On June 17, 2004, The New York Times headline declared: ” ‘Panel Finds No Qaeda-Iraq Tie.’ ” That same day, when President Bush was asked about the article, he said: ” ‘The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and al Qaeda is because there was a relationship between […]
Category: quotes
6/17/2004
On June 17, 2004, when asked by a reporter from Talk Radio News Service how the 9/11 Commission felt since President Bush had disputed the finding that there was no collaborative relationship between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, Joint Chairman Thomas Kean replied: ” ‘Well, what we’re going on is the evidence we have found. […]
6/17/2004
On June 17, 2004, the 9/11 Commission noted: “The issue of state sponsorship of terrorism was one that we confronted with several countries–Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and Sudan–and with the Taliban. On Saudi Arabia…we found substantial support for al Qaeda–in money and manpower–from within the kingdom; we did not find official Saudi government support. […]
6/17/2004
In a press conference on June 17, 2004, Thomas Kean, co-chair of the 9/11 Commission, was asked if the commission was satisfied with the answers the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) gave about its failure to notify the military of the hijackings and failure to notify pilots to lock their cockpit doors. “Tom replied, ‘No.’ …when […]
6/16/2004
According to the staff statement, ‘Overview of the Enemy,’ delivered to the 9/11 Commission on June 16, 2004: “Bin Ladin was a ‘significant player’ among the Arabs who traveled to Afghanistan to resist Soviet occupation in the 1980s. …’following the defeat of the Soviets in the late 1980s, Bin Ladin formed an organization called *The […]
6/16/2004
In a report on the history of al Qaeda from June 16, 2004, the 9/11 Commission discussed al Qaeda’s financing: ” ‘there is no convincing evidence that any government financially supported al Qaeda before 9/11.’ However, ‘al Qaeda found fertile fundraising ground in the Kingdom [Saudi Arabia], where extreme religious views are common and charitable […]
6/16/2004
On June 16, 2004, the 9/11 Commission reported on the then-current status of al Qaeda: ” ‘…the organization is far more decentralized,’ as its leadership has dispersed from Afghanistan, and individual cells have taken on far more authority. The gravest threat comes from potentially catastrophic attacks: ‘Al Qaeda remains extremely interested in conducting chemical, biological, […]
6/16/2004
The 9/11 Commission hearing on June 16, 2004 featured testimony from ‘Dr. K,’ a covert CIA operative. He said: ” ‘Even after Bin Ladin and al Qaeda are defeated, the global jihadist movement will continue to exist. That movement may again produce another Bin Ladin or al Qaeda as long as there are individuals who […]
6/16/2004
John Pistole, the FBI’s Executive Assistant Director for Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism, testified at the June 16, 2004 9/11 Commission hearing. When asked if there were al Qaeda cells within the U.S., he replied: ” ‘Absolutely,’ saying that such cells needed to be understood as a combination of possible operatives and ‘facilitators…fund-raisers, [and] recruiters.’ ” – […]
6/16/2004
According to the report from the 9/11 Commission hearing on June 16, 2004, the 9/11 plot by al Qaeda: ” ‘painted a picture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed as the mastermind and chief operative, and Bin Ladin as providing leadership and institutional support.’ …’Bin Ladin met with [his deputy, Mohammed] Atef to discuss the targets for […]