Panel Reveals U.S. Missteps Ahead of 9/11
story.news.yahoo.com
By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - At a two-day hearing this week, the federal
commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks revealed U.S. authorities
had numerous opportunities to stop the hijackers, including many
face-to-face encounters.
The missteps included miscommunications
about al-Qaida operatives dating back to the
mid-1990s, hijackers who were allowed to
repeatedly enter the United States even with
false or the wrong visa papers, and missed
chances to stop suspects at airport security
checkpoints despite warning signs.
"We were asleep. Opportunities were lost,"
said former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean, a
Republican who chairs the bipartisan National
Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the
United States. "The hijackers analyzed our system and developed a plan
they felt sure would beat it in every case, and 19 out of 19 succeeded."
Congress established the commission to study the nation's
preparedness before Sept. 11, 2001, its response to the attacks, and to
recommend ways to prevent such disasters.
The errors documented by the commission date back to just after the
1993 World Trade Center bombings and continued until the fateful day in
2001. The panel found airline security stopped nine of the 19 hijackers
on the day of the attacks but let them go.
All five of the hijackers on American Airlines Flight 77 at Dulles
International Airport outside Washington were flagged as security risks.
All that was required then was that their checked bags be searched for
explosives. None was found, so they were allowed to board.
Three of them also had carry-ons that set off alarms on X-ray belts.
However, despite one or two additional checks, they successfully got on
the plane with pocket knives and box cutters. That plane crashed into
the Pentagon (news - web sites).
Three of the five hijackers on American Airlines Flight 11 from Logan
International Airport in Boston, as well as one hijacker on United Airlines
Flight 93 from Newark International Airport in New Jersey, also were
stopped as potential security risks. But they were allowed to board after
their baggage tested negative for explosives.
The panel also found FBI (news - web sites) and CIA (news - web sites)
officials did not share knowledge about al-Qaida or played down that
information with customs, immigration and FAA (news - web sites)
officials.
Consequently, some of the hijackers escaped capture despite
questioning by customs officials after they submitted improper visa forms
or acted suspiciously. The commission said if military intelligence were
shared about al-Qaida and their tendency to travel on Saudi passports,
authorities would have known to stop them.
But at least two and as many as eight of the hijackers were allowed to
enter on fraudulent visas. Six of the hijackers eluded detection even
though they overstayed their visas or failed to attend the English
language school for which their visas were issued.
"The evidence is pretty damning," said Michael Greenberger, director of
the Center for Health and Homeland Security at the University of
Maryland. "There were many signals to the White House that we were in
a state of high danger in the summer of 2001, yet no leadership was
exercised to shake the agencies down."
Two known al-Qaida operatives were on a special terrorist watch list
known as Tipoff, but airline officials were unaware because it was
separate from the FAA's list of people barred from flying. A former FAA
official acknowledged at Monday's hearing he had not known until this
week that Tipoff existed.
"The question is, can you take an institution like the FBI and change its
culture so it is focused on prevention of acts of terrorism rather than
prosecution of criminal acts," said former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., the
panel's vice chairman. "That's a major question in homeland security."
The panel faces a May 27 deadline. It wants two more months to
complete its work but faces resistance from House GOP leaders and the
Bush administration. They fear the process could become too politicized
if it's released in the days near the November elections.
Kean has said many midlevel officials clearly could have prevented the
attacks, but has reserved judgment on top officials in the Bush and
Clinton administrations. The panel is seeking interviews with Bush and
Clinton and plans to meet soon with national security adviser
Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites).
"We'll pursue every lead and follow the trail wherever it goes," he said.
"When our report comes out, we're not going to mince words." |
