Mohamed Atta's Final Days

NOTE: This post consists of four parts. See The All-Seeing i for full article.


I have partially reconstructed the movements of the alleged hijackers in the weeks leading up to the September 11th attacks by studying the evidence produced at the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, as well as contemporary news sources and public records. The picture that emerges raises more questions than answers.

“And the more I see - the more I know; the more I know - the less I understand.” – Paul Weller, The Changingman

Much of the uncertainty surrounds the behaviour of the alleged lead hijacker, Mohamed Atta. For clarity, I have stripped out everything that doesn’t relate to either Atta himself, or else to his two closest associates, Marwan al-Shehhi and Abdulaziz a-Omari. I have also limited this study to an examination of period between August 28th and September 11th. Finally, I have avoided repeating the questions raised in my earlier article, Mohamed Atta and the ‘Rosetta Stone’, concerning the bags that mysteriously failed to make it aboard American Airlines Flight 11.


[edit on 1-5-2007 by coughymachine]

CHRONOLOGY

A. August 28th – Mohamed Atta flies from Baltimore to Fort Lauderdale aboard US Air FL2970 [1].

B. August 29th – Mohamed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi return their rented Chevy Corsica to Warrick’s Rent-a-Car. They leave in a rented Ford Escort [1], [13].

C. September 4th – Waleed al-Shehi books reservations for Abdulaziz al-Omari and Satam al-Suqami on Delta FL2462 from Fort Lauderdale to Boston, departing September 6th [2].

D. September 4th – A white Mitsubishi Mirage, which was rented in Springfield, Massachusetts under Atta’s name, is seen at Logan International Airport between 14:15 and 16:00 [3a].

E. September 5th – Mohamed Atta books a reservation on US Air FL2968 from Fort Lauderdale to Boston, departing September 7th [1].

F. September 5th – Marwan al-Shehhi books a reservation on Delta FL2462 from Fort Lauderdale to Boston, departing September 9th [4].

G. September 6th – A white Mitsubishi Mirage, which was rented in Springfield, Massachusetts under Atta’s name, is seen at Logan International Airport between 14:15 and 16:00 [3a].

H. September 6th – Abdulaziz al-Omari & Satam al-Suqami fly from Fort Lauderdale to Boston aboard Delta FL2462. Flight departs at 12:00 and arrives at 15:20 [5].

I. September 7th – Mohamed Atta flies from Fort Lauderdale to Baltimore aboard US Air FL2719 [1]. Flight departs at 15:15 [6].

J. September 7th – Mohamed Atta was variously reported to have been with two companions at Shuckums Sports Bar in Hollywood, Florida between 15:00 and 18:00. Some reports suggest the companions may have been Marwan al-Shehhi and Abdulaziz al-Omari [7], [8], [9]. (Note: Time Magazine reported it was September 8th [10])

K. September 9th - Mohamed Atta flies from Baltimore to Boston aboard US Air FL2979 [1].

L. September 9th – Marwan al-Shehhi returns the rented Ford Escort to Warrick’s Rent-a-Car [4].

M. September 9th – Marwan al-Shehhi flies from Fort Lauderdale to Boston aboard Delta FL2462. Flight departs at 12:00 and arrive at 15:20 [4].

N. September 9th – A white Mitsubishi Mirage, which was rented in Springfield, Massachusetts under Atta’s name, is seen at Logan International Airport between 16:15 and 17:39 [3a].

O. September 9th – Marwan al-Shehhi returns the hire car [11] in the afternoon [12]. This is corroborated by the rental agreement, which indicates the time of the return is 17:00 [13]. Apart from Marwan al-Shehhi, none of the alleged hijackers is known to have been in Fort Lauderdale on the 9th [14].

P. September 9th – Mohamed Atta rents a Nissan Altima from Alamo at Boston’s Logan Airport at 18:08 [1].

Q. September 9th – It is alternatively reported that the Nissan Altima was rented by two brothers, Adnan Bukhari and Ameer Abbas Bukhari [15]. Although this is no longer the ‘accepted story’ [16].

R. September 9th – Marwan Shehhi books into the Milner Hotel, Boston for one night at 22:00 [4].

S. September 10th – Mohamed Atta’s credit card is reportedly used in Manhattan [17], [18]. None of the alleged hijackers are known to have been in Manhattan on September 10th [14].

T. September 10th – A white Mitsubishi Mirage, which was rented in Springfield, Massachusetts under Atta's name, is seen at Logan International Airport between 16:25 and 17:05 [3a]

U. September 10th – Mohamed Atta is seen driving a Mitsubishi Mirage at Exit 13 of the Massachusetts Turnpike [19].

V. September 10th – Mohamed Atta and Abdulaziz al-Omari drive from Boston to Portland in the Nissan Altima. They check into The Comfort Inn, room 233 at 17:37 [1].

W. September 11th – Mohamed Atta and Abdulaziz al-Omari check out of the Comfort Inn at 05:33 and drive to Portland International Jetport [1].

X. September 11th – Mohamed Atta and Abdulaziz al-Omari fly from Portland to Boston aboard Colgan Air FL5930. Flight departs at 06:00 [1].

Y. September 11th - Marwan al-Shehhi drives the Mitsubishi Mirage to Boston’s Logan Airport [3b].

REFERENCES

[1] www.vaed.uscourts.gov...

[2] www.vaed.uscourts.gov...

[3] en.wikipedia.org...:Sherurcij/cars

[4] www.vaed.uscourts.gov...

[5] www.vaed.uscourts.gov...

[6] www.bts.gov...

[7] www.washingtonpost.com...

[8] www.telegraph.co.uk.../news/2001/09/14/whunt114.xml

[9] www.abc.net.au...

[10] www.time.com...

[11] www.sptimes.com...

[12] www.abc.net.au...

[13] www.abc.net.au...

[14] www.vaed.uscourts.gov...

[15] english.peopledaily.com.cn...

[16] en.wikipedia.org...

[17] archives.cnn.com...

[18] foi.missouri.edu...

[19] web.archive.org...

KEY QUESTIONS

Since Mohamed Atta is not known to have been in Springfield, MA at any time between August 16th and September 11th [1], when did he rent the Mitsubishi Mirage [3a]?

If Mohamed Atta was in Fort Lauderdale, FL between August 29th and September 7th [1], [A], [I], who was driving the Mitsubishi Mirage in Boston, MA on both September 4th [D] and September 6th [G]?

Why did Mohamed Atta change his mind about flying US Air FL2968 from Fort Lauderdale to Boston September 7th [E] and instead opt to fly US Air FL2719 from Fort Lauderdale to Baltimore [I]?

If Mohamed Atta boarded US Air FL2719 from Fort Lauderdale to Baltimore on September 7th [I]; and if US Air FL2719 departed at 15:15 [6]; then who was at Shuckums Sports Bar in Hollywood, Florida on September 7th between 15:00 and 18:00 [7], [8], [9], [10]?

If Mohamed Atta flew from Baltimore to Boston on September 9th [K]; and if Marwan al-Shehhi flew from Fort Lauderdale to Boston at 12:00 on September 9th [M]; and if none of the remaining alleged hijackers are known to have been in Florida on September 9th [14]; then who returned the rented Ford Escort to Warrick’s Rent-a-Car in Pompano Beach, Florida at 17:00 on September 9th?

Where did information linking Adnan Bukhari and Ameer Abbas Bukhari to the rented Nissan Altima come from [Q]?

What information was Portland Police Chief Mike Chitwood acting upon when he said, “I can tell you [Adnan Bukhari and Ameer Abbas Bukhari] did get on a plane and fly to Boston early yesterday morning…” [14]?

If Mohammed Atta was in Boston [M] and Portland [V] on September 10th, who was seen driving the Mitsubishi Mirage rented in Atta’s name [3a] in Boston’s Logan Airport [T] and around Exit 13 of the Masspike [U] on September 10th?

If Mohamed Atta is in or around Boston, MA on September 10th [K], [T], [U], [V]; and if none of the alleged hijackers are known to have been in New York on September 10th [14]; then who used Atta’s credit card in New York on September 10th [S], [17], [18]?

Why did Mohamed Atta fly from Baltimore to Boston on September 7th [K]; then drive from Boston to Portland on September 10th [V]; and then fly from Portland back to Boston in the early hours of September 11th [X]?

[edit on 1-5-2007 by coughymachine]

Excellent stuff as always - All good questions, wish i had more time at the moment...

some might say some of this was to clutter the trail and be harder to track... not that it seemed necessary, with two of the otheers listed in the San diego phone book and still not found after a city search by the intrepid FBI. I dunno. Faked/confused IDs, irrational moves, two places at once sometimes. Endless mystery and speculation. Looking into the hijackers is like looking into a glass crack pipe. Just a lot of smoke confined so you can't see what's in there, and you know nothing good's coming out of it.

What do you think all this activity means? Patsies? Planted stories with insufficient consistency conrol?

Patsies for sure, in my opinion. All that conspicuous activity, travelling around using their own names and a lot more besides; drawing attention to themselves (some of that isn't detailed here); making unnecessary journeys; carrying potentially operation-threatening material; and being in two places at one time (the return of the Ford Escort on September 9th is the most baffling example).

I would say these guys (and I seriously doubt there were 19 of them; you notice how many had the same surname?) were hired guns of some sort, on a mission of some sort, and utterly unaware of what was going to happen to them as they boarded the planes (if they boarded the planes) on September 11th.