| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front |
| ID artist bugs out just ahead of Feds... |
| 2002-07-31 |
| A man who allegedly sold fake IDs to two of the Sept. 11 hijackers apparently fled the country for Egypt just before authorities came to arrest him in a raid on his home and businesses Wednesday. Interpol was notified to be on the lookout for Egyptian immigrant Mohamad El Atriss. Atriss sold a fake ID card to Khalid Almihdhar, who was on the airliner that crashed into the Pentagon, and one to Abdul Aziz Alomari, who was aboard one of the planes that destroyed the World Trade Center, Sheriff Jerry Speziale said. The ID artists are an essential element of the terror network. No self-respecting jihadi ever has fewer than three identities. Authorities raided his home and business Wednesday afternoon and were told Atriss had taken a flight from Newark to Egypt. Five minutes before the raid, Atriss called a New Jersey phone number from somewhere outside the country. "Weasel? Dis is uh... y'know. Me. Are they there yet?" "Obviously, its very disappointing," the sheriff said. You might say that... Authorities were unsure if the flight he took left on Tuesday or Wednesday. Atriss was last seen by authorities in New Jersey on Monday. Who's investigating this? Inspector Closeau? Wednesday's raids followed a four-month investigation by sheriffs in northern New Jersey, the Paterson police and the FBI, Speziale said. Atriss had not been under round-the-clock surveillance, sheriff's Lt. Robert Weston said. Jimmy the Weasel, back at HQ, sez he don't have no idea how this guy got tipped, y'know? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 If Closeau were on the case, there'd be progress. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2002-08-01 09:52:47 |