Gawker: Feds Have For Years Had Photos of Chief 9/11 Hijacker Atta on a Plane

[Hissyspit]

@GregMitch: Amazing story of the day: Gawker learns the feds have had for years 2 photos of chief 9/11 hijacker Atta on a plane. http://t.co/Ih5MvlR4Wv

http://gawker.com/the-mystery-9-11-hijacker-photos-no-one-has-ever-seen-1295078848

The Mystery 9/11 Hijacker Photos No One Has Ever Seen

So here’s a mystery. In response to a recent Freedom of Information Act request, the Federal Bureau of Investigation provided Gawker with a curious case file, dated May 2002, indicating the bureau’s acquisition of three photos of 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta. The photos, which remain classified, were “recovered from a passenger who was on board Spirit Airlines Flight 460 on August 23, 2001” — that is, on a flight between Fort Lauderdale and Newark, nearly three weeks before September 11. As far as we can tell, the existence of the photographs has never been publicized.

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[joeybee12]

1. If someone recognized him in a photo after the fact, no biggie, BUT

If someone had taken a photo and for some reason thought the guy was acting suspicious and forwarded to some law enforcement agency and nothing was done, it's another example of extreme incompetence that was unable to prevent this preventable tragedy.

[lumpy]

2. I suspect the FBI/other agencies had much info on the hijackers even before 9/11 happened.

That's what watch dog agencies do, like keeping eyes on potential suspects.

[Bolo Boffin]

3. So "for years" means since May 2002? Wow.

And the most likely explanation is that someone on that August 23 flight realized he had Atta on film after the 9/11 attack had happened?

I guess Glenn Greenwood doesn't have a copyright on hyping nothingburgers.

[Crimson76]

4. For what its worth, and you have no reason to believe me...

but I live in the area that Atta and a bunch of the hijackers lived, while in the Boston area. Well, I am friendly with a woman cab driver and she would always get calls to this hotel on RTE 9 in Newton, and for the entire ride Atta and his cohorts would berate her and tell her that she shouldn't be driving a cab or out at night. She was interviewed by the FBI, and told them everything. There were many sightings of them around the Newton/Brighton area.

[targetpractice]

5. Once the feds identified the hijackers, they looked at their travel histories,...

...obtained manifests from the airlines, and tracked down fellow passengers from prior flights for interviews.