Ashcroft releases photos of hijackers

09/28/2001

By Lee Hancock and Michelle Mittelstadt
The Dallas Morning News

Photographs of the 19 suspected suicide hijackers in the Sept. 11 terror attacks were made public Thursday in what Attorney General John Ashcroft described as the latest step in a "national neighborhood watch."

Mr. Ashcroft praised the public for contributing more than 100,000 tips since the attacks. He said authorities hoped the release of the photos would jog the memories of anyone who may have come across the hijackers.

He and FBI Director Robert Mueller urged anyone with information to call the FBI hotline at 1-866-483-5137.

"These photographs have helped investigators across the nation and, indeed, across the world to uncover information related to the hijackers and their potential associates," Mr. Mueller said.

However, the FBI director acknowledged that investigators still face outstanding questions about the true identities of some hijackers, who may have appropriated the identities of others to throw law enforcement off the trail. Saudi Arabian government officials have said at least five innocent Saudi citizens have been wrongly identified as suicide hijackers.

Mr. Mueller said the FBI is "fairly certain" it has established the true identities of several hijackers.

In releasing the photos, the FBI also provided an updated list of the suspected hijackers’ names, possible U.S. residences and their nationalities. Authorities have slightly changed the spellings of nine names, provided aliases for the first time and suggested that seven may have been Saudis and one an Egyptian.

Mr. Mueller also said investigators had found direct links between "one or more" of the hijackers and the al-Qaeda terrorist network led by fugitive Osama bin Laden.

While President Bush and other federal officials have identified Mr. bin Laden as the prime suspect, this marks the first time the FBI has officially reported links between the hijackers and al-Qaeda.

Also on Thursday, The Dallas Morning News obtained new details of the intricate spiritual instructions designed to prepare hijackers for their final journey.

An Arabic document recovered from the wreckage of the United Airlines jet that crashed in rural Pennsylvania includes lengthy prayers for steadfastness and endurance, as well as directives on what actions, thoughts and prayers should be undertaken in the final hours, according to federal officials who have seen the writings.

The document instructs a follower, on the day of the attack, to "check your weapon," say morning prayers together, and, "If you take a taxi to the [airport], when you arrive … and get off of the taxi, smile and rest assured, for Allah is with the believers and the angels are protecting you."

The follower is told to pray as he sets foot on the plane and again as he takes his seat, remembering "It is a raid for Allah."

"When the storming begins, strike the striking of heroes who determined not to go back into the world," the document reads. "When the time of truth comes and zero hour arrives, then straighten out your clothes, open your chest and welcome death for the sake of Allah.

"Seconds before the target, your last words should be 'There is no God but Allah. Mohammed is his messenger.'."

Instructions for the eve of the attack include reading a chapter of the Koran dealing with repentance and slaying of infidels. The follower also is instructed to "purify your head" and "shave extra hair from the body" - traditional preparations for martyrdom in Islamic jihad, or holy war.

Authorities familiar with the translated document, which is several pages long, say it could help to develop psychological profiles of the hijackers and their associates.

"It’s pretty horrifying stuff," one official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "And it sort of gives you a sense of the persons, their beliefs and thought processes. A good psychiatrist or a psychologist could do something good with it, particularly if you could find one who could tell you about brainwashing techniques."

Another official said the document may help develop a better understanding of a type of group-oriented terrorism that previously drew relatively scant attention among U.S. law enforcement behavioral experts.

"We have been so concerned about the McVeigh guy, the domestic terrorist as the Lone Ranger," the official said. "Then along come these guys."

The Arabic writings offer a window on how these hijackers - older, far more educated and much more exposed to Western culture than the traditional suicide-bomber profile - maintained mission focus despite months or years living in the United States, said Clint Van Zandt, a former FBI profiler.

"It would bond every member of the four [hijacking] groups," he said. "You would know that every one in the other groups was engaged in the same type of preparations. Some would say it’s a religious consciousness, some would say it’s a brain-washing, some would say it gives focus to the mission."

While the rituals offer a bonding mechanism for the hijackers, the detailed instructions also serve to keep their minds locked in on the mission and prevent them from wavering in the final moments, he said.

"By giving somebody a plan, you don’t allow them a whole lot of time for doing a lot of other things, contemplating, 'Do I want to do this?' It’s like a pilot's checklist," Mr. Van Zandt said. "It’s interesting that the reinforcement continues right up to the very end."

In other developments:

The Justice Department sent a second piece of anti-terrorism legislation to Capitol Hill, this one granting law enforcement new powers to trace and grab funds flowing to and from terrorist organizations here and overseas.

Mr. Ashcroft called the legislation "critically important" and urged swift congressional passage. The money-laundering measure would make it a crime to launder the proceeds of foreign crimes in the United States.

It also would change current law, which allows asset forfeiture after a conviction, to permit federal judges to freeze a defendant’s assets before trial.

The legislation also would make it a crime to smuggle more than $10,000 into or out of the country or transport more than $10,000 across state lines with the intent to use that money to commit a criminal offense.

The FBI and Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division have initiated 90 investigations across the country of hate crimes directed at Arab-Americans, Muslims and Sikhs.

Mr. Mueller said indictments in Salt Lake City and Seattle show that "those who attempt to take out their anger and frustration on innocent Americans will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."