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FBI clear on hijackers' identities
11/03/2001
By KAREN GULLO WASHINGTON — FBI Director Robert Mueller said Friday investigators have
established the true identities of all 19 of the Sept. 11 hijackers and have
found places outside the United States where the plot was hatched. But progress on the anthrax investigation has been slow, Mueller conceded as
he appealed for Americans, especially those working in medical labs where
anthrax is studied, to contact authorities about suspicious activities. ``It may well be that there is somebody in the United States who is
manufacturing the anthrax,'' Mueller said. FBI agents raided a Trenton, N.J., apartment Friday in the anthrax
investigation and detained a man on immigration violations. It was unclear what
role, if any, the man had in the anthrax cases. The identities of some of the hijackers were in question for weeks after the
attacks because investigators were not sure whether some were carrying false
identification when they boarded planes in Washington and Boston. ``We at this point definitely know the 19 hijackers who were responsible,''
Mueller said. The FBI has confirmed that the hijackers' names released in late September
are the true identities of all 19 men, said a law enforcement source, speaking
on condition of anonymity. The names were those listed on the planes' passenger manifests and
investigators were certain that those were the names the hijackers used when
they entered the United States. But questions remained about whether they were
the hijackers' true identities, partly because some of their names are common in
the Arab world and some of the hijackers fraudulently obtained state
identification cards before the hijackings. Investigators now believe the names released on Sept. 28 are the hijackers'
real names. The Saudi Institute, an independent human rights watchdog group that has
researched the hijackers' identities, said at least one of the hijackers
identified by the FBI used stolen identification. Abdulaziz Alomari was identified by the FBI one of the hijackers of an
American Airlines plane that was crashed into the World Trade Center. Ali
Al-Ahmed, the Saudi Institute's director, said Alomari used someone else's
passport. Investigators know some of the overseas locations where the hijacking plot
was hatched and have identified overseas accomplices, Mueller said. He did not name the places or others involved. Attorney General John Ashcroft said last month that three of the leaders of
the hijackers and three accomplices were part of a terrorist network that
operated at least since 1999 in Hamburg, Germany, and in the United States. European authorities have also found evidence the hijackers and their
accomplices were in Spain and Great Britain. Officials in the Czech Republic
said suspected ringleader Mohamed Atta met with an Iraqi intelligence agent in
Prague in April. The anthrax investigation's focus remains closer to home and is centered on
the area around Trenton, where three anthrax-laced letters were mailed, Mueller
said. The FBI searched a Trenton apartment Friday morning. ``The search was
conducted based on information that was developed in the course of the anthrax
investigation,'' said Sandra Carroll, FBI spokeswoman. She declined to identify
the man who was detained. The type of envelopes that held each of the three letters is particularly
intriguing to investigators. The letters were sent in pre-stamped envelopes that
are widely used by businesses and school districts and can be purchased at post
offices. The envelopes were withdrawn from sale to the general public as part of the
investigation, the postal service said Friday. Investigators believe the anthrax culprits could be highly-trained
technicians with laboratory know-how. Mueller asked Americans for help in
finding who sent the bacteria. ``You may be in the medical profession, you may be in some other profession
that has something to do with anthrax,'' said Mueller. ``If you believe that persons are doing something with anthrax ... and is
somewhat suspicious, we're asking you to let us know.'' In other developments: — A Pakistani man with alleged links to at least two of the hijackers was
indicted on unrelated vote fraud counts in North Carolina. Intiaz Ahmed
Siddiqui, 31, was arrested in the Detroit area this week and indicted Tuesday by
a federal grand jury in Greensboro, N.C. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jane Terbush
said the government had information that linked Siddiqui to at least two of the
hijackers, whom she didn't identify. — In Washington, Attorney General John Aschroft said investigators don't
think three men arrested in Michigan in connection with the hijacking
investigation had knowledge of the Sept. 11 attacks. Karim Koubriti, Ahmed
Hannan and Farouk Ali-Haimoud were arrested on charges of possession of false
documents. Koubriti and Hannan were indicted; charges against Ali-Haimoud were
dismissed.
Associated Press Writer