Fraud and internal immigration enforcement are forgotten lessons of 9/11
September 8, 2021 Kyle Shideler
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In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, one of the earliest challenges was to ascertain how the 20 conspirators – the 19 hijackers and Zacharias Moussaoui – abused our immigration system to plot and conduct the operation.
Of the hijackers at least 6, Hani Hanjour, Satam al-Suqami, Waleed al-Shehri, Ahmed al-Ghamdi, Nawaf al-Hamzi, and Mohammad Atta had been in illegal or overstay status prior to the hijacking. Hanjour almost immediately violated the conditions of a student visa by failing to register for classes, while al-Hamzi and Atta had overstayed tourist visas. Atta left the country in December 2000. In January 2001 Atta was briefly detained in the United Arab Emirates on terrorism suspicions but released where upon he returned to the United States and was admitted – despite not having the appropriate training visa for the flight training he was undergoing. Al-Suqami overstayed a business visa.
Moussaoui was also in illegal immigration status, which allowed agents of the Minneapolis FBI field office to arrest him as part of a terrorism investigation related to Moussaoui’s attempted flight training. Moussaoui was the only hijacker intercepted prior to the plot.
https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/fraud-and-internal-immigration-enforcement-are-forgotten-lessons-of-9-11/
