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Posted on 09/25/2001 2:02:36 AM PDT by sarcasm

ederal investigators are increasingly leaning toward a theory that the suicide hijackers got inside help from airport employees, the Daily News has learned.

FBI agents are combing through the employee records at companies — from airline caterers to cleaning contractors — that service aircraft at the three airports from which the planes were hijacked, said a law enforcement source close to the probe.

	Police officer carries wreckage from one of the hijacked planes from World Trade Center site yesterday.

They're investigating the possibility that airport workers helped to smuggle the knives the hijackers used aboard the planes.

"There are more and more indications that they [the hijackers] may have had help on the inside," said a source. "There are lots of people who don't go through metal detectors who have access to airplanes. They are leaning toward an inside job."

The disclosure came as Attorney General John Ashcroft revealed that investigators had arrested or detained 352 people in the massive probe — and were searching for nearly 400.

Investigators believe the box cutters used by the hijackers could have been planted beforehand by airport employees who have ready access to the so-called sterile areas of airports — the zone past metal detector checkpoints.

This theory has gained even more credence since the discovery of similar box cutters on at least two more airplanes — after they were grounded following the Sept. 11 hijackings.

Another federal source speaking to The News said investigators believe the knives found later on the other planes — in some cases, under seat cushions — had been planted there.

This offered two great leads: who was sitting in the seats, and who had access to the planes, the source said.

The investigators are looking at lists of employees in the food service, cleaning and airline maintenance industries, the source said.

They are focusing on companies that do business at Newark Airport, Logan Airport in Boston and Washington's Dulles Airport — the three places from which the hijacked flights departed Sept. 11.

Some investigators believe that as part of the plot, the terrorists planted employees at firms that had ready access to aircraft.

"The [caterers] have planeside access," said a source. "When they load the plane, it would be very easy for someone to come in, plant the weapon ahead of time."

High Turnover Eyed

Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the hijackers simply went through normal passenger checkpoints with the box cutters — and boarded the planes undetected, the source said.

But given the high turnover among support staff at airports, it would have been relatively easy for someone to obtain a position as a food handler or maintenance worker with access to planes, the source said.

"All you have to do to become a model employee is to show up on time, don't drink and don't make problems. When the time comes, you put the six box cutters in the bathroom [of the plane]," the source said.

Spokesmen for the Port Authority — which runs Newark Airport — and for the Federal Aviation Administration referred questions about the probe to the FBI.

The FBI spokesman in New York, Jim Margolin, declined to comment on whether there is a leading theory among investigators — or to talk specifically about whom they've interviewed.

But he said: "It would be a logical investigative step to attempt to talk to people who came in contact with the passengers, the crews or the planes."

The FAA, meanwhile, said it was considering requiring that airlines workers' identifications be verified, followed by new checks of employment histories and possible criminal backgrounds.

Initially, FAA officials said the order had been given. But last night, the agency said it was still considering the idea and hadn't acted.

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