Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

How the 9/11 Terrorists Got Here
Townhall.com ^ | August 25, 2021 | Terry Jeffrey

Posted on 08/25/2021 5:48:36 AM PDT by Kaslin

The commercial aircraft that al-Qaida terrorists flew into the twin towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001 -- killing 2,977 people -- did not take off from some foreign land before flying toward targets here in the United States.

They were all domestic flights that took off from American cities and were headed toward American cities.

American Airlines Flight 11, which struck the north tower of the World Trade Center, took off from Boston and was heading to Los Angeles.

United Airlines Flight 175, which struck the south tower of the World Trade Center, also took off from Boston and was heading to Los Angeles.

American Airlines Flight 77, which struck the Pentagon, took off from Northern Virginia and was heading to Los Angeles.

United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania, took off from Newark and was heading to San Francisco.

Almost three years after the 2001 attacks, the staff of the national commission that Congress created by statute to investigate the event published a report on "9/11 and Terrorist Travel."

This report began by making a fundamental point: "It is perhaps obvious to state that terrorists cannot plan and carry out attacks in the United States if they are unable to enter the country."

We let the hijackers in. But did they come here legally? Did they follow our visa and immigration laws? Not according to this 9/11 Commission staff report.

"The story begins with 'A Factual Overview of the September 11 Border Story,'" says the preface to the report. "In it, we endeavor to dispel the myth that their entry into the United States was 'clean and legal.' It was not."

"Three hijackers carried passports with indicators of Islamic extremism linked to al Qaeda; two others carried passports manipulated in a fraudulent manner," the report explained. "It is likely that several more hijackers carried passports with similar fraudulent manipulation. Two hijackers lied on their visa applications. Once in the United States, two hijackers violated the terms of their visas. One overstayed his visa. And all but one obtained some form of state identification. We know that six of the hijackers used these state issued identifications to check in for their flights on September 11. Three of them were fraudulently obtained."

More than two dozen al-Qaida terrorists whom the commission associated with the 9/11 conspiracy tried to enter the United States. Most of them succeeded.

"Twenty-six al Qaeda terrorist conspirators -- eighteen Saudis, two Emiratis, one Egyptian, one Lebanese, one Moroccan, one Pakistani, and two Yemenis -- sought to enter the United States and carry out a suicide mission," said the commission's staff report. "The first of them began to acquire the means to enter two years and five months before the 9/11 attack."

"The 19 hijackers applied for 23 visas and obtained 22," said the report. "Five other conspirators were denied U.S. visas. Two more obtained visas but did not participate in the attack for various reasons."

One thing these terrorists tended to have in common when they applied for visas to enter the United States was a newly minted passport.

"Most of the hijackers applied with new passports, possibly to hide travel to Afghanistan recorded in their old ones," said the report.

The terrorists who actually piloted the hijacked planes had another thing in common. This was a remarkable ability to enter, leave and re-enter the United States.

"The four pilots passed through immigration and customs inspections a total of 17 times from May 29, 2000 to August 5, 2001," said the report.

Ziad Jarrah, who flew United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania, "was the most frequent border crosser, entering the United States seven times."

Had they only let this terrorist into the United States six times, he would not have been on that flight.

Mohamed Atta, who flew American Airlines Flight 11 into the north tower, and Marwan al Shehhi, who flew United Airlines Flight 175 into the south tower, "came in three times each, entering for the last time on May 2 and July 19, 2001, respectively."

Had they only let these terrorists in twice, they would not have flown into the twin towers.

Hani Hanjour, who flew American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon, had made repeated journeys to the United States in the 1990s before coming back as a student -- who never went to school -- in 2000.

"Hani Hanjour was the only hijacker to enter on an academic visa, arriving on December 8, 2000," said the report. "He had already attended both English and flight training schools in the United States during three stays in the 1990s. Hanjour was also the only pilot who already had a commercial pilot's license prior to entry, having acquired it in 1999 in Arizona."

"Hanjour did not attend school after entering on a student visa in December 2000, thereby violating his immigration status and making him deportable under 8 U.S.C. 1227(a)(1)(B)," said the report.

He, of course, was not deported.

This staff report concluded that "all of the hijackers violated some aspect of U.S. immigration law."

The good news is that our government has succeeded for nearly two decades in preventing another terrorist attack like 9/11. The question now: Will it continue to do so?


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 911; afghanistan; terroristattack
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-39 next last

1 posted on 08/25/2021 5:48:36 AM PDT by Kaslin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

2 posted on 08/25/2021 5:51:26 AM PDT by Travis McGee (EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Many liberals hope that living in the United States will make Moslems into liberal Democrats.

They’re betting your life on it.


3 posted on 08/25/2021 5:54:38 AM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer”)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

brennan


4 posted on 08/25/2021 5:55:42 AM PDT by Diogenesis (Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
This staff report concluded that "all of the hijackers violated some aspect of U.S. immigration law."

Like walking across the Southern border, which happens thousands of times each DAY.

5 posted on 08/25/2021 5:58:50 AM PDT by 1Old Pro (Let's make crime illegal again!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
"We didn't fight them over there, just to invite them over here."

- Donald J. Trump

6 posted on 08/25/2021 6:09:35 AM PDT by Jess Kitting
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

There has not been a similar attack because there is an agreement between the jihadists and the communists to infiltrate and overthrow our constitutional republic and replace it with a socialist state than can, one day, possibly be converted into a caliphate easily (they are very similar).

Without that agreement, too much attention would be given to our lack of enforcement of immigration laws and the predators it invites.

The porous immigration laws and constant propaganda by Pravda that these are just downtrodden and poor people fleeing tyranny.


7 posted on 08/25/2021 6:10:34 AM PDT by Erik Latranyi (We are being played by forces most do not understand)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

The bad news is they stopped.


8 posted on 08/25/2021 6:10:36 AM PDT by knarf (qa)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

I have a feeling that the biden administration is going to mostly ignore the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the USA. He is no longer an American. He has sold his soul to jihadis who hate the USA.


9 posted on 08/25/2021 6:17:07 AM PDT by I want the USA back (We have more to fear from our government than from the bug that the chicoms made for us. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

bkmk


10 posted on 08/25/2021 6:21:53 AM PDT by sauropod (Time is like quicksilver, smearing the years... - Bill Nelson)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin; All

The next attack is already in the works, on our own soil. I have no doubt of that. Absolutely none. :(

Plan accordingly. We are on our own. Utterly and absolutely.


11 posted on 08/25/2021 6:22:58 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin

My full agreement :(


12 posted on 08/25/2021 6:39:12 AM PDT by no-to-illegals ( Liberals, leftists, Rinos, moslems, illegals, lamestream media. All want America to fail and die )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

Lots of wimmin and children in that photo, aren’t there?


13 posted on 08/25/2021 6:41:30 AM PDT by Vigilanteman (The politicized state destroys aspects of civil society, human kindness and private charity.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

I have read that after all aircraft were ordered one the ground on 9-11, that on some of those aircraft were found stashes of box cutters hidden in them.

https://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/23/inv.investigation.terrorism/

https://whyy.org/articles/the-5th-plane-to-be-seized-on-911-and-the-terrorists-who-got-away/


14 posted on 08/25/2021 7:05:39 AM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar (30 days! FB jail for mentioning a Monty Python script about tranneys, and the 1936 Olympics.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ruy Dias de Bivar
I have read that after all aircraft were ordered one the ground on 9-11, that on some of those aircraft were found stashes of box cutters hidden in them.

IF true, and it sounds true, why wouldn't someone have questioned why it didn't appear in any reports, odd.

15 posted on 08/25/2021 7:08:46 AM PDT by 1Old Pro (Let's make crime illegal again!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

With GOD knows who streaming into the Country through our porous borders, and now the Biden Regime flying afghan “refugees” in, who is eager to fly on the twentieth anniversary of 9/11 ?


16 posted on 08/25/2021 7:47:00 AM PDT by The Sons of Liberty (“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction". It is dying on Our Watch!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Travis McGee

This staff report concluded that “all of the hijackers violated some aspect of U.S. immigration law.”

The good news is that our government has succeeded for nearly two decades in preventing another terrorist attack like 9/11. The question now: Will it continue to do so?

I agree completely with the first sentence.

I disagree that US government has any notion of compliance with our immigration laws.

I disagree with the attempt at establishing the narrative that government has succeeded in preventing another terrorist attack. Government obviously under present regime has no intention of preventing anything of the sort.

If anything they are literally begging for the next step whatever and whenever that might be.


17 posted on 08/25/2021 8:17:28 AM PDT by wita (Always and forever, under oath in defense of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Ruy Dias de Bivar

supposedly if I recall correctly they had up for flight training.


18 posted on 08/25/2021 8:23:36 AM PDT by Kaslin (Joe Biden will never be my President, and neither will Kamala Harris)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

After 9/11 George Bush let the terrorists families and friends leave the country while stopping Americans from traveling. The Bush foundation has many millions from the Saudi’s and other muslim countries.


19 posted on 08/25/2021 8:27:15 AM PDT by minnesota_bound (I need more money. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: minnesota_bound
After 9/11 George Bush let the terrorists families and friends leave the country while stopping Americans from traveling. The Bush foundation has many millions from the Saudi’s and other muslim countries.

Politicians don't play by the same rules as us citizens.

20 posted on 08/25/2021 8:28:33 AM PDT by 1Old Pro (Let's make crime illegal again!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-39 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson