Stratfor http://www.stratfor.com/home/0109132130.htm `It is nearly unbelievable that an organization capable of carrying out such a complex operation would leave behind relatively obvious evidence.' Hijacking Clues May Be Red Herrings 2130 GMT, 010913 Summary The terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center and Pentagon Sept. 11 practiced near-perfect operational planning, coordination and execution before their mission but left behind obvious evidence leading to other operatives who may have supported the hijackings. This begs the question of whether these evidence trails were intentionally left in order to distract U.S. law enforcement from other terrorists. Analysis U.S. authorities have identified as many as 50 infiltrators who allegedly supported or carried out the strikes against the World Trade Center and Pentagon Sept. 11, according to The Los Angeles Times. About 40 of the suspects have been accounted for, including those killed in the suicide attacks, but 10 reportedly remain at large. The terrorist cells demonstrated incredible sophistication and coordination in preparing and executing the attacks, but they left an astonishing amount of clues in their wake -- some that may lead to accomplices still operating in the United States. It is possible the perpetrators intentionally left some incriminating material to divert FBI attention, making it easier for additional terrorists to leave the country or carry out further operations. The FBI has identified dozens of suspects by using conventional police techniques, such as cross-referencing passenger lists with the Immigration and Naturalization Service "watch list." Agents in Boston also questioned a man who held a credit card used to purchase plane tickets for seven of the suspected hijackers. In Florida FBI agents were drawn to a flight school, where some of the suspects allegedly trained, after finding the school's name and an Arabic-language flight manual in a car left at Logan International Airport in Boston. Also, in Germany an airport worker of Moroccan origin was detained after he was found in an apartment that had been used by an Arab man on the passenger list of one of the hijacked planes, Reuters reported. The relative ease with which the clues have been uncovered and what would appear to be obvious mistakes on the part of the suspects, such as holding onto "dirty" credit cards, are inconsistent with the near perfect planning and execution before and during the attack. The attackers knew how to avoid detection by the National Security Agency and other technical intelligence outfits while organizing outside the United States. They also knew how to avoid suspicion once in the United States. That means they had a sophisticated understanding of how U.S. intelligence works and the discipline to avoid triggering suspicion. It is nearly unbelievable that an organization capable of carrying out such a complex operation would leave behind relatively obvious evidence. Even though the suicide hijackers had little to lose, they would want to delay the FBI's investigation -- and the inevitable U.S. military response. There are also unconfirmed reports that pictures of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, widely viewed as a prime suspect in the attacks, and copies of the Quran were left in rental vehicles used by the suspects. For intelligence operatives who earlier exhibited remarkable skill, such theatrics do not make sense. A likely possibility is that the hijackers intentionally left material designed to provide the FBI with an obvious trail leading to low-level operatives with limited knowledge of the attack or its sponsors. While authorities are preoccupied on this investigative track, the real masterminds of the attack could flee detection and plan more operations. A similar situation was alleged to have occurred following the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993. Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, the alleged planner of the attack, flew from New York to Pakistan the day of the explosion, leaving at least two accomplices behind. Neither of the two men held any useful information about the operation or Yousef, and one was arrested after he foolishly returned to the rental agency to pick up his deposit on a van used in the attack. U.S. authorities pursued a case against the two conspirators, while Yousef's involvement was only discovered by the FBI because of the efforts of the Egyptian police. Serbian News Network - SNN [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.antic.org/
