Posted on 12/29/2001 12:17:23 AM PST by GeneD
The Briton suspected of trying to blow up an airliner with a bomb hidden in his shoes received explosives training at the same al-Qaida camp in Afghanistan as Zacarias Moussaoui, the Frenchman charged with involvement in the September 11 plot, US intelligence sources said yesterday.
Richard Reid appeared in shackles yesterday at a Boston court where he was ordered to remain in custody until his trial. He was charged only with intimidation or assault of the crew on the Paris-Miami flight a week ago, but far more serious charges are expected. An FBI expert witness testified that there was enough plastic explosive hidden in his shoes to blow a large hole in the American Airlines plane.
Mr Reid spent most of the 17-minute hearing with his head bowed, showing little emotion. But he appeared to smile when the court was told how he was tackled by passengers and flight attendants and subdued with belts and ties.
He is reported to have told investigators that he bought the explosive, TATP (triacetone triperoxide) using the internet, but US intelligence believes he is part of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network, and that he was almost certainly recruited by Mr Moussaoui, who attended the same Brixton mosque.
"Moussaoui and Reid had a more substantive relationship than just going to the same mosque," said a US intelligence source. "They went to the same training camp in Afghanistan, where Reid had explosives training. Plus there are records of telephone calls between Moussaoui and Reid".
According to the charges against him, Mr Moussaoui trained, like the 19 hijackers involved in the September 11 attacks, to be a pilot and received funds through the same channels. He was the first person indicted in connection with the attacks, having been detained on immigration charges less than a month before.
His indictment alleges that he attended Khalden camp, which appears to have been used to train al-Qaida's international brigade of volunteers from beyond the Gulf and Egypt.
Judith Dein, the judge who presided over Mr Reid's bail hearing, agreed with the prosecution that the seriousness of the allegations meant there was a substantial risk he might flee if bailed.
FBI special agent Margaret Cronin, an expert witness on air crime, testified that Mr Reid was carrying "functioning improvised explosives, or, in layman's terms, a homemade bomb".
She said the black suede basketball shoes Mr Reid had been wearing contained enough explosive that "if placed beside an outer wall could have or would have created a large hole in the fuselage of the plane". Mr Reid had been sitting in a window seat.
TATP is made from acetone, peroxide and other easily obtainable ingredients. It is commonly used in terrorist attacks in the Middle East.
Investigators are trying to determine the exact construction of the device and why it failed to go off. Some reports suggest that sweat from Mr Reid's leg dampened the fuse. He was apprehended after a flight attendant smelled the sulphur from the matches he was allegedly using to try to light the fuse.
"It was a very clever operation, designed to pass the explosive through security without triggering alarms. There were no blasting caps with batteries which might have set something off," said Vincent Cannistraro, the former chief of CIA counter-terrorist operations. "In the past people have tried to smuggle bomb components through in their shoes, but this is the first time anyone has taken the actual bomb through that way."
Investigators see more evidence of Mr Reid's involvement in a conspiracy in the extraordinary amount of travelling he did in the run-up to the bungled bomb attempt, visiting seven countries in as many months. According to French authorities his passport showed he had visited Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Pakistan, Belgium, the Netherlands and France. Some reports said he had also visited Afghanistan.
He spent 10 days in Israel and was subject to a security check by El-Al staff at Tel Aviv airport after they became suspicious when he arrived on a flight from Turkey.
Is this another case of the FBI just not really having any clue (re the anthrax) and blaming it on VRWC NRA types or .......
I hope so, the next big event is New Years in NYC.
My very first thought was to wonder why he didn't invest ten bucks in a Zippo. You can put them in the little inspection bucket before walking through the metal detector and have it handed right back to you. Or at least you could pre-9/11.
MM
Trial? What trial? Let's give this military tribunal thing a try now!
Next time, they will. Terrorists learn, and teach the lessons learned to each other. That's one reason why terrorist networks are so much more dangerous than terrorist individuals.
bin Laden's response to this frustration seems to carefully plan a small number of spectacular attacks. So long as none will involve high levels of ionizing radiation, September 11 should continue to be the worst day of this war. The President's plan to continue to war into 2002 is still vital.
Another talking head pointed out that his first attempt to board the AA flight was the anniversary date of the bombing of Pan Am 103 (12/21/1988)
And, it's cost effective.
I heard his defense lawyer say that, but I doubt if his lawyer would be put in the "authorities' category.
The "authorities" have been developing some very good leads that point to him being a foot solder in al Qaeda.
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