Marwan Alshehhi's unusual cell phone

[paulthompson]

I just came across this today in a story in the Bergen Record from Sept. 25, 2001 called "Hijackers Hid in Passaic County." It's not online as far as I can tell, but one can get it from the Lexis Nexus database. Anyway, here's something in it that I have a question about:


Employees at the Nextel Communications store at Willowbrook Mall say Marwan Shehhi, a suspected hijacker aboard the United Airlines flight that crashed into the World Trade Center , visited the store several times before his final visit Sept. 2. Shehhi browsed for about 20 minutes on his last visit and showed particular interest in a phone with special technology.

"He was asking about the i2000 -- he inquired if you could use it overseas," said Nick Jefferson, a sales clerk at the store.

This mobile phone is equipped with so-called "tri-band GSM" technology that allows it to operate on cell networks overseas, and also can be used to place international calls from the United States , Jefferson said. The phone also has a "direct connect" feature that functions like a two-way radio.

"We demonstrated the walkie-talkie feature," Jefferson said. "He said he was going to buy a couple. He was like every other customer -- very pleasant. " Jefferson said he explained to Shehhi that the special feature allows users to talk from New Jersey "all the way to Massachusetts " by using Nextel's chain of radio repeater or re-broadcasting towers.

Authorities believe that nine days after the Nextel visit, Shehhi helped hijack the United jet in Boston. Employees did not know if Shehhi returned to purchase the phones.

Jefferson identified Shehhi from a photograph shown him, and said he had told FBI agents who visited the store that he was certain about the suspected hijacker's identity.

---

When I read that, one thing that came to mind is the report that Flights 11 and 175 came incredibly close to each other at one point, in fact almost hitting each other. Could it be that at the altitudes they were flying at that point the cell phone connections might not have been working but the hijackers in both planes could have communicated with each other directly via this walkie talkie feature? If so, that would also allow them to communicate and check in on how the other is doing without that being overheard by flight controllers or anyone else, then or later. But I don't know if this is technically possible as I don't know the capabilities of these phones. I was wondering if anyone else does.

I'm not saying that's what happened, I'm just throwing the idea out there to see if it's even feasible. We don't even know for sure if they bought these phones. I also don't know how feasible it would be to deliberately get two hijacked planes to get close enough for long enough to communicate. But if it is all feasible, and if they had these kinds of phones, it opens other possibilities, depending on the capabilities of the phones. For instance, could they have had conferates on the ground at designated points with walkie-talkies, ready to give thumbs up messages or other messages when the hijacked planes flew past? I'm just thinking out loud here.

[LARED]

1. I'm not certain, but I believe the walkie talkie feature

still depends on transmitting via a cell tower, even if you are right next to each other.

[paulthompson]

2. That may or may not be

Hopefully someone familiar with these phones can say. But even if that's the case, I've seen at Radio Shack walkie-talkies that work the old fashioned way and have long ranges. And there's nothing probiting one from bringing a walkie-talkie aboard an airplane, is there? So if even the capability may not be there with this phone model, is there not a possibility with other models? I wonder too, about keeping a connection between two objects going 600 mph. If they're both headed in roughly the same direction, as Flight 11 and 175 were, I assume that would help. But I'd really like some kind of expert to weigh in here.

[ramblin_dave]

3. How does the walkie-talkie feature on a Nextel phone work?

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/question530.htm

Sounds like the network is involved, not a direct signal from phone to phone.

[oblivious]

4. "Flights 11 and 175 came incredibly close to each other at one point"

Maybe that's when Marwan switched planes. :-)

Thursday, July 07, 2005
Marwan Al-Shehhi from 11 to 175
Remember that odd CNN transcript containing the name of a September 11 terrorist named 'Mosear Caned'. Now, poster ewing2001 refers to a discovery of Ron Winn, who notes that the transcript has six names on Flight 11, and only four names on Flight 175. Marwan Al-Shehhi was originally listed as being on Flight 11, Atta's flight. This isn't a big surprise, as they always seemed to be together, and apparently were cousins. However, the official story was later changed to move Marwan Al-Shehhi from Flight 11 to Flight 175, presumably because the FBI needed a pilot for Flight 175. This reminds me of the late addition of Hani Hanjour to Flight 77, again presumably as the FBI needed a terrorist pilot on that plane. Since the names of the terrorists in the CNN transcript came from the Justice Department, and had to have been taken from passenger manifests, how can the FBI get away with moving Marwan Al-Shehhi from one flight to another? The whole terrorist group and their arrangement on the various planes appears to have been simply made up by the FBI.

http://xymphora.blogspot.com/2005/07/marwan-al-shehhi-from-11-to-175.html

Also, your timeline seems to show him in Florida in the lead up to the hijackings, not in New Jersey.

[Andre II]

5. Absolutely

Just having read John Doe II's files (but not having finsihed them yet) the main point of interest for me in the article you mention is: Alshehhi's presence on September 2 in New Jersey (and apparently having been seen there several times before already) fits perfectly to Alshehhi being on September 9 in New York but hey, how does that fit with him being in Deerfield Beach, FL at that time? Maybe we should ask Richard Surma about that...

[paulthompson]

6. My timeline...

...has lots of holes, and one big series of holes has to do with the hijacker's movements. Now that John Doe II has put a lot of that together, I hope to build on that and fill some of those holes. I suspect that when more is done, there will be more instances of hijackers being two places at once that come to light.

[Andre II]

10. Holes

Paul Thompson, it's in the nature of things that your timeline still has holes but you certainly know that you did and do a tremendous work and it's just the nature of things that only if the crime is finally uncovered all holes will be filled.
As you state you expect further cases of hijackers being in two places at the same time
What's your explanation for that?

[kerry_s]

7. Couple of questions

1. How can we be sure that this story is true? It reminds me the stories of eyewitnesses who have even seen passengers in planes' windows...

2. What kind of terrorist is buying a new phone 9 DAYS before the operation?? It is sth like the unusual visit in Portland, Maine at 9/10, i.e. leaving tracks (btw, that guy at Portland is younger that Atta, check these photos:



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=125x61947

3. It also may be a kind of pr: how to sell more i2000? invent a story!!:)

[kerry_s]

8. Atta in NY at 9/10

Its an old story but new to me:

Source: Records suggest Atta in NYC on Sept. 10
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/05/22/hijack.paper.trail/

From Susan Candiotti
CNN

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- The FBI has found credit card receipts that appear to place September 11 hijacker Mohamed Atta in Manhattan the day before the attacks, a source close to the investigation told CNN Wednesday.

Atta is one of the men authorities say hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 and crashed it into the World Trade Center.

Officials speculate Atta may have been in New York on September 10 to make a final visit to the World Trade Center to program the towers' location into a global positioning system, the source said.

So far, however, investigators have been unable to prove he was doing that, the source said. Using satellite technology, GPS is able to locate with pinpoint accuracy any location on Earth.

The source would not say what was purchased with Atta's credit card.

Investigators have traced 27 credit cards to the 19 men who hijacked four airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field, killing thousands, the source said.

The source also said investigators have determined Atta may have been accompanied to Manhattan on September 10 by Abdulaziz Alomari, also identified as one of the hijackers aboard Flight 11.

They were both photographed by an ATM camera in Portland, Maine, and by a surveillance camera at the Portland airport before boarding a flight to Boston the morning of the terrorist attacks.

Authorities have been working for months to build a paper trail of purchases made by the hijackers in the weeks before September 11.

Sources have said that another of the 19 attackers, Ziad Samir Jarrah, purchased a GPS device at a store in Miami. Investigators say Jarrah was aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania.

Investigators believe at least three other GPS devices were purchased, one for each hijacked plane.

In addition, the federal indictment of alleged would-be hijacker Zacarias Moussaoui -- now facing terrorism charges in a federal court in Virginia -- says he purchased flight deck simulator videos for two types of Boeing 747s on June 25, 2000, from Sporty's, an Ohio pilot's store.

On November 5 and December 11, 2000, Atta also purchased flight deck simulator videos for Boeing 747, 757, 767 and Airbus A3-20 aircraft, authorities said. The videos, which show the cockpits of various airplanes, can be used by pilot students for flight training.

Nawaf Alhazmi, a hijacker on American Airlines Flight 77, which slammed into the Pentagon, also bought flight deck videos from the Ohio store, including simulators for the 747 and 777, according to the indictment.

[Ferry Fey]

9. "Believed" -- a weasel word?

"Sources have said that another of the 19 attackers, Ziad Samir Jarrah, purchased a GPS device at a store in Miami. Investigators say Jarrah was aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania.

Investigators believe at least three other GPS devices were purchased, one for each hijacked plane."

That Jarrah purchased a GPS device in Miami is stated as a fact.

How then, should we take the use of the word "believed" regarding 3 other devices for the planes?

They were either bought and that can be proved, or they weren't. "Believing" means taking the allegation on poorly supported faith, not basing it on known, incontrovertible facts.

Should we assume that when we see them talking about what official sources believe, that we should assume that we're entering an area where they are on shaky ground?

[Andre II]

11. The FBI

Sometimes I wonder.
Officially Atta left (apparently) with Alomari Boston and drives to Portland with a car (witnessed on the way).
Now how the hell can the very same Atta be in New York on September 10?