US blunder gave September 11 terrorists visas

The Sydney Morning Herald ^ | Wednesday, March 13, 2002

[Byron_the_Aussie]

Two of the hijackers who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks this week had their visas approved, causing the American government severe embarrassment.

Huffman International flying school was told former students Mohammed Atta, the ringleader of the September 11 hijacks, and fellow terrorist Marwan al-Shehhi had been allocated official student visas.

The letters, from the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (INS), arrived six months after the two men killed themselves and more than 3,000 others in the terrorist attacks which relied on their flying skills.

Stamps on the two letters, which were obtained by CNN, showed the INS had approved their applications for legal permission to remain in America on July 17, just under two months before they carried out their plan.

Tonight the INS claimed the bungling was due to an overloaded system which it is changing following the September 11 attacks, but offered no explanation as to why it took almost eight months for it to put the letters in the post.

Spokesman Russ Bergerun told CNN: "It is certainly embarrassing that the letters showed up at this date.

"But it does serve to illustrate what we have been saying since 1995 - that the system for collecting information and tracking foreign students is antiquated, outdated, inaccurate and untimely."

Rudi Dekker, the owner of the flight school, said he was sceptical that the letters had arrived so long after the men's deaths - and two and a half years since they had applied for the visas, in August 2000.

"That is why we don't understand why this has come in today and why this was not done a year ago," he said.

Atta and al-Shehhi were able to train as pilots because people on tourist visas, which is how they entered the country, are allowed to study any course for up to 18 hours a week.

The INS is notorious for its inability to process visa applications on time.

America has millions of illegal immigrants who overstay tourist visas and work on student visas.

[sport]

The ins agents are more at home kidnapping children, beating people with rifle butts, and gassing people than they are at keeping dangerous people out of the U.S.

[Psalm 73]

Where is that famous Bush attribute of accountability of underlings - that those who do not perform will lose thier jobs.
What's up with the FBI, INS, and that huge bozo, Norm Mineta?
Why aren't heads rolling?

[Destructor]

It'll be interesting to see what the Tin Foil Hat folks do with this one!

[shadowman99]

Oh, the irony. I wonder if there will be any blowback for congress as the news media beats the INS for this blunder.