Posted on 03/07/2006 12:21:36 PM PST by jcb8199
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (Reuters) - The U.S. government knew by the 1990s how al Qaeda trained suicide operatives but missed capturing the man who masterminded the September 11 attacks about four years before they occurred, an FBI agent said on Tuesday.
FBI agent Michael Anticev said in testimony at a sentencing trial for September 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui that the U.S. government knew by the mid 1990s that there were several al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan and other countries.
Operatives at the training camps were taught how to carry out terrorist operations, including suicide missions, and were trained in how to avoid detection, he said.
At that time, the U.S. government was tracking several top al Qaeda members, Anticev said, and between 1996 and 1998 made an attempt to arrest Khalid Sheikh Mohammed -- the man who has been described as the brains behind the September 11 hijackings.
Anticev said the attempt, made "somewhere in the Middle East," failed after Mohammed was apparently tipped off.
Anticev was responding to questions from defense attorney, Edward MacMahon, who was trying to refute the government's argument that if Moussaoui had not lied to the FBI in the days before September 11, 2001, the hijackings could have been stopped.
The question of Moussaoui's lies while in custody on immigration charges from August 16, 2001, are at the heart of a sentencing trial to determine if he receives the death penalty for conspiracy in connection with the September 11 attacks.
Moussaoui's lawyers have said the government will be hard-pressed to prove that Moussaoui could have told the FBI anything that would have prevented the hijackings.
Moussaoui, an admitted al Qaeda member, pleaded guilty in April to all six conspiracy charges against him. The sentencing trial is being held to determine if he will be executed for his crimes or sentenced to life in prison.
When he pleaded guilty last year, Moussaoui said he was not meant to be part of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon which killed 3,000 people.
But he said he was part of a broader conspiracy to use airplanes as a weapon and said he was being trained on a 747 airliner to strike the White House.
The 37-year-old Frenchman of Moroccan descent did not speak while the court was in session, but sat stroking his bushy beard and smiling at times when FBI agents identified the September 11 hijackers and explained the overall plot.
In response to questions from MacMahon, Anticev said the U.S. government was also aware before September 11 there had been a plan in the 1990s to blow up 12 U.S. airlines.
"Do you know if the FBI was concerned before 9/11 about the possibility of al Qaeda using planes as weapons?" MacMahon asked.
"I don't know if that's correct," Anticev replied, but then said the FBI had been concerned about possible hijackings.
If it were a Republican Administration you can bet you @ss they would.
But...but...the DUmmies continually say Clinton was Osama's worst nightmare and he had a plan to get him!!
For the sake of those who don't know.. search for the term "Able Danger"
Read some of the Congressional Intel Committee reports for 2000 and some previous years. al-Qaeda wasn't unknown. bin Laden wasn't unknown. Even Congress had more info available than they would ever admit to.
But, as we know from Reid, Kerry, and other -- they admit they didn't attend meetings, read reports, etc.
we should release this guy now so he stops telling all these lies. /s
You are right. It just wasn't on the front page like it has been in the past 4.5 years. It certainly isn't breaking news.
If you read some of the old Jim Traficant one minute speeches you'll find that he names Bin Laden as a serious threat throughout the 90s.
Right. He just got distracted by cigars and interns.
I think we can all do the math.
OJ should claim that Osama is the real murderer. Osama doesn't play golf so that is why OJ has never found him.
If Clinton knew, then I presume the Bush admin knew, too.
I forget. Salman Pak, now where was that?
Or were they 727s..
We don't need this sort of inquiry anyway, we already have the 9/11 commission report, don't we? (fumbling for more free cheese)
It's almost as if the MSM thinks that al quaida magically formed in the months after Bush's election, yet before 9/11
Unfortunately GOP partisans only saw a (D) and Dem partisans only saw a traitor to the party. Personally I think we would be hard pressed to find a better conservative in the republican party.
still, little mention of Able Danger....
Excellent work although hard on my BP.
mc
And in a related story;
Saddam killed Abu Nidal over al-Qa'eda row
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/08/25/wnidal25.xml
Robert Torricelli was accused of the same things but on a much grander scale, he still walks around free. Traficant fought the IRS and won (the traficant ammendment) accused the clintons of treason and Janet Reno of murdering American citizens. Talk about asking for trouble.
It's not like we didn't know who Binnie was... we knew exactly who knocked the buildings down one minute after it happened. There wasn't any doubt.
This is hardly new
Which is why it's so funny... I added the "breaking news" myself, as it is clearly anything but (though the Media doesn't seem to think so).
Since the Bush team was not accorded the standard courtesies and briefings given the new administration because the RATS were trying to steal it for Gore; its National Security appointments were held up by the RATS in the Senate and the new FBI director was not confirmed until a week before 9/11 I would say it is questionable that Bush was given all the info it should have been.
Then also think about the fact that Traficant is in Jail. Add that the information in the Bennett Report and I think Traficant was sent up the river by the Clintoons
Bump to that!
It appears that you added the "breaking news" yourself because you thought it was breaking news. The media is covering the Moussaoui sentencing hearing and all its inclusions.
bump
Refresh my memory, was GWB sworn in on Jan. 20th, 2001?
Michael Anticev is discussed in "1,000 Years for Revenge" see www.peterlance.com
Yes but his administration was not allowed to put his National Security team in place since the RATS were holding up confirmations. Not only that but we don't know how much information was destroyed by the Clintonistas. We do know that ABLE DANGER was supposed to have been fortunately courageous military men stopped that.
You believe just because Bush was sworn in all he had to do was wave his magik wand and all would be revealed?
Pathetic!
Yes, and I'm sure that you will agree that Bush would have had a little difficulty in persuading Congress to authorize an invasion of Afghanistan on that day.
Bump squared!
That was excellent!
bttt
Did Clinton need congressional approval to fire missiles at Osama or that aspirin factory? I don't think so.
Condoleezza Rice became the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor, on January 22, 2001.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/ricebio.html
Let's see...who else is on the National Security Council?
There's the Veep. Cheney was there from day one.
There's the director of CIA. GWB kept Klintoon's director, Tenet, did he not?
So let's see, that leaves Rumsfeld. He was sworn in on January 20th, 2001.
(http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2001/b01202001_bt032-01.html)
You're claims don't hold water. Sorry. Try again.
Looks good and I've always loved that little band!
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