'Info could have stopped 9/11'
2006-03-24 13:48
Alexandria - If Zacarias Moussaoui
had told authorities in August 2001 a hijacking plot was
brewing in the United States, the FBI could have found records
leading them to 11 of the September 11 attackers, a former FBI
official said on Thursday.
Aaron Zebley, a former FBI agent who now works as a federal
prosecutor, testified in Moussaoui's sentencing trial that a
major investigation would have been launched if Moussaoui had
told about the plot when he was arrested in August 2001.
Zebley was the final witness for the US government's only
case in connection with the September 11 attacks. The prosecution
rested its case after the former agent's testimony.
Preperation for White House attack
Moussaoui, who has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges,
denied involvement in the September 11 hijackings but said he was
to take part in a second wave of attacks on the White House.
The trial is to decide if he will be executed for his
crimes.
After the judge and jury left the courtroom for a break
before the defense began its case, Moussaoui - who has little
contact with his lawyers whom he has tried to fire - yelled:
"I will testify whether you want it or not. I will testify."
Zebley gave a detailed explanation of how the FBI could
have gotten names of 11 of the 19 hijackers by searching wire
transfer and phone calling-card records and by canvassing
flight schools.
'We could have set about finding them'
"You've got 11 different names. We could have set about
finding them, of course, shared information with the
intelligence community and... federal law enforcement," said
Zebley, adding the FBI would have specifically warned the
Federal Aviation Administration and the Secret Service.
Moussaoui's court-appointed lawyer, Edward MacMahon,
disagreed that a major investigation would have been launched,
saying other warnings had been ignored by the FBI.
He said the FBI agent who had arrested Moussaoui on August
16, 2001, had sent 70 messages to headquarters warning he
thought Moussaoui was a terrorist, but no one listened.
FBI needs a 'confession'
"The FBI needs a confession from a... terrorist to start
an investigation," MacMahon said heatedly, sparking an
objection from the prosecution and leading the judge to urge
attorneys on both sides to "take a deep breath."
Later, the defense showed evidence the FBI had information
in August 2001 that two hijackers - Khalid al Mihdhar and
Nawaf al Hazmi - were associated with Osama bin Laden, were
believed to be terrorists and could be in the United States.
Despite having the information, and the fact Mihdhar and
Hazmi used their real names while in the United States for
months, the FBI did not find them.
- Reuters