US KNEW AL QAEDA WOULD ATTACK W/ PLANES: Sibel Edmonds in The Independent

[robertpaulsen]

This was posted in General Discussion. Just wanted to put it on another forum to spread the word. For the LIHOP/MIHOP crowd, this is a HUGE break.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=507514

[Florida_Geek]

1. Rice may not have a good day

in front of the commission.

[kainah]

4. Don't expect much there

If you do, it will only lead to inevitable disappointment. The commission will treat Rice with kid gloves to regain their "bipartisan" label. There will be technical, procedural, invitation to a filibuster questions and the press will hail her as a hero. The truth won't come from Condi's testimony. That's one of the only things I've been totally sure of since Nov 2000.

[papau]

30. I saw papers that show US knew al-Qa'ida would attack cities w/ airplanes?

This will not get a WOW - is the US Media really that well controlled?

Can the committee really ignore without exposure by the media?

'I saw papers that show US knew al-Qa'ida would attack cities with aeroplanes'

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."<snip>

[AndyTiedye]

37. Who Owns the News?

> This will not get a WOW - is the US Media really that well >controlled?

YES!

> Can the committee really ignore without exposure by the media?

YES!

'I saw papers that show US knew al-Qa'ida would attack cities with aeroplanes'

[0007]

41. In a controlled environment and wearing an ear piece may perhaps

give a small edge to condi - accordingly, it shouldn't.

[Minstrel Boy]

2. You might want to edit the subject to reflect the headline, Robert,

otherwise it'll probably get locked.

And thanks! Huge story.

[libbygurl]

3. Hmm, that IS awfully interesting...and explosive! Thanks for the link.

[hippiegranny]

5. wow

just wow.

[Ediacara]

6. Please edit your title

This is close to the most important news story of the century (if true). The correct title is increadible:

'I saw papers that show US knew al-Qa'ida would attack cities with aeroplanes'

[Abe Linkman]

7. Stories like this one are part of the acceptable opposition

This story only continues to perpetuate the "Wacky Caveman & Cavemen Did It" Conspiracy. It does nothing to undermine the bogus issue of whether the Administration had "advance" warning. That's a Red Herring they can live with. They can always claim the warnings never got to right people etc. They can also say, if they have to: "Well, maybe some people WERE negligent on 9-11", but the REAL issue is who is behind 9-11. THAT has yet to break thru in the corporate media.

[htuttle]

11. Actually, Sibel Edmonds has spoken about that as well

She pointed out that part of the official reason that Ashcroft slapped a 'State Secret' gag order on her was 'potential damage to diplomatic relations'. She emphasized the 'diplomatic relations' reason.

Whoooo could it be?

Saudi Arabia?
Pakistan?
Hmm...

There's one thing I'm sure of.

It wasn't Iraq.

On edit: Source of this was her inteview on DemocracyNow yesterday.

http://www.democracynow.org

[0007]

38. I'd think it would be Pakistan & Saudi

...but I'm just taking an educated guess, that I would chase with good money.

[msmcghee]

8. I think you're right.

Also, I just read this letter from a Buzzflasher.

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/04/04/con04141.html

. . .that corroborates and explains why LIHOP happened. Remember the pipeline through Afghanistan?

It's all coming together now. Things that DU'ers have been discussing for months. How long can the major media ignore the dots? We'll see.

[harrison]

9. How does John 911 Kerry come on Al's show and say that

there was nothing to the Ashcraft flying private during the summer of 2001 after this?


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".

[leftchick]

13. I thought it was Bob Kerrey of the

9/11 commission.

[mouse7]

14. Bob Kerrey, not John Kerry n/t

[BlueEyedSon]

15. That was BOB Kerry

[truebrit71]

20. Yup it was BOB KERREY..NOT John Kerry..

eom

[MikeG]

10. This is the kind of stuff that gets covered up.

[central scrutinizer]

12. isn't this the same woman..

who was offered a full-time permanent job if she would just keep her mouth shut? I seem to remember a story a couple days ago about her.

[Minstrel Boy]

17. earlier story:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=442067

[Bandit]

16. Sounds like she gave the Commission evidence but it is the Bush*

commission. He picked it.

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."

[leftchick]

18. Hey Robert... Post the correct Headline! Here is a snip...

<snip>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."

The accusations of Mrs Edmonds, 33, a Turkish-American who speaks Arabic, Farsi, Turkish and English, will reignite the controversy over whether the administration ignored warnings about al-Qa'ida. That controversy was sparked most recently by Richard Clarke, a former counter-terrorism official, who has accused the administration of ignoring his warnings about the threat.

[webtrainer]

19. This is why * parsed his statement so carefully . . .

something about "if we knew that airplanes were going to be hijacked and slammed into buildings in New York on September 11th, then . . ."

A non-denial denial. But will we hear word of this when Condi testifies?

When I first heard the * quote, I thought, why is he being so specific? Now I know why!

[berner59]

22. call me stupid...

but what does LIHOP mean??

The commission can use this, right??

[Ediacara]

23. LIHOP is an acronym for "Let It Happen On Purpose"

[ixion]

21. Well, there it is then... at the very least: LIHOP

I think that pretty much nails it... not that I ever doubted it. :-(

[malachibk]

24. LIHOP/MIHOP???

Can someone tell me what those stand for? Thanks.

[Bridget Burke]

26. Let It Happen On Purpose...or....

Make It Happen On Purpose

[malachibk]

28. Thanks.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

25. Asscroft shunning public jets indicts him as complicit. Slam dunk. n/t

[Bridget Burke]

27. Considering his recent illness,

Some of us have been expecting him to retire. Needs to spend more time with his family, y'know.

[Judi Lynn]

34. Absolutely! It seemed strange then, seems unavoidably damning now. n/t

[Jackpine Radical]

29. Somehow I think I would feel better about this story

if it weren't written by someone named Buncombe and appearing on April Fools Day.

That said, yes I know the Sibel E. story & have been following it. I guess I've just spent too much time on the board today being sucked in by AF posts.

[Bridget Burke]

32. Buncombe ain't Bunkum (spelling?)

He's got a bunch of articles on the Independent's site. For example, "Carter savages Blair and Bush: 'Their war was based on lies'" published March 22nd.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/story.jsp?story=503722

This story is on another level than the news about Will Pitt's upcoming appearance in Playgirl!

[robertpaulsen]

35. LOL!

I totally forgot about it when I read the story. And I got suckered in with the phony Hillary picked for VP thread.

I think The Independent has too much integrity and not enough cruelty to play a joke like that. But you made me pause for a second there.

[never cry wolf]

40. Actually it is from the April 2nd edition of this Brit paper..n/t

[robertpaulsen]

31. Edited my original post title

I hope it satisfies all; wouldn't want to see the story locked. But I can't think of a bigger smoking gun for LIHOP than this headline. It's proof enough for me. Quite possibly it might be the tip of the MIHOP iceberg, if you'll forgive a weird mixed metaphor. I concur with an earlier post that it may be one of the biggest stories of this century.

[TroglodyteScholar]

42. robertpaulsen........to keep this story in LBN...

...the title needs to match the headline of the story exactly, so it should read:

'I saw papers that show US knew al-Qa'ida would attack cities with aeroplanes'


:P

[tenten420]

33. BUSH KNEW!!!

Hillary was right and now the booing firemen can apologize to her.

This is smelling like MIHOP more and more!

[JohnyCanuck]

36. And Cynthia McKinney was right

and the crawling under the table Paul Begala can apologize to her. (Paul Begala pretended to duck under his desk to imply Cynthia McKinney was a loony tune when the subject of Cynthia McKinney asking how much did the Bush gang know prior to 9/11 was broached on CNN's crossfire).

[tenten420]

39. Hell yes! And her congressional seat should be returned to her too

Toss Majette back to Rove where she came from!

[susu369]

43. I remember her from a 60 Minutes story

from a long time ago - she impressed me then.

(Drats - tried to post her photo - didn't work.)

[mia]

44. Lost In Translation - 60 Minutes - July 13, 2003

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/10/25/60minutes/main526954.shtml

(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....

[seventhson]

45. JAMES HATFIELD KNEW -- THAT MEANS ROVE KNEW AND BUSH KNEW

http://www.onlinejournal.com/Special_Reports/Hatfield-R-091901/hatfield-r-091901.html

[Minstrel Boy]

46. FBI agents were threatened with prosecution if they acted on warnings.

David Schippers, former Chief Investigative Counsel for the US House Judiciary Committee and head prosecutor responsible for conducting the Clinton impeachment, said he received information prior to 9/11 from "impeccable" US intelligence sources, including FBI agents, that a massive attack was being planned by terrorists targeting the financial district of lower Manhattan. (He went public with this two days after the attack in an interview with WRRK in Pittsburgh.) He said he had tried warning Ashcroft and other officials six weeks before the attack.

From Nafeez Ahmed's The War on Freedom:

"According to Schippers, these agents knew, months before the attacks, the names of the hijackers, the targets of their attacks, the proposed dates, and the sources of their funding, along with other information. At least two weeks prior to 11th September, the FBI agents again confirmed that an attack on lower Manhattan, orchestrated by Osama bin Laden, was imminent. However, the FBI command cut short their investigations into the impending terrorist attacks and those involved, threatening the agents with prosecution under the National Security Act if they publicised information pertaining to their investigations.

"The agents subsequently sought the council of David Schippers in order to pressure elements in the US government to take action to prevent the attacks. Schippers warned many Congressmen and Senators, and also attempted to contact US Attorney General John Ashcroft without success, managing only to explain the situation to a lower-ranking Justice Dept. official who promised a return call from Ashcroft the next day. The Attorney General did not return the call despite the gravity of the situation. Schippers is now legally representing one FBI agent in a suit against the US government in an attempt to subpoena their testimony, so that he can legally speak about the blocked investigation on public record."

[Moderator]

47. Locking

As important as this topic is, the thread title is a clear violation of LBN rules.

Please fix the title and repost.