Date: September 10, 2005 6:36:44 AM PDT
Subject: [Spy News] Pentagon Disputes 9/11 Intel Claim
Pentagon Disputes 9/11 Intel Claim
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2005
(CBS/AP) The Pentagon has been unable to validate claims that a secret
intelligence unit identified Sept. 11 hijacker Mohamed Atta as a terrorist
more than a year before the attacks, a Defense Department spokesman said
Monday.
Larry Di Rita said that some research into the matter continues, but thus
far there has been no evidence that the intelligence unit, called "Able
Danger," came up with information as specific as an officer associated with
the program has asserted.
"What we found are mostly general references to terrorist cells," Di Rita
said, without providing detail.
That officer, Army Reserve Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, said Able Danger
identified as terrorists Atta and three other future Sept. 11 hijackers in
2000. But, he said, military lawyers stopped the unit from sharing the
information with the FBI out of concerns about the legality of gathering and
sharing information on people in the United States.
"We recognized there are linkages and patterns of linkages to the al Qaeda
leadership," Shaffer said on CBS News' Early Show (video). "That's what our
primary concern was at the time."
His assertions have been publicized by Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., vice
chairman of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security committees.
Di Rita said Pentagon researchers have found no evidence that Able Danger
had Mohamed Atta's name. He said he was unsure whether the unit came up with
the identities of the other three hijackers but then said that none of
Shaffer's specific claims had been validated.
Shaffer himself has not provided any documentary proof, Di Rita said, and
said Shaffer has presented his information as second hand.
Shaffer's lawyer, Mark Zaid, said last week that Shaffer does not have
documentation related to Able Danger because his security clearance was
suspended in March 2004 for "petty and frivolous" reasons. They include a
dispute over mileage reimbursement and charges for personal calls on a work
cell phone, Zaid said.
Shaffer also has said the Sept. 11 commission failed to investigate his
assertions after he spoke to members of the panel in 2003. A statement Aug.
12 by former commission chairman Thomas Kean and vice chairman Lee Hamilton
said the commission did not obtain enough information on the operation to
consider it historically significant.
Over the weekend, the Washington Post reported that the CIA has completed
and turned in its report on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and turned it
over to CIA director Porter Goss in June for review. The Post learned that
Goss received the report in July and is still ruminating over how to respond
to its findings.
The report, by Inspector General John L. Helgerson, is expected to be sent
to congressional intelligence committees after Goss finishes his review.
©MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
--
No virus found in this Mario's outgoing message.
------------------------------------------------
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.10.20/95 - Release Date: 9.9.2005
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
<FONT COLOR="#000099">Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back!
</FONT><A HREF=""http://us.click.yahoo.com/VpgUKB/pzNLAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM">http://us.click.yahoo.com/VpgUKB/pzNLAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM"><B>Click Here!</B></A>
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
-__ ___ _ ___ __ ___ _ _ _ __
/-_|-0-\-V-/-\|-|-__|-|-|-/-_|
\_-\--_/\-/|-\\-|-_||-V-V-\_-\
|__/_|--//-|_|\_|___|\_A_/|__/
SPY NEWS is OSINT newsletter and discussion list associated to
Mario's Cyberspace Station - The Global Intelligence News Portal
######## CAUTION! #########
Since you are receiving and reading documents, news stories,
comments and opinions not only from so called (or self-proclaimed)
"reliable sources", but also a lot of possible misinformation collected
by Spy News moderator and subscribers and posted to Spy News
for OSINT purposes - it should be a serious reason (particularly to
journalists and web publishers) to think twice before using it for their
story writing, further publishing or forwarding throughout Cyberspace.
To unsubscribe:
*** FAIR USE NOTICE: This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Spy News is making it available without profit to SPY NEWS eGroup members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
For more information go to:
-----------------------------------------------
SPY NEWS home page:
Mario Profaca
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
