Posted on 09/15/2001 10:07:57 AM PDT by The Raven
Ramzi Ahmed Yusef has long been behind bars. But he might provide the key for federal investigators examining the suicide attacks in New York and Washington.
U.S. officials said the destruction of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon bear the imprint of Yusef, the 41-year-old Pakistani who was convicted for the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center. Yusef was arrested and found with plans for a coordinated series of hijackings and suicide crashes of several U.S. commercial airliners.
The plan was never carried out, the officials said, because of the limitations of the poorly-trained squad. Most of Yusef's plans, including the 1993 World Trade Center attack, failed to succeed.
"What we saw was the completion of Yusef's plans," an official said. "The resemblance is too strong to ignore."
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said each of the hijacked planes were commandeered by three to six attackers. Several of the attackers were pilots trained in the United States, Ashcroft said.
Federal investigation sources said one of the suspects is Mohammed Ata. Ata was identified as a Palestinian wanted for a 1996 bus bombing in Israel. So far, the hijackers that crashed the four commercial planes were identified as Egyptian and Saudi nationals who arrived from Canada.
One prospect is that Saudi billionaire fugitive Osama Bin Laden, together with a Middle East government, revised Yusef's plans and launched preparation as early as 1998. A senior German government official said the intelligence services of Britain, France, Germany, Israel and Germany have fingered Bin Laden as the prime suspect.
"The way it was carried out, the choice of targets, the military approach, the highly professional preparation and the presumably large financial resources mean there are many points that indicate we should look for the perpetrators among those around Osama Bin Laden," Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the chief of staff of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, said.
The officials said Yusef, sentenced in 1998 to 240 years in prison, will probably undergo additional interrogation. In addition, they said, the huge pile of documents found in his possession as well as intercepts of his conversations will be reviewed.
One U.S. counterterrorism source acknowledged that the first FBI investigation of Yusef was incomplete and much of the material from the first World Trade Center bombing was either ignored or did not undergo proper analysis. The source said even the translation of the Yusef material was an extremely slow process.
Yusef was regarded by U.S. counterterrorism officials as a key contractor for Islamic terrorist attacks. They said he worked for such governments as Iran, Iraq and Pakistan.
Born in Pakistan Abdul Karim Rind, Yusef grew up in Kuwait and began to work with the Palestinian Hamas movement. Yusef was said to have built a network that included Islamic militants in the United States, Europe and the Philippines.
Initial support came from Pakistani intelligence and Saudi businessmen in Karachi. But much of the financing was said to have stemmed from Saudi and Arab Gulf nationals in such countries as Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Later, Yusef obtained independent financing through arms trafficking and selling his services to Middle East governments and Islamic movements. Yusef based many of his agents along the Iranian-Afghan border.
The Bush administration has pledged to pursue the investigation of the kamikaze bombings whatever the cost. U.S. officials said Pakistani leaders have been urged to cooperate in the investigation.
"We're facing a different enemy than we've every faced," U.S. President George Bush said. "This is an enemy that thinks its harbors are safe. But its harbors won't be safe forever."
Well hey, that's no reason not to give him a visa to live in the USA under his own name. What's a bus bombing in Israel to us? We need to be tolerant. < /bitter sarcasm >
The enemy is among us, smiling at us on the street, but building truck bombs in their garages.
We had better wake up, the next attack could be a bio attack by the smiling "straight A's" microbiology grad student who lives in the townhouse down your street.
The FBI was too busy protecting Americans from the NRA and the Heritage Foundation. (/sarcasm)
WFTR
America's response has Already Started.
Bill
But he shrugged it off and cashed their fat checks.
If we don't wise up, the next attack.....
According to debka.com, Israel had been trying to extradite this guy but the US refused.
Why because the bad guys wouldn't translate it for them, wrap it in gift wrap and mail it certified to the FBI!
Doesn't surprise me, it's time to start weeding out these Muslim Fundamentalists who have been here since 1993 or later. They are here, and have been here, it's past time we took control of the immigration situation.
Yousef may be using the identity of a Pakistani who lived in Kuwait at the start of the Gulf conflict and may have been murdered by the Iraqis and the identity then transferred to Yousef. I am amazed that our people appear to be resisting bringing people to view Yousef, people that were familiar with Karim before the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and could identify the real Karim.
Now, who was stupid enough to believe this liar and his gang and NOT take precautionary actions to prevent cockpit takeover by Islamic fundamentalist extremists?
answer: America.
I was disgusted. I sounded the warning on November 1 - knowing even then that it was a terrorist act. For the next two years I have been telling everyone that flight 990 was downed by terrorism and they got away with it and will do it again and again.... I have been told to put on my tin foil hat and watch out for black helicopters and that I was consumed with paranoia about Osama bin Laden and needed to get a life. Such is the defamation people who expose Clinton's lies were subject to.
Now we are told to be quiet and united - not to speak ill of anyone because we are all suffering.
I will not be quiet! WE have traitors in our midst and still working within the government at all levels!
FIRE all of the investigators who signed on to the report concluding that EgyptAir 990's fate was in the hands of a lone renegade pilot. These investigators have blood on their hands.
Look who was in charge during all those years--Clinton, Gore, Reno, Freeh........Need we say more.
And who elected him....twice?
There might be a few answers here.
(1) Do they support the Intifada and Jihad against Israel?;
(2) Does Israel have a right to exist as a nation-state?;
(3) Do they consider Israel part of dar al-Islam already conquered Arab land now "occupied";
The first one, particularly, will let the cat out of the bag. If they support the "Palestinian" Intifada they are supporting Islamic militancy and as well all those organizations, terrorist in nature (such as the Hezbullah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad - all responsible for killing American citizens or soldiers at one time or the other) who propagate the Intifada. They then are a small step away from believing the Jihad as a general principle of application. There are few Islamic professors brave and forthright enough who put this Islamic BS where it belongs - in the trashcan. If these North American Muslims persist in propagating and believing this Intifada garbage then they are no better than the Jihadists who perpetrated these acts on American soil. They are doing their small part to keep the falsehoods alive and breeding:
ACCORDING TO ISLAMIC LAW, THE SO-CALLED 'INTIFADAH' AGAINST ISRAEL WAS NOTHING BUT 'FITNAH' (SEDITION), AND THOSE INVOLVED IN FITNAH ARE SINNERS
by Shaykh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi
ROME, August 27, 1998, Root & Branch:
In a recent essay distributed through our Information Services, Prof. Rene Louis Beres describes a letter he
received from "an Islamic scholar in an Arab country, informing me [Prof. Beres] emphatically that suicide
bombers who operate against Israel are "brave" and "heroic."
Prof. Beres continues:
"The Arab letter writer had another message for me. Referring to an earlier period when 'Jews and
Christians confiscated lands from Muslims and kicked them out of their houses,' he cites "the
following verse of Quran...revealed to Muslims through Prophet Muhammad: 'And slay them
wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution
is worse than slaughter. And fight not with them at the Inviolable Place of Worship until they first
attack you there, but if they attack you there then slay them. SUCH IS THE REWARD OF
DISBELIEVERS.' (Qur'an, chapter 2:191)"
Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi responds to the comments cited by this "Islamic scholar in an Arab country":
Dear Prof. Beres: R&B President Mr. Aryeh Gallin asked me to answer the letter you received from
"an Islamic scholar in a Arab country."
I do not know the reputation of this writer, but I can respond to his comments which exhibit colossal
ignorance of authentic Islamic teachings.
First of all, the traditional school of "orthodox Islam" is called "Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-jam'ah", and
those who follow it are called Sunni Muslims. Many contemporary "Islamic scholars" (especially in
Arab countries) belong to a heretical school called Salafi or Wahhabi, but Salafis-Wahhabis disguise
their real nature by calling themselves "Sunni."
The Wahhabi school represents the official doctrine of the Saudi regime, and is propagated by an
organization called the World Islamic League. This sect opposes the traditional Islamic doctrine
about "fitnah" (sedition - a terrible sin in traditional Islam) and often causes confusion be calling
"fitnah" "jihad."
In the traditional understanding, "jihad" has many levels of meaning. Minor "jihad" is a military
struggle to defend the religious freedom of Muslims.
A legitimate "jihad" must be lead by a Caliph, or by a Sultan appointed by a Caliph. Since presently
there is no Caliphate, there is no military jihad today. Apart from this, as long as a government grants
Muslims their religious freedom (the possibility to pray five times a day), Islamic law says that
rebelling against this government is "fitnah" (sedition).
There is no difference between a government led by a Muslim or a non-Muslim, a country where
Muslims are a majority or a minority. When Muslims feel that their condition as a minority is
unbearable, Islamic law says they must emigrate to a country were they are a majority.
Since the Israeli government does not deny Muslims their religious freedom, Muslims resident in
Israel are required by Islam to live as peaceful and loyal citizens, or to emigrate.
According to Islamic law, the so-called Intifadah against Israel was nothing but "fitnah" (sedition),
and those involved in fitnah are sinners.
In any case, I really doubt that the "Islamic scholar" whom you cite can be regarded as "a scholar",
since he misquotes - applying it to the Jews - a Qur'anic verse (2:191) that deals with Arab
polytheists. This is clearly explained by all authoritative Islamic commentators, and is understandable
by the same context.
The verse says: "Do not fight them at Masjid al-Haram..." Masjid al-Haram is in Mecca; there were
no Jews in Mecca. Those who expelled Muslims from Mecca were the pagan Arabs, and even a
child who has learnt the Qur'an knows that this verse has nothing to do with Jews.
Moreover, this "Islamic scholar" writes that "the Muslims have the right to defend themselves and get
back the land from where they have been driven out by ANY MEANS."
In Islam, nothing can be obtained by "any means." One must always respect the rules of Islamic law;
one cannot obtain a good result by sinful means. One cannot, e.g., collect money for charity by
stealing or selling drugs.
This "Islamic scholar" misinterprets the Qur'an 2:191, but forgets to cite the preceeding verse -
2:190:
"Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits, for Allah
does not love transgressors."
This verse openly refutes the theory of "by any means."
The Prophet Muhammad explained very clearly which these limits are: Muslims must not exaggerate
in self-defense, must always look for an opportunity for peace, and must fight "as soldiers against
other soldiers, as an army against another army."
Murdering women, priests, rabbis, children and other civilians is forbidden by Islamic law.
Those who die while committing these crimes are not "martyrs", but sinners who died without
repenting.
During the last half of this century, Arab dictators have used Israel as a scapegoat. They have tried
to convince Muslims that anti-Zionism is sanctioned by Islam.
On the contrary, I believe that it is time for Muslims to understand that Israel is a friendly country,
that Jews are our brothers in Abraham, and that Arab-Israeli cooperation could really contribute to
overcoming Arab underdevelopment and modernizing the Middle East (changes feared by the ruling
classes in Arab countries!).
Those Muslims such as myself who live in Europe have the possibility to freely say and write all this.
Unfortunately, in other countries - particularly the Arab dictatorships of the Middle East - freedom of
speech and freedom of conscience is suppressed on pain of imprisonment, torture or death.
Shabbat Shalom,
Shaykh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi
Rome, Italy
ABOUT SHAYKH PROF. ABDUL HADI PALAZZI:
Shaykh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi is a Member of the International Council of the Root & Branch
Association. Prof. Palazzi is Secretary General of the Italian Muslim Association (AMI), an Imam of
the Italian Islamic Community (ICCII) and Director of the Community's Cultural Institute. Prof. Palazzi
holds a Ph.D in Islamic Sciences by decree of the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Prof.
Palazzi is also Muslim Co-Chairman of the Islam-Israel Fellowship.
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