Germany And Britain Investigating Bojinka II
Why is Germany participating in an investigation that should concern the United States, Britain, and Pakistan? Because, according to the Times Online there may be link between 9/11 and one of the British suspects.
THE German authorities are investigating contacts between a Briton being questioned over the alleged plot to blow up transatlantic airlines and a key figure in the September 11, 2001, terrorist cell.
Intelligence sources said that, at Britain’s request, they were examining possible links between the suspect and Said Bahaji, the computer expert in the Hamburg cell that planned the suicide hijackings in 2001.
Bahaji shared an apartment in Hamburg with Mohamed Atta, the lead hijacker, and Ramzi Binalshibh, the planner of 9/11. He fled Germany for Pakistan a week before the attacks in New York and Washington and has never been caught.
The global financing of the alleged airline plot is also assuming increasing significance as investigators piece together the mechanics of the operation.
The Charity Commission, the Government’s charity watchdog, said that it was treating allegations that money raised to help victims of the Kashmir earthquake had been diverted to terror cells as “an immediate priority”.
The commission said that it would look into the activities of Crescent Relief, a registered charity based in Ilford, East London, which was involved in the relief effort last year.
One of its founding trustees was Abdul Rauf, the father of Rashid Rauf, 25, who is being held in Pakistan and named as a “key suspect” in the ongoing inquiry.
Rashid Rauf left Britain for Pakistan after the murder of his uncle, Mohammed Saeed, 54, who was stabbed to death in Birmingham in April 2002. No one has been convicted of the murder.
Another of Mr Rauf’s sons, Tayib, 21, is being questioned by the anti-terrorist squad in London after being arrested in Birmingham last week.
The destination of money raised in Britain for the Pakistani organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), which carried out extensive relief work in Kashmir, will also be examined.
If anyone thinks that the name "Said Bahaji" sounds familiar, you are correct. He is mentioned several times in the 9/11 Commission Report:
Page 164--
Said Bahaji, son of a Morrocan immigrant, was the only German citizen in the group. Educated in Morroco, Bahaji reutnred to Germany to study electrical engineering at the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg. He spent five months in the German Army befor obtaining a medical discharge, and lived with (Mohammed) Atta and (Ramzi) Binalshibh at 54 Marientrasse for eight months between November 1998 and July 1999. Described as an insecure follower with no personality and with limited knowledge of Islam, Bahaji nonetheless professed his readiness to engage in violence. Atta and Binalshibh used Bahaji's computer for Internet research, as evidenced by documents and diskettes seized by German authorities after 9/11.
Page 167--
While the four core Hamburg cell members were in Afghanistan, their associates back in Hamburg handled their affairs so that their trip could be kept secret. Motassadeq appears to have done the most. He terminated Shehhi's apartment lease, telling the landlord that Shehhi had returned to the UAE for family reasons, and used a power of attorney to pay bills from Shehhi's bank account. Motassadeq also assited Jarrah, offering to look after Aysel Senguen in Jarrha's absence. Said Bahaji attended to similar routine matters for Atta and Binalshibh, thereby helping them remain abroad without drawing attention to their absence.
Page 249--
KSM apparently received the date from Binalshibh in a message sent through Binalshibh's old Hamburg associate, Zakariya Essabar. Both Binalshibh and KSM claim that Essabar was not privy to the meaning of the message and had no foreknowledge of the attacks. According to Binalshibh, shortly after the date was chosen, he advided Essabar and another Hamburg associate, Said Bahaji, that if they wanted to go to Afghanistan, now was the time because it would soon become more difficult. Essabar made reservations on August 30; Bahaji purchased his tickets on August 20 and departed Hamburg for Karachi on September 3.
Page 494 / 495 / 530--
Citation notes for Chapter Five of the Report: #65 and #66 / # 80, #81, #82, #83, and #87 / #145, respectively.
This shows that Said Bahaji is, indeed, connected to the cell that launched 9/11. The original operation "Bojinka" was pared down after the mid-nineties, when it was determined that the operation could not be carried out as planned. On August 10th, British police foiled the follow-up to the original plan. The attack on the pope was dropped in favor of simply blowing up the airplanes over major United States cities.
The question remains, which German authorities are trying to pin down, is whether Bahaji had a hand in this plot, too. We can see that he is integral to the 9/11 terrorist hijackers with the duties he performed for Mohammed Atta and Ramzi Binalshibh. He was a willing and able participant in the cell, and it is a possibility that he had something to do with Bojinka II. And if he can be connected to this plot, then this certainly reinforces the investigator's hypothesis that this plot is connected to al-Qaeda.
Marcie
Why is Germany participating in an investigation that should concern the United States, Britain, and Pakistan? Because, according to the Times Online there may be link between 9/11 and one of the British suspects.
THE German authorities are investigating contacts between a Briton being questioned over the alleged plot to blow up transatlantic airlines and a key figure in the September 11, 2001, terrorist cell.
Intelligence sources said that, at Britain’s request, they were examining possible links between the suspect and Said Bahaji, the computer expert in the Hamburg cell that planned the suicide hijackings in 2001.
Bahaji shared an apartment in Hamburg with Mohamed Atta, the lead hijacker, and Ramzi Binalshibh, the planner of 9/11. He fled Germany for Pakistan a week before the attacks in New York and Washington and has never been caught.
The global financing of the alleged airline plot is also assuming increasing significance as investigators piece together the mechanics of the operation.
The Charity Commission, the Government’s charity watchdog, said that it was treating allegations that money raised to help victims of the Kashmir earthquake had been diverted to terror cells as “an immediate priority”.
The commission said that it would look into the activities of Crescent Relief, a registered charity based in Ilford, East London, which was involved in the relief effort last year.
One of its founding trustees was Abdul Rauf, the father of Rashid Rauf, 25, who is being held in Pakistan and named as a “key suspect” in the ongoing inquiry.
Rashid Rauf left Britain for Pakistan after the murder of his uncle, Mohammed Saeed, 54, who was stabbed to death in Birmingham in April 2002. No one has been convicted of the murder.
Another of Mr Rauf’s sons, Tayib, 21, is being questioned by the anti-terrorist squad in London after being arrested in Birmingham last week.
The destination of money raised in Britain for the Pakistani organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), which carried out extensive relief work in Kashmir, will also be examined.
If anyone thinks that the name "Said Bahaji" sounds familiar, you are correct. He is mentioned several times in the 9/11 Commission Report:
Page 164--
Said Bahaji, son of a Morrocan immigrant, was the only German citizen in the group. Educated in Morroco, Bahaji reutnred to Germany to study electrical engineering at the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg. He spent five months in the German Army befor obtaining a medical discharge, and lived with (Mohammed) Atta and (Ramzi) Binalshibh at 54 Marientrasse for eight months between November 1998 and July 1999. Described as an insecure follower with no personality and with limited knowledge of Islam, Bahaji nonetheless professed his readiness to engage in violence. Atta and Binalshibh used Bahaji's computer for Internet research, as evidenced by documents and diskettes seized by German authorities after 9/11.
Page 167--
While the four core Hamburg cell members were in Afghanistan, their associates back in Hamburg handled their affairs so that their trip could be kept secret. Motassadeq appears to have done the most. He terminated Shehhi's apartment lease, telling the landlord that Shehhi had returned to the UAE for family reasons, and used a power of attorney to pay bills from Shehhi's bank account. Motassadeq also assited Jarrah, offering to look after Aysel Senguen in Jarrha's absence. Said Bahaji attended to similar routine matters for Atta and Binalshibh, thereby helping them remain abroad without drawing attention to their absence.
Page 249--
KSM apparently received the date from Binalshibh in a message sent through Binalshibh's old Hamburg associate, Zakariya Essabar. Both Binalshibh and KSM claim that Essabar was not privy to the meaning of the message and had no foreknowledge of the attacks. According to Binalshibh, shortly after the date was chosen, he advided Essabar and another Hamburg associate, Said Bahaji, that if they wanted to go to Afghanistan, now was the time because it would soon become more difficult. Essabar made reservations on August 30; Bahaji purchased his tickets on August 20 and departed Hamburg for Karachi on September 3.
Page 494 / 495 / 530--
Citation notes for Chapter Five of the Report: #65 and #66 / # 80, #81, #82, #83, and #87 / #145, respectively.
This shows that Said Bahaji is, indeed, connected to the cell that launched 9/11. The original operation "Bojinka" was pared down after the mid-nineties, when it was determined that the operation could not be carried out as planned. On August 10th, British police foiled the follow-up to the original plan. The attack on the pope was dropped in favor of simply blowing up the airplanes over major United States cities.
The question remains, which German authorities are trying to pin down, is whether Bahaji had a hand in this plot, too. We can see that he is integral to the 9/11 terrorist hijackers with the duties he performed for Mohammed Atta and Ramzi Binalshibh. He was a willing and able participant in the cell, and it is a possibility that he had something to do with Bojinka II. And if he can be connected to this plot, then this certainly reinforces the investigator's hypothesis that this plot is connected to al-Qaeda.
Marcie
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 5:35 PM
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