The Omission Commission

The Weekly Standard ^ | August 17, 2005 | Edward Morrissey

[bobsunshine]

REPRESENTATIVE CURT WELDON dropped a delayed political bombshell with a special-orders speech last June in which he revealed the existence of a data-mining program at the Pentagon named Able Danger, which he claimed had identified Mohammed Atta and three of the other 9/11 hijackers as al Qaeda operatives over a year before the attacks. Almost two months later, an intelligence-community periodical, Government Security News, noted the speech.

.....THEY MIGHT START with a few cryptic media reports from March 2001 regarding two arrests made in Germany. The BBC and Reuters both noted the capture of Iraqi intelligence agents in Heidelberg. Both reports gave essentially the same minimal data on March 1:

German state prosecutors said on Thursday federal police had arrested two Iraqis on suspicion of spying.

.....Al-Watan al-Arabi (Paris) reports that two Iraqis were arrested in Germany, charged with spying for Baghdad. The arrests came in the wake of reports that Iraq was reorganizing the external branches of its intelligence service and that it had drawn up a plan to strike at US interests around the world through a network of alliances with extremist fundamentalist parties.

.......If the 9/11 report is any indication, no one on the Commission considered this connection. In fact, no one knows whether or not the Commission even knew about these arrests. In the years following the 9/11 attacks, there has been much argument about the nature of Saddam Hussein's connections to terror. How could the U.S. government and the 9/11 Commission fail to consider this, given the other activity occurring in Germany during this period:

* Mohammed Atta and Ramzi Binalshibh meet in Berlin in January 2001 for a progress meeting...

[Blind Eye Jones]

Sodium Pentinal for Saddam and he will spill his guts, like a dizzy school girl who can't shut up about her first date, about the connection.

[bnelson44]

Capt. Ed!

[bnelson44]

.....Al-Watan al-Arabi (Paris) reports that two Iraqis were arrested in Germany, charged with spying for Baghdad. The arrests came in the wake of reports that Iraq was reorganizing the external branches of its intelligence service and that it had drawn up a plan to strike at US interests around the world through a network of alliances with extremist fundamentalist parties.

Isn't that also what Russia told us?

[sydbas]

What happened to these two? Are they still in custody or were they set free?

[okie01]

What happened to these two? Are they still in custody or were they set free?

Excellent question. If there were arrests, what were their disposition?

Deported, probably.

But still a question that needs answering...

[roses of sharon]

None of this AD info matters, unless they can put Atta in touch with any gov such as Saddam, Iran, Syria, SA.....ect.

We already know the commission was political, meant to damage Bush before the election, and protect Clinton from embarrassment, because thats the way the NY liberal media wants it.

BUT, if it can be proven that there was good intell on Atta's whereabouts, which was covered up, that may be a story.

[backhoe]

Able Danger, 9-11 Report, Gorelick, and so much more...

Click the picture...

[driftless]

Connection between Hussein and Islamo-terrorists!!!! Why how dare you mention that possibility sir!!!! (/sarcasm)

Actually the alleged meeting between Atta and Al-Ani is vociferously denied by our intel agencies. Maybe they got that one right, and the Czechs are wrong. However even if the CIA is correct that Atta was in the U.S. at the time the Czechs said he was in Prague, that begs the question who did Al-Ani meet with? And is it just slightly possible that even if Atta did not meet with an Iraqi spy at that time, that he did meet with Iraqi spies at other times and receive money or other support?

We know (1) that Atta made frequent trips to Europe in the years shortly before 9/11 and (2) Hussein's agents were conducting large spying operations in Europe and elsewhere. Why then isn't it possible that even if Atta was not in Prague in April of 2001, Iraq met with and supported the 9/11 killers at other times? Who did Al-Ani meet with? Hopefully we'll find out in the very short future.

[SueRae]

Well well well....The Weekly Standard. I hope William Kristol and Charles Krauthamer read this over the morning coffee. And someone better add a few more cars to the bandwagon, this one is going to get mighty crowded over the coming days. Thanks for the post.

[stocksthatgoup]

bttt

[Ann Archy]

Hugh Shelton set up Able Danger to track terrorists. Someone should ask Shelton what he knew about the Atta cell and who and what he told about the cell.

[Mia T]

Listen to this and ask yourself if America Ever Had the Remotest Chance Under a clinton to Avoid 9/11
(To paraphrase Einstein: "The unleashed power of terrorism has changed everything save our modes of thinking, and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophes.")

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Boy, it is really looking like a whitewash NOW! Saving this ping List under the name The Omission Commission pinglist.....

not sure how frequent i will use it maybe just for the real articles that have what seems to me, major significance in helping clear the Fog ...

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

And someone better add a few more cars to the bandwagon, this one is going to get mighty crowded over the coming days.

Isn't that the truth!!!

[Peach]

Perfect! The Whitewash is on and this will be bigger than Watergate. No one died under Watergate. That should be our mantra.

[Blind Eye Jones]

I wonder if Al-Ani is still alive? Maybe he should write a book or something about it. I heard that there is evidence of Atta being in Prague in the held information from Able Danger. I don't know if it is true... but I wouldn't be surprised if it is!

[jpl]

This is a great find by Captain Ed. Slowly but surely, more and more people are walking this cat backwards and connecting the dots together.

[Cautor]

This is really a must-read for anyone following the Able Danger story. BTTT

[Cautor]

Thanks Mia T