Mohamed Atta's travel records point to Afghanistan
TIME has learned that the CIA is in possession of travel and financial records that can place the hijackers' suspected ringleader, Mohamed Atta, along with several others in his group, at al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan. This confirms the suggestion reported in last week's issue of TIME magazine that "at the end of 1999, Atta, Al-Shehhi and Jarrah reported their passports stolen, possibly to clear any record of travel to Afghanistan."
Intelligence sources have also told TIME that other travel documents reveal that Atta and several others in the group met with senior Al Qaida leaders, most notably Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Egyptian Islamic Jihad leader is believed to be Bin Laden's deputy, and the top operational commander of Al Qaida's networks.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2001-10-05 |