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CBS 11 Investigates Whether US Was Warned About Terrorist Attacks
KRLD TV Dallas ^ | 4/28/02

Posted on 04/28/2002 5:47:53 AM PDT by glorygirl

CBS 11 investigates very serious questions about what our government knew about planned terrorist attacks against America... including 9/11 and Oklahoma City. As far back as seven years ago, federal authorities may have been told terrorists were already in this country taking flying lessons and picking their targets. Sources say the evidence was overwhelming and the U.S. was clearly and repeatedly warned.

CBS 11 Special Correspondent Steve Narisi traveled to the Philippines where the questions were first raised and perhaps even answered.

"My reaction was that they had done this and they have succeeded. Those were my words. They have done this and succeeded." That was the reaction of the Philippine police to September 11th. That's because seven years earlier, they uncovered a polot where Arab terrorists were already taking flying lessons... a plot that would fly a plane into a U.S. landmark. A plot turned over to U.S. authorities seven years earlier.

In 1994, terroritst from Kuwait, Iraq, and Pakistan were plotting assasinations, bombings and hijackings. In the early 90's terrorists with Al Qaeda connections established a cell in Manila. Members began experimenting with bombs.. scheming against American interests.

The ringleader was one of the men later to be convicted of the first World Trade Center bombing. His name is Ramzi Youssef. A key associate was Abdul Hakim Murad, a pilot who would later be convicted of similar crimes. Documents obtained by CBS 11 also show that at least two other terrorists based in the Philippines would later bomb U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

In the early 90's, the terrorists were targeting U.S. airliners flying routes from Manila and other Asian cities. General Roberto Delphin of the National Police says the plan he and others uncovered would have killed more than a thousand people. "There were five people who were directed to bomb a plane from different places and place a liquid bomb on board," says Delphin. The project was called "Bojinka" which means "Big Boom."

But before the terrorists could act, a suspicious fire at their Manila apartment in January of 1995 alerted police. Inside, investigators found a computer that held the master plan, bombing devices and Abdul Murad, who had come back to retrieve the evidence. After his arrest, Murad reportedly opened up to Philippine authorities, naming names and revealing plots. Colonol Rudolpho Mendoza was one of the lead investigators. He interrogated Murad several different times and was told that some of the members of the group, including Murad, were pilots. "Murad gave me important information about his training in California, in Florida, and he mentioned to us several names of co-trainees, pilot instructors, so on and so forth," says Mendoza. Murad then told police that he planned to use his skills to fly a hijacked jet into an American landmark. The CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. "(Murad) said, 'Youseff was interested in an operation that I am supposed to implement when the right time comes. Dive-crashing a commericial jet airliner into the CIA building,' so I was really surprised," says Mendoza. "I said, 'You mean to say you would really do that?' He said yes, because that is the highest expectations of supreme sacrifice for Islam, as a Muslim."

When terrorists later attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Mendoza and other Philippine police were not surprised.

"I recalled the information given to us by Murad, that maybe this is part of the old plan," says Delphin. "I was really frozen. I'm not joking, really frozen, recollecting all of this information we had gathered in 1995 from Murad. My reaction was, 'they had done this and they have succeeded,' those were my words. 'They have done it and they have succeeded.'"

In 1995, the investigation was handed over to U.S. authorities. The evidence provided helped convict Abdul Murad and Ramzi Youssef of conspiracy to bomb U.S. airliners. Later Youssef was also convicted for his role in the first World Trade Center bombing. As for the plan to crash a plane into an American landmark, Philippine police are uncertain how their American counterparts handled their warnings.

CBS 11 contacted the FBI. A spokesman stated that "The Bureau, prior to September 11th, possessed no information about crashing a jet into buildings." Ther terrorist cell in the Philippines was operating in the early 1990's, the very same time Timothy Mcveigh and Terry Nichols were plotting to blow up the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. Nichols was a frequent visitor to the Philippines and some people allege that that's where he learned to build the bomb that killed 168 people.

Reporter Steve Narisi will have that story Friday night.



TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; US: Oklahoma; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: 911; mendoza; murad; okcbombing; phillipines; youssef
TV investigatory coverage. It's coming!
1 posted on 04/28/2002 5:47:54 AM PDT by glorygirl
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To: okcsubmariner;backhoe;honway;ronneil;archy,Wm Bach;Judith Anne;Fred Mertz
ping
2 posted on 04/28/2002 5:49:23 AM PDT by glorygirl
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To: glorygirl
Give you a nickel if you can find the name "Clinton" in this article.

I'm really not expecting any big investigations into this, but if there are, it will be entertaining to see how the press turns somersaults to avoid blaming the Clinton administration. It will all be the Bushes' (plural) fault.

Within days after 9/11, there were numerous interviewees on TV, some extremely well-spoken and credible, saying they repeatedly warned the Clinton administration about Bin Laden's activities, but they were ignored.

3 posted on 04/28/2002 5:54:30 AM PDT by randita
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To: codebreaker; Free the USA; VOA; lawdog; archy; Uncle Bill, MizSterious;Donald Stone,
ping
4 posted on 04/28/2002 5:59:53 AM PDT by glorygirl
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To: glorygirl

Rather: "You know our frequency, Kenneth."

5 posted on 04/28/2002 6:00:25 AM PDT by Diogenesis
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To: randita
As I recall, this was even mentioned in the trial of Yousaf in the first WTC bombing.
6 posted on 04/28/2002 6:02:26 AM PDT by meenie
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To: glorygirl
Warning. Sort of like the same warning I got 30 years ago from my mother about getting pregnant? Who knows if any of these warnings will lead to anything serious? I'm certainly not excusing X42(i)'s disaterous administration, because clearly, any information they had was not passed on to the current administration. I do remember when I was in college in the early 80's being puzzled by all these swarthy men in the local bars hitting on me and saying that they were learning to be mechanics and pilots at an Oklahoma aeronautics school. Maybe that should have been a warning to me. But I didn't think anything of it.
7 posted on 04/28/2002 6:18:22 AM PDT by rabidralph
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To: glorygirl
CBS and McKinney perfect bed fellows.
8 posted on 04/28/2002 6:22:45 AM PDT by boomop1
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To: glorygirl
LINK to story about meetings between Ramzi Yousef and an American known as "Terry" or "the farmer" in the Philippines to discuss the building of bombs/OKC.
9 posted on 04/28/2002 6:29:50 AM PDT by Sender
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To: Diogenesis
This story is not being produced by CBS News.

It's being produced by the CBS affiliate in Dallas.

There is a difference.

Also, see U.S. News and World Report.

10 posted on 04/28/2002 6:35:26 AM PDT by glorygirl
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To: rabidralph
Warning. Sort of like the same warning I got 30 years ago from my mother about getting pregnant? Who knows if any of these warnings will lead to anything serious?

We were attacked on Sept. 11th. a few years before that, Arabs tried to blow up the WTC. To me that first attack lead to something serious! Somehow actually uncovering plans for an attack and seeing a smaller failed version of that attack succeed and still not taking terrorism seriously, vs. being drunk with too many Yaggermiester shots, playing sperm bank (and only accepting deposits) on a Saturday night, just don't seem corrolate!

11 posted on 04/28/2002 6:40:20 AM PDT by Bommer
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To: glorygirl
I'm sure some nimrod over there is enamored with the rantings of our favorite little Congressional Communist, Cynthia McKinney.
12 posted on 04/28/2002 6:41:30 AM PDT by mhking
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To: Bommer
I know what happened Sept. 11, don't get your panties in a bunch. I did say the previous administration was a disaster and didn't take much of anything seriously. I'm just saying that with all of the information we're capable of gathering as a nation, sorting it out and finding that one kernal of truth is very difficult. Certainly, all of this could have been avoided if one dedicated senior person in Reno's justice department allocated resources to find the truth about what was happening in the Philippines.

Many of us recall the ex-president being quick to tell us not to blame OKC on Arabs and he seemed so self-satisfied when he was able to report that McVeigh was arrested. There might have been a connection/cover-up there between the Philippines info and OKC. Who knows?

13 posted on 04/28/2002 6:48:15 AM PDT by rabidralph
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To: glorygirl
Certainly there were warning signs that were overlooked. I don't doubt that. But no one ever suspected something so heinous could ever happen here. What really bothers me is, now that we know better we still are not taking it seriously. The government is still more concerned about political correctness than the security of our Nation. Politicians are still more concerned about votes than enforcing the immigration laws. I don't even want to think about what it will take for us as a nation to pull our collective heads out of the sand.
14 posted on 04/28/2002 7:00:01 AM PDT by Ima Lurker
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To: rabidralph
Hate to say it, but getting hit on by Middle Eastern guys at college in the early 80s (happened to me, too, I bet you're a blonde) is NOT the same as the Federal government denying it ever had evidence terrorists were planning to hijack jets and crash them into buildings.

Especially when they used that same evidence to convict Ramzi Youssef. I really wish somebody would ask Rumsfeld about this in one of his briefings. It would be interesting to see what his reaction is.

Also, you might want to read the thread from the article I posted above. Thread on U.S. News & World Report Story

15 posted on 04/28/2002 7:00:29 AM PDT by glorygirl
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To: glorygirl
As far back as seven years ago, federal authorities may have been told terrorists were already in this country taking flying lessons and picking their targets.

Hmm...we know who was supposed to be on watch then. Slick was probably too busy molesting interns to care.

16 posted on 04/28/2002 7:09:05 AM PDT by pfflier
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To: glorygirl
Notice the date on this old thread.

BIN LADEN'S LEMMINGS MAY TARGET BIG APPLE

17 posted on 04/28/2002 7:09:08 AM PDT by Ouachita
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To: glorygirl
Of course there were warnings ---the Arabs already tried to bring down the WTC in 1993, there were Middle Easterners plotting to place a bomb in the NY subway to kill as many people as they could during rush hour, many things happened during the Clinton administration that were completely ignored. Robert Kennedy was killed by a Palestinian Arab. There have been numerous events that should have had our government paying attention.
18 posted on 04/28/2002 7:15:13 AM PDT by FITZ
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To: glorygirl
I'm not familiar with the local CBS affiliate there in Dallas, so I could be completely wrong. But, if their investigative techniques are anything like those employed by network affiliates here in the Tampa Bay area, it'll be all hype, and no substance. Local affiliates are better at exposing rotten produce scams at the local supermarket, or doing "How to Survive" series during sweeps periods (Reginald Roundtree at one of the Tampa stations used to do special reports like "how to escape from a burning building" or "how to survive in the Gulf after your boat sinks" during sweeps...it was revolting). TV news is bad enough, but local TV news is even worse!

Then again, CBS 11 may be the exception to the rule.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

19 posted on 04/28/2002 7:17:45 AM PDT by wku man
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To: randita
I'm really not expecting any big investigations into this, but if there are, it will be entertaining to see how the press turns somersaults to avoid blaming the Clinton administration

Clinton not only was warned, he encouraged attacks with his criticisms and cutbacks of all military safety mechanisms.

20 posted on 04/28/2002 7:20:57 AM PDT by alrea
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To: Bommer
Perhaps you're trying to say that our feds failed to integrate knowledge into a pragmatic defense?

Kinda' hard to tell, with your cutesy refs to sperm bank, poorly spelled imitation of a bar drink (you might have a chance to read the label when you're older), and other graffiti.

I'll go with rabidralph, she's easier to understand. Polite, too.

P.S. Somewhere out there, right now, are every and all the inputs necessary that will become the winning pitcher of the first game of the 2007 World Series. Wanna' bet bigtime on your prediction? Kinda' hard to tell right now, eh? It'll be really obvious and easy to document by April 2008.

21 posted on 04/28/2002 7:21:08 AM PDT by AzJP
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To: randita
Give you a nickel if you can find the name "Clinton" in this article.

It was tough, but its in there:

CBS 11 investigates very serious questions about what our government knew about planned terrorist attacks against America... including 9/11 and Oklahoma City. As far back as seven years ago, federal authorities may have been told terrorists were already in this country

22 posted on 04/28/2002 7:22:05 AM PDT by Always Right
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To: rabidralph
No, this is more like getting caught in the act by your mother, who says, "You could get pregnant."

History is full of ignored warnings. Pearl Harbor was one. The loss of the Philippines soon after. We had German subs sinking everything in sight off the East Coast - AFTER Pearl Harbor. Etc.

One person got it right. Clinton is never mentioned in the article. He and Lady Macbeth did everything possible to reduce this country to ashes.

23 posted on 04/28/2002 7:26:20 AM PDT by Chemnitz
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To: AzJP
Thanks, bud!
24 posted on 04/28/2002 7:26:41 AM PDT by rabidralph
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To: Ouachita
Thanks for the link.

From the New York Post article:

The Clinton administration claims a massive worldwide effort, led by the CIA and FBI, to fight "proactively" against bin Laden's shadowy terrorism empire has been successful.

I don't recall a massive effort by Clinton to deter bin Laden's terrorist activities. What I do remember is Clinton's director of the CIA never being granted a meeting with the emperor.

25 posted on 04/28/2002 7:29:36 AM PDT by Quilla
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To: rabidralph
The station should ask the visiting Saudi prince if he feels any responsibility to the 3000 dead in New York on 9-11-01 or if the monarchy knew about it in advance...
26 posted on 04/28/2002 7:31:07 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks
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To: Always Right
No nickel for you. The name "Clinton" is not mentioned in that quote. :)
27 posted on 04/28/2002 7:56:27 AM PDT by Ima Lurker
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Where is the word..........CLINTON?????
28 posted on 04/28/2002 7:56:36 AM PDT by cousair
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To: glorygirl
I think that we might find that McVeigh and Nichols were not the only individuals involved in the Oklahoma bombing.There was a news reporter,a female reporter, who stated that she had turned over mountains of evidence that implicated Muslim terrorists in the federal building bombing in Oklahoma in 95. I think her name was Thompson. She had gone to the Phillippines to get her evidence.
29 posted on 04/28/2002 8:06:06 AM PDT by stimulate
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To: rabidralph
Good point! Political correctness advocates in the Clinton admin. didn't want to look any further than a white guy.Remember at the time that the Cinton Admin. was blaming Rush Limbaugh as underlying reason for the Oklahoma bombing, and labeling talk radio as HATE RADIO?
30 posted on 04/28/2002 8:27:35 AM PDT by stimulate
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To: cousair, Ima Lurker
Hey, guys, do your browsers display boldface?

If you look hard enough, Clinton's fnord in there.

31 posted on 04/28/2002 9:00:41 AM PDT by Erasmus
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To: glorygirl
TV investigatory coverage. It's coming!

No, May ratings sweeps is coming. They'll just take the biggest conspiracy kooks and the wildest stories, toss them all together like a salad to titillate the viewers, and end it all with some empty line like "We'll probably never really know. And now, on to sports..."

32 posted on 04/28/2002 10:12:45 AM PDT by Timesink
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To: glorygirl
A few things:

1. There is no KRLD-TV. It's KTVT. The old KRLD-TV became KDFW-TV about 20 years ago when Judy Jordan was still there. And despite the best efforts of Tracy Rowlett, they are still fourth rated news organization in town.
2. Reporter Steve Narisi will have that story Friday night. Any time I see a press release about an upcoming story, I know it's sweeps month. If they have the story they should just run it - don't advertise it. (I know, I know - they're just trying to build an audience.)
3. Any number of statements or communiques could be interpreted as warnings, after the fact. Reality has a way of skewering the way we look back at history.

33 posted on 04/28/2002 10:35:13 AM PDT by TexasNative2000
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To: Erasmus;Always Right
LOL...can't believe I missed it. Once again, Always Right is right. Give the man/woman a nickel!
34 posted on 04/28/2002 11:27:24 AM PDT by Ima Lurker
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To: Ima Lurker
This "cover-up" scenerio is nothing new, it looks like the "boomer" generation may soon have their "Kimmel and Short" to blame for the biggest intell snafu since Pearl!

As to Clinton he will get a pass-remember those FBI files ? Besides Bush doesn't want to go there, as to his motivation, well that's the sixty four dollar question.

35 posted on 04/28/2002 12:12:33 PM PDT by lawdog
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To: glorygirl
Here comes the smear campaign.
36 posted on 04/28/2002 4:22:44 PM PDT by dalebert
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To: Erasmus
If you look hard enough, Clinton's fnord in there.

Hey, watch it! Not only are you letting the secret out, but how dare you link me with Clinton.

37 posted on 04/28/2002 4:38:10 PM PDT by fnord
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Comment #38 Removed by Moderator

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