Evidence hijackers in US when they shouldn't have been

[KJF]

The 9/11 Commission's Terrorist Travel monograph contains two copies of the hijackers' USAID documents. Unfortunately for the 9/11 Commission, they indicate the hijackers were in the US when then 9/11 Commission claims they were in the Middle East.

Here is part of what geographically-challenged FBI director Robert Mueller called Khalid Almihdhar's New Jersey USA ID card:

A full version of the copy can be seen on page 192 of Terrorist Travel:
http://www.9-11commission.gov/staff_statements/911_TerrTrav_Monograph.pdf
The additional portion states that the serial number is 3408825-A and the expiration date is December 30, 2006.

The 9/11 Commission claim it was issued on July 10, 2001, but the 9/11 Timeline says:
"December 30, 2000: Evidence Almihdhar in New Jersey Area Despite Immigration Records"
"According to US immigration records, the FBI, and the 9/11 Commission, hijacker Khalid Almihdhar left the US in June 2000 (see June 10, 2000) and didn’t return until July 2001 (see July 4, 2001). However, USAID, a Florida ID firm, confirms in 2005 that Almihdhar was issued a card in New York or New Jersey on this date. Time magazine calls this, “another possible gap in the 9/11 report.” "
http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a123000almihdharinus
Unfortunately, the Time article is premium content, so I haven't read it.

Apparently, the company only issues ID cards for 6 years, so a card expiring on 30 December 2006 should have been issued on 30 December 2000.
http://www.911citizenswatch.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=646&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

Here is a copy of part of Salem Al Hazmi's USA ID card:

A full version of the copy can be seen on page 191 of Terrorist Travel. It appears this is only a copy of the document found at the Pentagon, which is why it is not burned.
The additional portion visible in Terrorist Travel states that the serial number is 3408826-A and the expiration date is 30 December 2006.

The 9/11 Commission claims Salem Al Hazmi didn't enter the US until 29 June 2001 (p. 529 of the main report) and that this card was issued on 2 July 2001 (Terrorist Travel, p. 27). However, the serial number is after that of Al Mihdhar's card, which was alledgedly issued 8 days later. In addition, the difference is only one digit - 3408825-A for Al Mihdhar and 3408826-A for Salem Al Hazmi - and the expiry date is the same. To me, it looks like they both got their USA ID cards together on December 30, 2000.

Also, FBI director Mueller claimed Atta also had a USA ID card:
"In July 2001, Mohamed Atta, Abdul Aziz al Omari, Nawaf al-Hazmi, Salem al-Hazmi, Khalid al-Mihdhar, Ahmed Alghamdi, and Majed Moqed purchased personal identification cards at Apollo Travel in Paterson, New Jersey. Atta purchased a Florida identification card, while the others purchased New Jersey identification cards."
However, the 9/11 Commission make no mention of Atta's card; for example, it is not specified on the list on pages 31/32 of Terrorist Travel.

[Andre II]

1. Very good work

One idea:
doubles at work?

[Jazz2006]

2. Kevin, a question

Do you, by any chance, have a telephone number for the USA ID Systems people? I have searched online for contact information for them in order to ask them about the six year expiry bit but they are proving, at least for me so far, to be rather elusive.

All I can find so far are references to them being in the fake I.D. business but no contact info.

[KJF]

3. I don't have the phone number...

... and in any case it wouldn't make any difference, because Al Mihdhar's ID was fake. See here:
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/KJF/7

I found out it was fake after I wrote this, which is why it doesn't say so here.

[Jazz2006]

4. Thanks.

Something was just bugging me about that USA ID Systems company, thus the question. I hadn't noticed this thread until today when it happened to be at the top of the list when I wandered through so I didn't realize that you had subsequently ascertained that the USA ID Systems identification card at issue was, indeed, faked.

[Andre II]

7. Though I consider your article

about Almihdhar"s ID as a very good piece I fail to see how you can conclude that it was faked. It's one theory. That Almihdhar had a double is as likely as the possibility that the ID is faked. Especially in view of the fact that there are many other indications that he had a double.

[mirandapriestly]

5. Interesting post , KJF

I confess to not be able to converse very well on this subject because it is so confusing- bits and pieces everywhere, but I can't put it all together. What is a good way to start reading on the hijackers? Have you just read the "official" information and drawn your own conclusions?
Do you know what that second ID card is? Is it something "official" or is it something that anybody could get?

[KJF]

6. Sources

The bits on the hijackers contained in the 9/11 CR, Terrorist Financing and, particularly, Terrorist Travel are a reasonable place to start, although, in addition to the spin the 9/11 Commission puts on it they also have some problems with accuracy, for example they get some of the hijackers' Saudi places of residence wrong and miss out some of the documents they obtained in the US.

Both the Terror Timeline and Team8plus have some stuff on the hijackers, although there is lots of info about some of them and not that much about others. The problem is even more marked with the MSM - they often focus exclusively on the main figures, in particular Atta and Jarrah, ignoring the muscle - partly because the Saudis won't let them in (the families of the two UAE hijackers have kept shtum throughout, although some of Al Shehhi acquaintances from Germany have talked). Some of the hijackers' families have spoken to the western press, for example those of Atta and Jarrah extensively, Hanjour's family has been interviewed a few times and the families of Al Nami and the Al Shehri brothers have also given several largish interviews. There is probably a ton of stuff in Arabic, but my Arabic is non-existent, the only normal thing I can say is "Salem Aleikum" (which I'm probably spelling wrong), although I also know stuff like Allahu Akbar, Harkat ul Mujihideen, Beit ul Ansar, etc. - not very useful when you want to order a coffee.

Some of the "non-CT" books about 9/11 are OK. Terry McDermott (who wrote Perfect Soldiers) is not that popular round here, but he did put a lot of work into the book and came up with some stuff you can't find elsewhere.