FBI Translator: 'I Saw Papers That Show US Knew al-Qa'ida Would Attack

[G_j]

FBI Translator: 'I Saw Papers That Show US Knew al-Qa'ida Would Attack Cities With Airplanes'


http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0402-01.htm http://news.independent.co.uk/low_res/story.jsp?story=507514&host=3&dir=70


Published on Friday, April 2, 2004 by the lndependent/UK

'I Saw Papers That Show US Knew al-Qa'ida Would Attack Cities With Airplanes'

Whistleblower the White House wants to silence speaks to The Independent

by Andrew Buncombe in Washington

A former translator for the FBI with top-secret security clearance says she has provided information to the panel investigating the 11 September attacks which proves senior officials knew of al-Qa'ida's plans to attack the US with aircraft months before the strikes happened.

She said the claim by the National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, that there was no such information was "an outrageous lie".

Sibel Edmonds said she spent more than three hours in a closed session with the commission's investigators providing information that was circulating within the FBI in the spring and summer of 2001 suggesting that an attack using aircraft was just months away and the terrorists were in place. The Bush administration, meanwhile, has sought to silence her and has obtained a gagging order from a court by citing the rarely used "state secrets privilege".

She told The Independent yesterday: "I gave details of specific investigation files, the specific dates, specific target information, specific managers in charge of the investigation. I gave them everything so that they could go back and follow up. This is not hearsay. These are things that are documented. These things can be established very easily."

She added: "There was general information about the time-frame, about methods to be used ­ but not specifically about how they would be used ­ and about people being in place and who was ordering these sorts of terror attacks. There were other cities that were mentioned. Major cities ­ with skyscrapers."

..more..

[sweetheart]

1. The lies are a house of cards

Its all coming down. These men have gone too far, and the only
way they can keep it from falling apart is to make everything
secret... but even that is failing.

This stuff will dog them until november if not seeing more ameircans
die in iraq every day won't do it on its own.

Kerry just has to stay on his surfboard. Bush is off balance and
falling off.

[ConcernedCanuk]

2. If this be true, that lady is in danger - -

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More from the Independent Article:

"She said much of the information relating to the terror attacks - particularly about funding - was not obtained from agents working strictly in counter-terrorism but in areas such as money laundering.

"President Bush said they had no specific information about 11 September and that is accurate but only because he said 11 September," she said. There was, however, general information about the use of airplanes and that an attack was just months away.

To try to refute Mr Clarke's accusations Ms Rice said the Bush administration did take steps to counter al-Qa'ida. But in an opinion piece in The Washington Post on 22 March, Ms Rice wrote: "Despite what some have suggested, we received no intelligence that terrorists were preparing to attack the homeland using airplanes as missiles, though some analysts speculated that terrorists might hijack planes to try and free US-held terrorists."

Mrs Edmonds said that by using the word "we", Ms Rice told an "outrageous lie". She said: "Rice says 'we' not 'I'. That would include all people from the FBI, the CIA and DIA . I am saying that is impossible."
_______________________________________________________________________

It DOES seem to appear that LIHOP could be true?

Scary . .

[9215]

13. Treasury Dept (Paul O'Neill) was looking into the money laundering

He mentions that in his book briefly.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Speed8098]

4. "You despise this president,"

Give that man a kewpie doll!!

LOL, We ALL despise this pResident. HELLLOOO!

And you don't???

Why not??

[imax2268]

5. We despise the pResident...

for a reason...he has lied to the American people to put us into a war...he has put the country on the top of the hate list's of other countries...he has created more terrorists than have been captured...he is raping this country to hook up his CEO buddies...

so...shall I go on...

[drhilarius]

6. the point is

not about stop gap measures on the 10th, but about looking at the indicators and creating the appropriate policy (and not fixating on a way to invade Iraq). For instance: you find out someone is going to break into your house in the next 8 months. Do you (A) sit on your hands and do nothing(plotting to steal your neighbor's motor oil, perhaps?), or (b)install an alarm, put bars on the window, create a neighborhood watch, buy a gun (put that in for you). Furthermore, had the planners been arrested, a president not so enamored by secrecy would let us in on the charges (rather than shipping them of to Cuba for nebulous reasons). Their rights wouldn't be an issue because they would be processed in a court of law. At any rate, back under the bridge, troll.

[molly]

7. This is big

I wonder if and when it will hit our mainstream news? :shrug:

[G_j]

11. i'm not sure if it has

been covered here yet.

[theHandpuppet]

8. Hmmmmm......

"She said much of the information relating to the terror attacks - particularly about funding - was not obtained from agents working strictly in counter-terrorism but in areas such as money laundering."

Is this where a possible connection to the Bin Laden family and house of Saud comes in, ie, money being funneled to Al Qaeda via Islamic charities and other sources? Did some within the FBI make the connection? If so, that would explain why the Bin Ladens were secretly flown out of the US on Sept 12 when all other air traffic was grounded, and why Clarke said it was the FBI who approved the departure of the Bin Ladens without so much as cursory interviews.

Just speculating here.

[molly]

9. Great analysis!

[G_j]

12. interesting speculation

worth keeping in mind! I'd like to see a good investigative journalist look into this. :think:

[mouse7]

10. Air America is reporting this in top of the hour updates

Air America is running details from the London Independent.

[redqueen]

14. Is this the same woman ...

I remember reading about a translator who said that the FBI was actively trying to suppress her translations and she was fired for going over her bosses' head trying to get someone to listen.

Anyone remember that?

[KoKo]

15. I remember reading about a translator who had another translator approach

her and try to bring her into a Turkish Organization, which she felt was in some way trying to turn her from her investigations as a translator. She was invited to Embassy Dinner Parties and the people tried to befriend her and her husband. I don't know if it was the same person as Edmonds. As I remember it, this particular translator quit her job because she was worried she was being watched and someone wanted to use her.

Is this what you remember? It was awhile back maybe last Spring or Summer that I read this linked from DU. It was a very detailed story almost read like a spy recruitment incident.

[redqueen]

16. Thanks, KoKo01!!!!

That's the one... thanks so much for the details... will search later.

Bless your good memory!

:yourock:

[NMDemDist2]

23. yes this is the same woman... she testified to 9/11 comm

just before clark did.... democracy now had her on 2 days ago.. www.democracynow.org should have the transcripts up of Amy's interview with her by now

[ConcernedCanuk]

17. An update, actually from July 13th 2003! - yup - 2003 - -

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Lost In Translation

July 13, 2003

(CBS) This is the story of hundreds, if not thousands, of foreign language documents that the FBI neglected to translate before and after the Sept.11 attacks because of problems in its language department - documents that detailed what the FBI heard on wiretaps and learned during interrogations of suspected terrorists.

Sibel Edmonds, a translator who worked at the FBI's language division, says the documents weren't translated because the divison was riddled with incompetence and corruption.

Edmonds was fired last year after reporting her concerns to FBI officials. She told her story behind closed doors to investigators in Congress and to the Justice Department. Last October, she told her story to Correspondent Ed Bradley.

/snip/

"We were told by our supervisors that this was the great opportunity for asking for increased budget and asking for more translators."
Sibel Edmonds

/snip/

Edmonds says that the supervisor, in an effort to slow her down, went so far as to erase completed translations from her FBI computer after she'd left work for the day.

lots, LOTS more >>>
______________________________________________________________________

More Links on Sibel Edmonds

[redqueen]

18. But... but... but

Bush is keeping us safe from terra!

lol

I knew I'd heard her name before!

[ConcernedCanuk]

20. "Bush is keeping us safe from terra!" - I know you're kidding, right?

.
.
.

You DO know, that unofficially, that Junior is known worldwide as the "Texacutioner" ??

Didn't he get that nic for the amazing(disgusting) number of people that were executed in the State of Texas "under his watch"?

. . :shrug: . .

[redqueen]

19. .

:kick

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

21. Randi Rhodes went OFF on this on Air America!

It was beautiful!

Randi - I LOVE YOU!

[Gloria]

22. Yes, she is great at this sort of stuff..and if Malloy were on, he would

be doing exactly the same thing...I think Malloy and Rhodes are the yang-yin of liberal radio.
Malloy takes the same approach...zeroing in on certain news items and going into them and posting them.

ANd they both do it with passion and outrage.

This is where the "teams" on Air America are weak.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

24. I disagree

I feel that Air America is a very complimentary flow

I wish Mike Malloy wa a part of it since I am a devotee - but I think Air America is fantastic! Fucking Chuck D!!!