebulon Thranter9685 |
| #5 It's been known for a long time that he was the spiritual advisor of two of the 9/11 hijackers. Just check out his Wikipedia page. Now, (wonder of wonders) that role is expanding. |
| Posted by: KBK 2011-05-21 19:38 |
| #4 I thought it odd that, in response to a story about the Guyana arrest posted here the other day, a Nation of Islam supporter posted two comments about what a good man Mr. Muhammed is. We'd never had an NOI poster here before. |
| Posted by: Spats Elmaper9116 2011-05-21 17:36 |
| #3 Saw the special--something they didn't mention was Adnan Al-Shukrijumah's father had also wporked at the Saudi consulate in Guyana before moving to Florida, so he was fluent in Arabic, Spanish, and English, besides the cultural knowledge of growing up in the US. So when I saw the headline (AP), I thought it wouldn't be a stretch to add the Chicago black Muslims to the list with advance knowledge/connection of 9-11: GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Akbar Muhammad, a U.S. Muslim cleric visiting this South American country, was detained Thursday on suspicion of ties to drugs and terrorism, Guyana police said. Local media identified the man as Akbar Muhammad, who is a longtime top aide to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Guyana is also a middleman for the drug, diamond, and illegal gold mining between So. America(Venezuela) and Africa. |
| Posted by: Lumpy Elmoluck5091 2011-05-21 13:08 |
| #2 According to Fox, the Defense Department lawyer who vetted al-Awlaki wrote that she 'had the privilege of hearing one of Mr. Awlaki's presentations in November and was impressed by both the extent of his knowledge and by how he communicated that information and handled a hostile element in the audience'. This unnamed DOD Lawyer has a name? Perhaps she needs a vetting with a microscope? |
| Posted by: Frank G on the road 2011-05-21 12:21 |
| #1 Correct link: EXCLUSIVE: New Evidence Suggests Radical Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki Was an Overlooked Key Player in 9/11 Plot |
| Posted by: Zebulon Thranter9685 2011-05-21 10:23 |