Sources

(b/hwi) Peter Bergen, Holy War, Inc.

(ms/c) John Miller and Michael Stone, The Cell, (New York - Hyperon; 2002)
(rg) Rohan Gunaratna, Inside al-Qaeda, (New York: Columbia University Press, 2002)
(bensim) Daniel Benjamin and Steve Simon, The Age of Sacred Terror, (New York: Random
House, 2002)

[See list of "Players" at end of chron.]

 The March to War Against the United States1

The Critical Juncture

In February 1989, the last Soviet troops pulled out of Afghanistan. The Islamist
leaders of the Jihad confronted the question of "where to go next," where to direct the
"Islamic Army" (as bin Laden himself then titled it) that had evolved in the decade-long war
with the Soviets. This brought to the forefront a growing split between bin Laden, who had in
the recent years become increasingly influenced by a group of militant Egyptians, and his
erstwhile mentor Abdullah Azzam. This would prove to be a decisive fork in the path to
declaration of war against the United States by the transnational terrorist force we now know
as al Qaeda.

Both factions affirmed adherence to the long-standing Islamist goal of re-establishing the
global Caliphate under pure Quranic law (which as a universal given would require eliminating
the Israeli state). Their division was over how to get there.

The Egyptian militants had long ago declared the "apostate" Middle Eastern regimes
to be the principal obstacle to the ultimate objective of re-establishing a pure Islamic
Caliphate, and they saw the emergent Islamic Army as a new force for their long standing
Jihad. By the time the Soviets pulled out bin Laden had come to fully espouse this position.
He was already creating his own organization, (including the central "foundation" - "al
Qaeda") distinct from what he had until then shared with Azzam, and arranging for the
movement of operational resources back to the Middle East. Nearly all of the key positions in
his new organization were held by present or former members of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad.

Azzam did not quarrel with the principal that bringing down these apostate regimes was
essential to the ultimate objective. But he strongly opposed what he considered a diversion of
forces, funds and other resources from what he insisted was the more immediate task -
completing the establishment of an Islamic state in Afghanistan (although the Soviets had
withdrawn their troops they had left in place a proxy regime). He also argued that the next
priority for the Islamic Army should be expunging the Israeli "occupiers" from the sacred
Muslim lands of Palestine. Whatever resistance might have been sustained by Azzam and his
remaining supporters was taken care of on 24 November 1989 when he was assassinated, along
with two sons, in a car bombing in Peshawar.

Adopting the path of Jihad against the apostate rulers of the Muslims lands would have
almost certainly led inevitably to attacks on those whom the Islamists viewed as the sources, "the
props," of the apostate leaders' power - the U.S. and other western states. The U.S. was in fact
charged with being the prop for both the "far enemy" - Israel - and "near enemies" such as the
Mubarek regime in Egypt. (And by this time bin Laden had put the Saudi regime in the same
category.) In this situation, the deployment and ultimately sustained basing of U.S. forces in Saudi
Arabia and the Gulf States in 1990 was a match in an already smoking pit, and provided a
"billboard" for bin Laden's evocations for Jihad.

' Sources: Hwi, Ch.2, p. 40-62; Bensim, Ch. 3, pp. 95-109; rg, Ch. 1, pp. 16-26. ms/c ...
2. See rg 22-23 re "Islamic Army." Contrary to common wisdom, bin Laden did not form his organization under
the title of al-Qaeda. It was Azzam who conceptualized it in 1987, and his article describing "Al-Qa'aidah al
Sulbah," The Solid Foundation," was laid out in an article of the Arabic Journal Al Jihad in April 1988. It has
been described by some Arabists as the "founding document" for the organization that has become known as "al
Qaeda." See also hwi 60ff.
 Thus the evolving "bin Laden doctrine" added a new layer to the hierarchy of targets.
Before the apostate regimes could be brought down, the U.S. military forces had to be evicted
from the region. And as the focus of the Jihad became the U.S., the objectives of the Jihad
would soon expand beyond eviction from the Muslim lands to global attack against the U.S.

The Path

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan provided a common cause for Islamists whose
militancy and motivations had diverse origins. The Afghan battlefield offered a focus for
recruitment of "troops," acquisition of weapons, and the development of a command and
logistic pipeline, including transnational financial sources and movement channels. Many of
the individuals who came from the Middle East to play key leadership roles in the "Afghan
Arab" forces had been engaged in some form of their own Jihad movements long before the
Soviet invasion. These included bin Laden's initial mentor and partner in Pakistan, Abdullah
Azzam, and the Egyptian Islamists that would later comprise most of the inner circle.

Bin Laden linked up with Azzam in Pakistan in 1984, where they jointly
established the Maktab al-Khidmat (MAK, "Bureau of Services"). The MAK served as a
recruiting network hub - bringing fighters to Peshawar, putting them up in guesthouses, and
then dispatching them to training camps in Afghanistan. Azzam moved to Pakistan he had
already been a prominent figure among Islamists long before he moved to Pakistan, preaching
for Jihad to return the historic Muslim lands to the governance of pure Islamic law - to
reinstate the Caliphate and the Sharia. He was virulently anti-Israel, having been bom in
Palestine in 1941, and after receiving a degree at a Damascus university in 1966 he had
returned to fight against Israel in the 1967 war. In 1973 he took up studies in Egypt at the al-
Azhar University, the most prominent center of Islamic studies, before becoming professor of
Islamic law at Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah. His experience in Palestine and immersion
in the doctrine of ancient Muslim teachers had committed him to Jihad. Bin Laden was a
student at Abdul Aziz in 1981 and many believe he began to be influenced by Azzam's
doctrine then. Azzam was dropped by Abdul Aziz about this time because of his rhetoric, and
migrated to Pakistan where he became a lecturer at the Islamic University in Islamabad.3

According to most accounts, when the MAK was initially formed Azzam was its
doctrinal leader while bin Laden served as his deputy and provided much of the funding.
One of the first branch offices of the MAK was set up in the mid-1980s on Atlantic
Avenue in Brooklyn, under the title al-Kifa, and would become a hub for many of the
participants in the terrorist activities undertaken in the New York area in the early
1990s. Azzam assigned his protege Mustapha Shalabi as the initial chief of the Brooklyn
office.4

Azzam also traveled the globe on recruitment and fundraising missions, which
included some 20 trips to US. In 1989, [What month? Must have been before November, for

3. Another teacher at Al-Aziz at the time was Muhammad Qutb, brother of Sayyid Qutb, who had been
executed by Nasser in 1966, but who, as described below, continued to be the most widely read Islamist in the
Middle East and author of what is still considered by many militant Egyptians to be the "manifesto" of their
Islamist groups.
. One of Shalbi's early aides was Jamal al-Fadl, who would later go to Afghanistan, and become one of the
early member of al-Qaeda in 1989.
reasons described below] he made a speech in Oklahoma at a convention of the Muslim
Arab Youth League and Islamic Association for Palestine.5 This convention was the occasion
of an introductory meeting of Wadih el-Hage and Mahmud Abouhalima, both of whom
would later be tied to the terrorist cell associated with the MAK branch in New York. Bin
Laden, meanwhile, essentially confined himself to shuttling between Saudi Arabia and
Pakistan (with occasional ventures into Afghanistan to make his bones as a warrior.) (Bensim
99-101)

In 1987-89 Bin Laden became increasingly influenced by the leaders of the

Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ).6 Most prominent among these was Ayman al-Zawahiri, a
medical doctor, described by some as the leader of EIJ, by others as leader of a "faction" of
the EIJ. He had been imprisoned for three years on weapons charges following the
assassination of Sadat on 6 October 1981, and when released he went to Pakistan to provide
medical services to Mujahidin waging Jihad against the Soviets in Afghanistan. Also in
Pakistan at this time was Sheikh Omar Ahmad Abdel Rahman (the "Blind Sheikh"), who
was generally considered to be the spiritual guide of Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ). Many
accounts claim he simultaneously served as spiritual leader for a parallel, similar
organization known as the Egyptian Islamic Group (EIG), headed by Rifai Ahmed Taha.
Rahman had for many years issued public "Fatawas" justifying the terrorist actions of both
groups. He publicly praised the assassination of Sadat in 1981, and was subsequently arrested
and tried for his role, but ended up being acquitted. (Mubarak apparently viewed imprisoning
a/the top Muslim cleric as likely to incite more trouble that it would solve.)

Both the EIJ and the EIG were in effect "rebellious offspring" of the Muslim
Brotherhood. The Brotherhood had emerged in the Middle East in the late 1920s in the
tumultuous post-WWI situation - the Ottoman dominion gone, much of its former territory
placed under control of League of Nation "mandates" (seen by much of the populace in the
region as extension of European colonialism), and Palestine erupting into what would prove
to be an unending conflict. The Muslim Brothers propagated the doctrine that only
"Salafiyya" Islam - Islam purged of impurities and Western influences - could save
Muslims from the colonial powers.

By the 1950s, as the colonial powers begin pulling out, the focus of animosity turned
on leaders of Muslim states who were seen as having accepted western law as a
substitute for the Sharia, ~ "abandoning God's law" and submitting to "man-made law."
(These "apostate" leaders were labeled as "Jahiliyya," a term originally used to described the
"barbarians" existing before the Prophet's message began to be propagated.) Some scholars
framed this issue in terms of the need to deal first with the "near enemy" in their own lands
before moving to combat the "far enemy" in Israel. While the "Brothers" first emerged in
Palestine/ Jordan, their doctrine had its most potent appeal and attracted most followers
in Egypt. The Al-Azhar Islamic study center in Cairo became the main site of its
transnational gatherings.

5. A videotape of another of Azzam's recruitment lectures in the U.S., given in 1988, was described in the New
Yorker in 1995.
6. Many who have studied the history of the emergence of al Qaeda have pointed out that the evidence suggests
that the organization was as much a product of the Egyptians Islamists drawing in bin Laden as is was a matter
of his incorporating them into his inner circle. See, for example, rg 25, hwi 199-204.
1'. The "faction leader" description is by Benjamin and Simon, p. 103.
 The Brotherhood doctrine nominally did not call for violence, but rather preached a
"bottom up" approach, in which conversion of the masses was seen as the way to create
power that would eventually topple the "Jahili" leaders. Nonetheless, this declared position
did not prevent the movement from engaging in significant incidents of violence in the
ensuing decades.

By the late 1960s factions within and outside the Brotherhood were explicitly rejecting
the "bottom up" concept, declaring that experience demonstrated there was no way the
apostate leaders in the historical Muslim lands would accede to a peaceful transition to a true
Caliphate. This fueled the break off the groups that formed the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and
the Egyptian Islamic Group. While the doctrine of these groups started at the same point as
the Brotherhood - immersion in the Koran - they described it as a basis for forming a
"Revolutionary Vanguard" whose mission was "Jihad" against the existing political
leaders in the lands of the Prophet. (The most influential preacher in this development was
Sayyid Qutb, who was eventually executed by Nasser in 1966, but whose books are still the
most widely read in the militant Muslim world. His "Signpost" treatise is generally
considered to be the manifesto of the militant Egyptian movements. As noted above, his
brother was teaching at Al-Azziz University in Jeddah at the time bin Laden was a student
there.)

Bin Laden and his Egyptian colleagues saw the Islamic Army that matriculated from
the Jihad against the Soviets as having created this "vanguard," and the main question was
where to employ it next. (Bin Laden, in fact referred to his organization as the Islamic Army,
of which al Qaeda was only a central leadership "base.") With the defeat of the Soviets, the
Egyptians not surprisingly wanted to take the army back to pursue their fundamental
objective of ousting the apostate leaders in the lands of Islam, starting in Egypt. (And bin
Laden by this time had begun to place the Saudi leaders in the same category.)

Azzam's insistence on focusing the Islamic Army's resources on finishing the job
in Afghanistan and then turning to the enemy in Palestine presumably was at least in part
because of his experience in Palestine. According to some sources he also was skeptical
about the reality of prospects - at least under the existing circumstances - for ousting the
Middle Eastern rulers through militant actions. This was a form of the debate among the
Islamists that scholars had in earlier years described as contesting priorities between the "near
enemy" or the "far enemy."

Bin Laden was conveniently back in Saudi Arabia at the time Azzam was
assassinated. He has since routinely praised Azzam, but many suspect he was behind the
killing. (Or perhaps it was the Egyptians who initiated and pulled it off, while bin Laden
adopted a "don't ask, don't tell" position.)

By this time bin Laden was already well down the road in forming his organization
with its inner circle dominated by members of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Zawahiri was his is
principal deputy. Abu Ubaidah al-Banshiri, former Egyptian police office, was the first is
"military chief," while Muhammed Atef, another EIJ member, was deputy chief of

* Various sources have described different initial objectives. One reason given is his intent to form an "inner
group" to provide more security than his "guesthouse." Other sources have described its initial purpose to be a
mechanism for spotting and vetting "full-fledged mujahidin." The fact of its formation in about 1988 has by
itself been interpreted as an indication of his intentions by this time to split off from Azzam's "Bureau" to form
his own entity. See
operations, and ultimately would succeed Banshiri after his death a few years later. While
leaving his headquarters in Peshawar for the time being, Bin Laden began moving assets back
to the Middle east (Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Sudan) to prepare for his next stage of Jihad,
whose targets were mainly in the Middle East. By the time the Gulf war broke out, he had
already put the steps in motion for his move to Sudan in 1991. The operational bases and
planning centers there would provide the launching platform for a series of major terrorist
operations in the ensuing years against the U.S., including the bombing of the U.S. embassies
in Kenya and Tanzania.

At the same time that the contest over the future of the Afghan Arab Islamic Army is
taking place in Afghanistan/Pakistan, a cell is cementing its ties in New York and contesting
the same issues.

1989

July 89: At the same time the divergence in visions was emerging in
Afghanistan/Pakistan, law enforcement officials in New York had received a tip that a
"Palestinian group" associated with the al-Kifah Center was planning bombings of Atlantic
City casinos. [Bensim say group was identified as fellow-worshippers of the Farouq Mosque,
but not major difference because the mosque was the "spiritual office" of al-Kifa.] The Joint
Terrorism Task Force (JTTF, established by the FBI and NYPD in 1980, according to ms/c -
34) tasked its NYPD group (headed by Tom Corrigan) to put them under surveillance. This
led to the observation, and photographing of a dozen al-Kifah/Farouq subjects engaging
in shooting exercises at Calverton range on eastern Long Island. Photos taken on four
consecutive weekends. The participants, whose identities were not all determined at the time
the photographs were obtained, included El-Sayyid Nosair, Mohammed Salameh
(Palestinian), Nidal Ayyad, Clement Hampton-El (aka "Dr. Rashid because of his job as a
hospital worker) Mahmud Abouhalima (Egyptian, aka "Mahmud the Red" because of his
hair). Some participants wearing T-shirts with Jihad slogans, some with title "Services
Office," and some with a map of Afghanistan. One of the instructors [according to ms/c] was
a tall African-American identified a year and a half later as Richard Smith, who had in early
1990 become a suspect in a gun running investigation. Another instructor, not identified at the
time, was Ali Mohamed, who had been a sergeant at Fort Bragg, N.C. [Was he still in the
army at that time?] The weapons being used included AD-47s, 357 and 9mm pistols,
shotguns, and other rifles, (ms/c 51, 58; Bensim 5.)
* This group [according to ms/c, p. 50] began to be pulled together by Nosair as early as
1987. In addition to those seen in the photos at the firing range, the group included a
person named Bilall Alkaisi, a Palestinian who had also trained in Afghanistan. The
weapons training, according to the same sources, had already begun a year earlier, in
various upstate NY sites.
* Nosair was by this time already having regular conversations with the Blind Sheikh,
informing him of Nosair group's training. (Tapes of some conversations, that had been
played in the Farouq mosque, reportedly are in possession of NYPD or JTTF.). The
contacts had begun a year earlier, (1988) according to the same sources, (ms/c 50ff;
bensim 3-6.) [How did Nosair initially get in contact with Rahman?]
 October 89, Bin Laden effort to bribe Pakistan parliamentarians in no confidence
resolution against Benazir Bhutto. She narrowly won the vote on 1 Nov. In a later interview,
Bhutto said some parliamentarians who had been offered money told her the money had come
from Saudi sources. She said she queried the Saudi government and they told her bin Laden
put up the money. She said that was the first she had heard of bin Laden. She believed the
scheme had been set up by chief of Pakistani intelligence (ISI)., who had been running the
CIA support channels to the Afghan mujahidin and who had both the motivation and the
necessary connections to set up the scheme, (hwi 61-62)

24 November 89: Azzam assassinated. Bin Laden has returned to Saudi Arabia.

1990

Early 1990: Bin Laden in Saudi Arabia, already laying groundwork for move to
Sudan. [Stories that he had met earlier with Hassan Turabi, leader of Sudan's National
Islamic Front, with declared goal of creating pure Islamic state.?] Key actor in process was
Jamal al-Fadl, [according to his statements] a Sudanese who had come to U.S. in 1986 and
had been "aide" to Shalabi at al-Khifa. Under bin Laden's instructions, will purchase a farm
north of Khartoum for $250,000 and a salt farm near Port Sudan for $180,000. (hwi 78)

May/July 1990: [Different dates from ms/c and bensim] Sheik Omar Abdel-
Rahman, spiritual leader of EIJ, GAI, arrives US. Has initial welcome from Shalabi, but
two soon split, have fallout over money. Rahman moves to Jersey City. Nosair group lined
lined up with Rahman. They had in fact been lobbying Rahman since his arrival to change
the al-Kifah leadership. Even before he arrived, they had been clashing with Shalabi. Same
debate as between taking place in between Azzam and bin Laden/Egyptian groups. Shalabi
wants money to go to Afghanistan refugees, Nosair et al want it to go to a global jihad, (ms/c
53, 64; bensim 6.)

5/7? August 1990, Following Iraq invasion of Kuwait, bin Laden offers himself and
his holy warriors to fight Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, turned down by Saudi regime. Launches
attack on US presence, supported by some Islamic preachers, (hwi 77)

5 November 1990: Rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of Jewish Defense League,

assassinated at Marriott Hotel in Manhattan, by Nosair. Nosair was accompanied by co-
conspirator Bilall Alkaisi who chickened at last minute and ducked out. Getaway car was to
be driven by Mahmoud Abouhalima ("red") Missed connection because of parking
coinfusion, Nosair hijacks taxi, but it quickly runs into blockage, Nosair wounded in shootout,
arrested. Alkaisi meanwhile gets to Nosair's own car in lot, where Mohammed Salameh
waiting. Escape.
* Within hours, JTTF agents Napoli and Anticev review photos of training at Calverton
range, recognize Nosair. (No others identified for some months.) Early morning, NYPD
arrive at what they believe is Nosair's apt.in Jersey City (also by then saying they knew
Nosair had accomplices. [How did they know that soon? Did they have a record because
of earlier suspicions? If so, what led to that? ms/c claim Napoli and John Antichev
reviewed Calverton photos within hours of shooting, recognized Nosair. Did not then ID
others.] At Jersey City apartment, find Abouhalima and Salameh, who are not yet
identified as the accomplices but who are nonetheless taken in for questioning. Admit
 they had been at hotel at time of shooting, say Nosair no longer lives at their address. (The
records would subsequently confirm that in 1988, when he got his janitor job in Brooklyn,
he had changed his address to his cousins apt. (Cousin name Ibrahim el-Gabrowny, who
would later also be identified as a player.) Abouhlima and Salameh were released next day
on grounds evidence insufficient to charge them, (ms/c 42-43)
6 November 90: NYPD identify Nosair's true address (Cliffside, N.J.) [Again, how?]
Find and remove 16 boxes of materials, including training manuals from Fort Bragg,
teletypes between high level US officials, all believed [when?] to have been provided by
Ali Mohamed. [When?]. Bomb making manuals, maps of landmarks like Statue of
Liberty, Times Square, Rockefeller Center and World Trade Center. Also in apartment
was notebook on Jihad objectives, "attacking all those who waged war against Allah," and
passages alluding to destruction value of big buildings versus "symbols." Also included
were tapes of various speeches by Azzam. Boxes taken to 17th Precinct, (ms/c 45)
{Check press coverage?] [rg 101-02 says done under Rahman's orders, and that Rahman
convicted of this in NY.]
8 November 90: The 16 boxes that had been found by NYPD in Nosair's apartment are
picked by FBI. Most documents were not translated, nor were the taped speeches by
Azzam reviewed, for next 3 yrs, until the TERRBOM trial, (ms/c 45; also hwi 131ff)

1991

Early 1991: Preparations well along for move to Sudan. Many of his troops already
moved from Pakistan, much of logistic and support structure in place. Had been preparing for
a year, using al-Fadl to travel from Pakistan to Egypt and Sudan, purchase property that could
be used, (hwi 78-79) urabi had sent delegation to meet with bin Laden in 1989/90. (rg29)

Jan.-Feb. 1991: NY JTTF beginning to identify others in photos of Calverton

shooting range. Is at this time that they identify one of trainers as Richard Smith, who is by
that time a suspect in gun running case in Brooklyn black Muslim community. Gun running
case had been underway since fall of 1990, about time of Kahane assassination. Early 1991,
NYPD learn Smith tied to Brooklyn gun dealer Edward Ransom, security operator at a radical
mosque (al-Taqwa) located near Farouq mosque where al-Kifah based, and obtain a picture of
two together. Poses question for police of extent of black Muslim gunrunners - militants
association with Arabs from al-Kifah Services center. Within next few months, would tie the
gunrunners to a robbery crew known as the "forth thieves" led by person named Marcus
Robinson, who would later be discovered to have connections with "Dr. Rashid," person also
photographed at Calverton shooting range, (ms/c 60-63)

1 March 1991: Al-Kifah Emir Shalabi found dead. Last seen alive 26 February, the
day before he had been slated to leave for Egypt. A few days before the body was found,
Wadjh al-Hage had arrived there from [from Tucson according to hwi and ms/c, Texas
according to bensim] to take over running of al-Kifah. [According to ms/c] a Yemeni named
Abdul Wali Zindani also had already arrived in Brooklyn to "investigate" Shalabi's handling
of finances, and would ultimately take charge after al-Hage departed for Sudan within about a
year, (ms/c 64, hwi 134-135, bensim 104) [ rg says body found in apartment of Abouhalima.
Is that conceivable ?]

April 1991. Bin Laden leaves Saudin Arabia for Pakistan. Stage in move to Sudan,
(hwi 79)
 Summer 1991: Bin Laden arrives Sudan. Reportedly quickly establishes "symbiotic
relationship" with Turabi. Engages in multiple economic ventures, building roads, etc.
Global bank accounts, mega bucks. Simultaneously setting up training camps, while keeping
guest-houses operating in Pakistan. Sources put number of al Qaeda members in Sudan at
this time at 1,000 to 2,000. [Seems high, but depends on definition of "member."]
* Sets up office in Baku to support Chechens; sends fighters to Tajikistan; supports
Philippine Moro group, smuggles arms to Yemen and Egypt. Linked to Vienna-based
Third World Relief Agency, which funneled money to Bosnians. Bin Laden established a
branch of the "Services Office" in Zagreb. Forged alliances with Egyptian groups,
Algerian Armed Islamic Group, Libyan group, Yemen's Saif Islamic Jannubi, and Syrian
Jamaat al-Suri. (hwi 79-86)
* Assigns Harun Fazil, a Camoran islander and head of the Nairobi cell, to prepare ground
for "militarizing" East African cells, (bensim 27) Farms used as bomb training bases, (rg
32)
* Sets up front companies, including Wadi-al-Aqiq. (rg 33)

Also in Summer 1991: JTTF agents Napoli and Anticev find evidence that
Abouhalima is working on bomb making materials in his appartment. (ms/c 65) At this time
the FBI has on its payroll an informant named Emad Salem, (bensim 17)

1992

Summer of 1992. Bin Laden forms Advice and Reformation Committee (ARC), as
platform for propagating opposition to Saudi regime. (Will eventually appoints al-Fawwaz as
head of London office in July 1994.) (hwi 88 rg 34 says ARC formed July 94, but appears to
be identifying founding date with date of Fawwaz appointment.)
* Sometime in this period Hage leaves NY for Sudan to become bin Laden's
secretary, (hwi 135.)

August 1992: Rahman dials number (810604) in Pakistan. (Bensim 7. [How and
when did we know this?])

1 September 1992: Ramzi Yousef arrives at Kennedy Airport, from Peshawar via
Karachi. Iraqi passport arouses suspicions. (See Mylroie for details of passport
inconsistencies.) Responds to questions by immediately asking for asylum, is taken aside for
an interview, fingerprinted, given a court appearance date, let go. (Obviously did not meet
court date.)
* Accompanied by person named Ahmad Ajaj [reports that he had been residing in Texas
before going to Peshawar?] whose poorly forged Swedish passport results in a search of
luggage, discovery of bomb manuals, video of instructins, includes statements about
waging "war" against "enemies of God," and depicting demolition of an American
building, (bensim 7-8)
* "Within two days" (bensim 7, compare with ms/c) Yousef moves into Salameh's Jersey
City appartment, contacts Abouhalima. Shortly thereafter gatherings are also joined by
Ayad and Eyad Ismoil, and an upstairs neighbor named Abdul Yasin, who is of Iraqi
origin.
4 Yasin has frequent phone conversations with Sheikh Rahman and both regularly dial the
Pakistan number 810604. (How and when did we know this?) (Bensim 8-9)
 10

Fall 1992: Salem role as informant suspended over dispute with FBI over his
unwillingness to agree to testify in court. He is thus off the payroll at time of WTC I. (bensim
18)

November 1992: Over a 12 day stretch, Yousef and team purchase from City
Chemical company in Jersey City some 1500 Ibs. of Ureal [check what this is], 30 gallons of
nitric acid, other chemicals, (bensim 9-10)

December 1992: Bombing outside hotels in Aden where US troops are staying
enroute to Somalia. Bergen says al-Qaeda "affiliates" carried it out One source says person
who managed bombings was Tariq al-Fadhili, son of deposed sultan of a region near Aden.
Fadhili fought in Afghanistan in 1980s, reported to have linked up with bin Laden then.
Returned to Yemen in 1989, known as leader of affiliation of Afghan Arabs. Got gunding
from bin Laden. Initially arrested by Yemen authorities after December 92 bombing, but no
action taken. Later, following 199 North Yemen defeat of communist south, Afghan Arabs
folded into new regime. Fadhili now holds position in government, (hwi 81-82, 172-73.)

1993
February 1993: WTC I
> Mid-February: Bomb nearly complete, vehicles being rented.
^ 23 February: Ayyad uses corporate account of employer Allied Signal to rent getaway
car (to be driven by Salameh, who has already had two driving accidents in the past 30
days) and Salameh rents bomb delivery van from Ryder in Jersey City.
^ 25 February: Explosives, loaded into three cylinders, delivered to storage bin, then
loaded onto ban. Yousewf and Ismoil move into Motor Inn, Brooklyn, to be closer,
with van parked out front. Meanwhile, Salameh reports to police that van he rented
has been stolen
^ 26 February: Van parked in delivery lane at WTC, Yousef and Ismoil get in getaway
car, bomb goes off at 12:18. That evening, Yousef boards Pakistani international
Airways to Karachi [under name, passport of Basil? Check Mylroie.] Couple hours
later, Ismoil flies to Amman, (bensim 10-11)
• Earlier same day: (about 1500) Salameh goes to DIB Ryder leasing, informs of
"theft," asks for rebate of $400 deposit. Told to present police report.
Meanwhile, investigators find vehicle identification number on piece of
demolished van frame, begin tracing that leads to DIB leasing. (Bensim 12)
> 27 February: Ayyad calls NY Daily News, claims responsibility [under name of 5th
Battalion, Liberation Army] mails letter to NYT.
^ 1 March: Salameh again goes to Ryder rental, again turned away. By now FBI
knows of rental.
> 4 March: Salameh (has plane ticket to depart next day to Germany) again returns to
Ryder rental, again turned away. By now, under surveillance. Arrested as leaves
Ryder office.
• Same day, FBI interviews Abdul Rahman Yasin (upstairs neighbor of
Salameh), conclude he is cooperative, do not detain.
> 5 March: Yasin flies to Amman. (Same day Salameh had planned to leave. (Bensim
12-13)
 11
Info to check: Some point in this time frame, Ayyad and Abouhalima also arrested. Salem put back on informant
payroll.} [See Miller.]

23 June 1993: FBI TERRSTOP operation, pre-empts scheme for bombing multiple
NY landmarks, sweeps up Blind Sheikh, 10 other members of plot. Begin mixing explosive
formula, FBI (with benefit of Salem info, sweeps them up. (Bensim 18-19)
In months following WTC 93, Rahman entourage seeking to design follow-up. Consultations
with Nosair in Attica prison. (How and when did we know this?) Players include Nosair
cousin Ibrahim el-Gabrowny, Clement Hampton-El (aka Dr. Rashid who had fought in
Afghanistan and had been wounded in leg), Sudanese Siddiq Ali, another Sudanese Amir
Abdelgani.
Latter two begin casing targets. Salem serving as facilitator to ingratiate himself, reporting to
FBI. Lincoln and Holland tunnels among targets selected. (TERRSTOP, aka Day of Terror)
More volunteers: Fares Khallafalla; Mohammed Saleh; Victor Avarez, Puerto Rican convert.
Four more fnr total of 11

Mid-late 1993: Al Qaeda operatives begin casing U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Par
e-salaam. Plan would be called "Operation Kaaba," (Nairobi) and "Operation al-Aqsa" Dar e-
Salaam). Acquisition of bomb vehicles asigned to Sheikh Ahmad Slim Swedan [when?].
Bomb making actions under supervision of Abdel Rahman [not Sheikh] an Egyptian with
long experience in Afghanistan and Somalia. Ali Mohamed and Anas al-Liby go to Nairobi to
take photos. [Discs of surveillance photos discovered years later, after bombings.] (According
to testimony of Mohamad in NY. Also Bensim 27-28)

3-4 October 1993: "Black Hawk Down" incident in Somalia, 19 U.S. troops killed.
Bin Laden would later tell Bergen and Arnett in CNN interview aired 10 May 1997 that his
"Afghan Arabs" had played a major role in training, equipping Somalis who carried it out. Al
Qaeda operational planer Atef said to have traveled to Solamia twice in 1993 to case options,
(hwi 81-82, citing his own interview and Fadl testimony Feb 2001, and court record May
2001)

[When?] 1993 Bin Laden named as "unindicted co-conspirator" in WTC attack.

although not much known of his connection, because his name "cropped up" several. Name
not included in that year's report for Congressional Task Force on Terrorism, (hwi 115)

1993: Egyptians initiate pressure on Pakistan to crack down on militants. Ultimately

leads to retaliatory attacks in 1995. See below.(hwi 90-91)

1994

Feb/March 1994: , Saudi regime freezes Bin Laden assets, ((hwi 89 March, rg34
Feb.)

1994 [When?]: Muslim north Yemen attacks, defeats secular socialist south Yemen.
Spiritual leader is Sheikh Abdul Majid al-Zindani, who with Tariq al-Fadhili become part of
the new Yemen under President Salih's government. Bin Laden ties close. At one time in
1997 considered moving his base back there, (rg 27 says bin Laden financed Fadhili from
start in 89-90)

July 1994: Bin Laden appoints al-Fawwaz as head of London office of Advice and
Reformation Committee, (hwi 88, rg 34 )
 12

14 December 1994: Bomb explodes on Philippine airlines flight from Manila to

Tokyo, killing one Japanese businessman. Parts include Casio watch wiring device (Yousef
signature technique) found. (Bensim 23))

1995

7 January 1995: Manila, Philippine police respond to fire in apartment on President

Quirino Avenue, discover "bomb factory," papers indicating terrorist targeting of Pope
(scheduled to visit Manila 20 January), also a schedule of various airline flights. Deduce plan
to attack some 12 commercial flights. Initially thought to be Abu Sayyaf plot. Following
days US FAA notified. Apartment rented by Yousef. Papers found include business card of
Jamal Khalifa, Saudi businessman, NGO official, brother-in-law of bin Laden; learn he had
paid for Yousef's apartment. Plot would become known as "Bojinka." .[In following days,
Philippine authorities would deduce that the December 94 aircraft bomb was carried out by
Yousef, as an experiment. Carried bomb on plane in Manila, left it when he got off airplane
at stopover in Cebu.] (Bensim 21-22. Much detail left out - see DM paper for Australia
venture.)

25 February 1995: Combined U.S. - Pakistani forces in Islamabad raid apartment,

capture Yousef, go straight to airport and fly him to U.S. (One source says tip came from
Yousef associate assigned earlier in February to deliver explosives to aircraft leaving
Bangkok, who saw rigorous baggage check underway, left and dispensed explosives, called in
tip re Yousef. (Bensim 25)

8 March 1995: ARC issues communique charging Saudi regime with array of sins,
especially use of "Man made laws" not part of sharia. (hwi 89)

May 1995 attempt at Mubarak assassination at meeting in Abbas Ababa. [Believed to

have been generated by Egyptian pressures on Pakistan to crack down on terrorist entities.]
[rg 38 says it was June 95?]

1995, Reports that bin Laden meets with Imad Mughniyeh, Iran-based head of
Hizballah (some say member of Iranian intelligence) that had arranged 1983 truck bombing of
marines in Lebanon (killing 241) and leading to the American pull out of Lebanon. Witness
says Bin Laden said he wanted to follow that model, (hwi 85, citing Ali Mohamed plea
agreement in NY, October 2001; and Hala Jaber, Hezbollah: Born With a Vengeance, [NY:
Columbia University Press, 1997) pp. 115-20)

1995: Sometime in this time frame, Odeh (see list of characters attached below)
moves from Pakistan to Mombasa, Kenya, sets up fishing business as cover, (same cover
used by Cole bombers later), (hwi 106)
> Banshiri is in Nairobi, Kenya at this time, in charge of working out overall
plan, (hwi 106

1995: Bin Laden's name comes up in trial of Sheikh Rahman, and nine others for plot
to blow up WTC, other NY landmarks. Bin Laden's name comes up in passing, at least one
 13

of witnesses asked if he knows name. Concerns about bin Laden at that time were based on
his public statements - soliciting violence against American soldiers, (hwi 115)

(Secret/NOFORNyOctober 1995 Only reference to bin laden in the Intelligence

Community Annual Strategic Intelligence Review for Counterterrorism is in a list of
factors justifying the "Tier one" ranking of "Sudanese State Organizations Supporting
terrorism; ".. .provides a home base for Saudi-born terrorist financier Usama Bin
Laden, who provided funding and possibly other support for Ramzi Yousef." (emphasis
added.)

13 Nov. 95: Car bomb outside US-Saudi joint facility in Riyadh, the National Guard
building, killing five Americans and two Indians. Perpetrators confessions indicate influence
of Bin Laden, (hwi 116) [Executions prevent further inquiries.]

20 November 1995: Bombing of Egyptian embassy in Islamabad, killing 15, injuring

80. Yet again retaliation for Egyptian pressures for terrorist crackdown.

By late 1995/early 1996: As bin Laden's name keeps popping up in investigations of

various incidents, CTC forms special branch to focus on him. (hwi 116, DCI open testimony
11 June 2002)

Bensim 27 describe what they claim to have been evolution of al Qaeda structure
by this time. (1) Afghanistan/Pakistan "foundation," where inner circle worked
out plans and team selection/approval. (2) Communications and publicity done
by cells in London and Baku. [Strange mix.] (3) Production and delivery of
materials carried out by Nairobi cell; supporting troops come from Germany,
Yemen, et. al. (4) Technical and other expertise provided by traveling teams
{Yousef?] [Need to validate.

May 96: Bin Laden is discovered to have moved to Afghanistan. By this time, is on
the U.S. list of terrorist threats. A NY Grand Jury has been impaneled to investigate him.

21 May 1996: Banshiri dies in ferry accident on Lake Victoria, (hwi 106, rg 26.)

25 June 1996. Khobar Towers in Dhahran, kills 19 American troops

23 August 1996: Bin Laden issues "Declaration of Jihad on the Americans occupying
the country of the two sacred places." Says "Muslims have realized they are the main target
of ... Jews and Crusaders ... God willing, I will expel the Jews and Christians from Arabia."

September 1996: Taliban takes over Kabul. US initially makes no objection [Bergen
makes much of US efforts, Unocal energy corporation, to set up oil line through to Indian
ocean] but by early 1997 SecState Albright in visit to Pakistan makes public statement of
opposition.

1996: Hage traveling back and forth from Arlington, Texas to Nairobi, pattern will
continue through much of next year, until August 87. (hwi 135)
 14

1997: Haroun Fazil dispatched to Nairobi to continue replace Banshiri and move
ahead preparations on embassy bombing plot. Shares house there with Wadjh al-Hage. (hwi
106)
February 97: Another Fatawa? (See rg 42-44)

21 August 97: FBI accompanies Kenyan police raid on al-Hage apartment, finds
laptop with letter describing existence of Kenya cell and knowledge of call for attacks on
Americans. Nothing specific, (hwi 117, citing court testimony of 21 Feb. 2001.) [What lead
to the search? What were the leads?]

November 1997: Egyptian attack at Luxor, kills 58 tourists, 4 Egyptians.

24 Dec. 97: Egyptian [Mustafa Mahmoud Said Ahmed] walks into Nairobi embassy,
says plot being hatched to drive truck bomb into underground embassy garage. US Amb.
Prudence Bushnell cables Washington expressing concern over need for additional security in
face of threats of terrorists, (hwi 117, citing NYT 23 October 1998)

22 Feb. 98 Fatawa "World Islamic Front for Jihad against the Jews and Crusaders."
Co-signers were Zawahiri, listed as head of EIJ; Rifia Ahmed Taha of Egyptian Islamic
Group; Mir Hamzah of Jamiat-ul-e-Pakistan; Fazul Rahman, emir of Jihad Movement of
Bangladesh (also identified by other sources as head of Harrakat ul-Mujadin, militant
Pakistani group involved in Kashmir fighting). (Printed in London, Al-Quds al'Arabia, on 23
February. See FBIS doc. Have text.) This is followed by many similar public statements and
Fatawas by other groups including Afghans, Pakistan and Saudi clerics. Some published in
western press, esp. in London Al-Quds Al-Arabi. Message had been phoned in to Al-Quds al-
Arabia in London the evening of 22 Feb., through chanel of ARC chief Khalid al-Fawaz.
(Bensim 26)

26 May 98 Press conference at camp in Afghanistan. [Attended by al-Owhali.1 Says

there would be "good news in the coming weeks." (hwi 186, who attended.)

28 May 98 ABC interview in Afghanistan. Made clear was calling for death of
Americans. "...Do not differentiate between those ... in military uniforms and civilians... ."
* Meanwhile, Fazil and al-Hage assembling bomb for Nairobi embassy attack,
(source?)
* Also, a person named Kalafan Khamis Mohamed, who was involved in Dar e-
Salaam attack and was later captured, has said he was at this time sent to Tanzania
to assist in moving such things as explosive materials, truck, etc. (hwi 110-112)

2 August 98: Mohamed Rashed al-Owhali, who is assigned to carry out the suicide
bombing, arrives in Nairobi from Afghanistan. He had been present in photography of 26
May press conference, and it was about this time he was told of his mission. Also had been
videotaped declaring himself a martyr on behalf of the "Army of Liberation of the Islamic
Holy Lands." (hwi 107, citing 7 March 2001 NY court testimony.) Also joined by person he
had said he met in Afghanistan named Azzam All gathered at the Hilltop Hotel, from which
they could case the embassy.
* According to Bensim [get page ref and source citation] Azzam had been in
Afghanistan in March 98, and had approached al-Owhali (who had been there
since 1996 and had already asked for a martyr mission) and offered his services for
the same thing. After some additional training the two of them went to Yemen for
 15

a short while. They were called back to Afghanistan in the summer, given a full
brief on their mission, and then left for Nairobi at the beginning of August.
* This was also the same time that Hamdan Khalif Alal (Egyptian who had been a
trainer in the Afghan camp) turned up in Dar-e-Salaam. [Get details, sources.]

5 August 98 letter from Zawahari to Egyptian newspaper Al-Hayat saying American

interests about to be attacked, (hwi, 109 citing Guardian 12 August 1998.)

7 August 98: Embassy bombings. Nairobi: At about 10:30 am Owhali and Azzam
drive up to embassy parking lot gate. Owhali jumps out, screws up, (forgot gun, throws
grenades, et al) Bomb goes off 10:35 , 201 Kenyans and 12 Americans killed. (Bensim 29-
30) Par es Salaam: truck bomb hits at 10:39 am, kills 11 Tanzanians, no Americans. Only
one occupant of vehicle, dead. But another perpetrator, Kalafan Khamis Mohamed was later
captured, has told much.
* Same morning, Mohamed Odeh . who had fled Nairobi the night before the
bombing, stopped as arrived at Karachi airport because of irregularities in Yemen
passport photo. Turned over to intelligence, confessed, (hwi 113, bensim 29-30.)

12 August 98 Owhali, who backed out of the suicide move but was nevertheless
seriously injured in the blast, is captured. He had checked into a hospital, where he was
subsequently arrested by Kenyan authorities. He also confesses. Also tells of Bin Laden
group desire to bomb US ship in a Yemen port, (hwi 118, citing coourt record 7 March 2001,
and affidavit of David Coleman 25 August 1998.)

20 August 1998: U.S. air attacks on Sudanese chemical plant, Khost camp in
Afghanistan.

September 1998: Ali Mohamed also arrested. He also will go on to spill beans.

29 December 1998: Yemen, kidnapping of 16 western tourists, by Islamic Army of

Aden (IAA) which had trained with al-Qaeda. Group led by Abu Hassan and Egyptian Abu
Hamza [who resided in London]. Botched rescue results in deaths of 3 Brits and 1
Australian. Hassan later arrested, makes some confession, then executed. Secrets die with
him. (bergen - get page refs, source citations.)

February 1999: Because recruits/trainees are having difficulty getting to landlocked

Afghanistan after embassy bombings, bin Laden confers with hashim Salamat, leader of
MILF in Philippines, makes a deal whereby al Qaeda will provide additional trainers for
camps in Abu Bakr complex and MILF will set aside some space for al Qaeda training, (rg 6)

Summer 1999: Jordanian authorities detect plot unfolding for multiple bombings on
millennium eve, centerpiece Radisson Hotel, booked mainly with Americans, Christians for
2,000' anniversary of Christian calendar. Large Jordanian cell of approx 30 people.
* Ahmad Ressam preparing construction of bomb to be delivered at LA airport. (Algerian
who had been illegal immigrant in France, moved to Montreal [when?] where petty thief
and welfare liver, eventually heads to Afghanistan, trained at Khalden camp - Yousef's
alma mater - and then in advanced bombs and chemicals at Derunta camp outside
Jalalabd. [Any details re when, etc.?] [Bensim talk about experiments with dogs - is this
connected to films captured in Afghanistan later?] Sent back to Canada on mission,
[when?] was given $12,000 for operating costs [from whom?]
 16

* Preparations by Yemeni cell for attack on US vessel scheduled to arrive in Aden for
refueling (a recently initiated US practice.) USS Sullivans becomes specific target
[when?] (Bensim 30-31)
* Abu Zubaida (Palestinian living then in Peshawar) in overall ops command, (according to
Bensim 32)

December 1999: Jordanians intercept Zubaida message to carry out millennium plan,
roll up conspirators.
* 14 December 1999: Ahmed Ressam arrested at Washington State border crossing.
Found carrying pile of explosives and maps with circles around airports in Los
Angeles, Long Beach, and Ontario (CA). After convicted, started to talk. [Bensim
32]

26 December 1999: Hijacking of Indian airliner by Harakat-ul-Mujahideen, and

Jaish? By 30 December Indian government makes deal for release of Azhar, Ahmal Omar
Saeed Sheikh, and Mustak Ahmed Zargar [leader of lesser known Kashmir group Al-Umar].
[Not evidence of al Qaeda involvement, but included on chron as reminder tobe on
lookout for any evidence of support.]

[Day?1 January 2000: Attempt at bombing USS The Sullivans fails because boat
overloaded with explosives, begins to sink, forced to turn back to shore. (Bensim 32)

12 October 2000: Cole bombing. Attackers from group led by Omar al-Harazi,
Afghan fighter of Yemen family but born in Saudi Arabia. [Like Bin Laden.] Earlier attempt
in Jan. 2000 failed.
 17

PLAYERS

Osama bin Laden: Born 1957. Exact date in dispute. Bergen, drawing on press interview,
says 10 March. Gunaratna says 30 July but acknowledges in footnote that there is not formal
registration. "Osama" means "young lion." Son of the "rotating" wife slot, mother Syrian.
Osama has roughly 50 siblings, of which he is 17th in birth sequence. At age 24, (1981?)
attended Abdul Aziz university in Jedda, came under "spell" of two teachers Abdullah
Azzam and Muhammad Qutb. (hwi 44,47) Did not, however, study engineering, nor did
he complete his degree in economics. (rg!7) Several sources cite a battle with the Soviet
forces in 1987 near his first Afghanistan base, Jali, as the occasion when he earned his
credentials as a warrior. Another participant in that battle was senior EIJ figure Abu Ubaidah
al-Banshiri.

Abdullah Azzam Osama teacher, later partner in Peshwar, where he set up the Mekhtab al -
Khadamat, or Services Office in 1984. Bom in Palestine in 1941, Graduated 1966 from
University in Damascus, fought in 1967 war. Early 70s was student [doctorate] at al-Azhar
University in Cairo, at same time as Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman. Also befriended family of
Sayyid Qutb, "sage" of Islamist doctrine, who had been executed by Nasser in 1966. (His
brother was on faculty of Al Azhar at the time in 1970s.) Late 1970s taught for a while in
Amman, later dismissed, met with Afghan mujahideen members, moved to Pakistan where he
became lecturer at Islamic University. Assassinated in car bombing 24 November 89.
Late 70s taught for a while in Amman, later dismissed, met with Afghan mujahideen
members, Early 1980's met with Afghan mujahidin members, moved to Pakistan where he
became lecturer at Islamic University in Islamabad. Exponent of Jihad as absolute necessity
to restore Caliphate. " ... the rifle alone ... no conferences and no dialogues." (hwi 52-53)

Muhammad Qutb: Teacher at Al-Azhnar in Cairo same time as Azzam and Sheikh Rahman
studying there in early 197s. Brother of Sayyid Qutb who wrote a key text of the jihad
movement in Egypt and was executed in 1966. (hwi 52)

Abdul Rasool Savyaf: Afghan commander, whose name would later be used by a returning
Philippine volunteer to form the Abu Sayyaf Muslim secessionist group, (hwi 52)

Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman: "Blind Sheik," jailed as result of 1993 WTC attacks. Residing
in Peshwar in 1980s, set up a "guesthouse" there, made trips into Afghanistan under aegis
Hekmatyar. (hwi 53) Studied in England in early 1980s, entered US [in 1987?] and 1990
under visas granted allegedly by "computer mistake." But one was by CIA officer operating
under cover of consular officer in Sudan.

Muhammad Abdurrahman Khalifa: Jordanian, head of branch there of Muslim

brotherhood, also supporting recruitment for Afghan jihad, later worked in Peshwar as head of
Saudi Muslim World league office during Afghan jihad. Married Bin Laden daughter, (hwi
54)

Khaled al-Fawwaz: Bin Laden's "London contact,." In July 1994 appointed by Bin Laden as
head of London office of ARC, Saudi regime opposition org. Arrested by Brits in Sept. 98

Rashed al-Owhali, offspring of wealthy Saudi family, born in Liverpool 1977, recruited
through Afghan jihad. Goes to Afghanistan in 1996. (Court testimony, NY 7 March 2001)
 18

Mohamed Odeh: African embassy bombings. Jordanian/Palestanian. Studied engineering

in Philippines, recruited for Afghan Jihad in part from film by Azzam. Ultimately swore
allegiance to bin Laden, (hwi 53)

Kalafan Khamis Mohamed: Impoverished family, recruited to Afghanistan training camp in

1994, returned to Tanzania in 1995 as "sleeper." Contacted for "jihad job" about same time as
Bin Laden's Feb. 98 fatawa. [Jerry Post testified for his defense, on psychological grounds.]
(hwi 110-111)

Ali Mohamed: Egyptian, arrested in September 1998 in connection with al-Qaeda's

"conspiracy to kill Americans." Has given lengthy information. [Bergen has suspicions as to
who he really was.] Joined Egyptian army in 1971 at age 19, served to 1984, reaching rank of
major. (During this service he got BA in psychology from U. Alexandria in 1980.) Contacted
CIA as volunteer informant, [sometime in first half of 1980s] shortly dropped because
unreliable. After leaving army, took position on counterterrorism for Egyptair. Then came to
U.S., got job in surety company in California, married U.S. citizen, sped up application for
citizenship and U.S. passport (which facilitated his global travels.) Enlisted in US Army 1986
[age 34] attended Special Forces training facility at Fort Bragg, N.C., became teacher there of
ME issues. (Multilingual - Arabic, Hebrew, English, French.) While on leave from army
went to Afghanistan to fight with bin Laden's troops. Discharged 1989, became a "sleeper,"
became connected with the Alkhifa Refugee Center in Brooklyn, "Afghan Refugees Services
Inc." created in 1987, ostensibly to help those who suffered from Soviet invasion, in fact a
recruitment, money channel for the mujahidin. Mohamed gave training to Islamist militants
in NY in 1989. [Among sources Bergen cites court record of Rahman trial, testimony of
Khalid Ibrahim. Check also identify of Roger Stavis.] Provided military and weapons training
manuals to Nosair, Kahane assassin, [hwi 131, m/s —] He went back to Afghanistan in
Septemberl992, serving as a trainer. Sent to Kenya 1993 to case embassy and report back to
bin Laden in Khartoum. Trained Bin Laden's bodyguards there in 1994. All this time,
Maintained official residence in California. House there (Santa Clara) searched in August
1998, uncovered documents on assassination techniques. Arrested Sept. 1998 on suspicion of
being part of bin Laden "conspiracy to kill Americans." [hwi 132-33, drawing extensively on
records from NY trials.)

Abu Zubaida:reportedly headed al Qaeda's connections with various regional groups. Was
identified by confessed conspirator as having been the principal operational planner for the
thwarted plot to bomb U.S. Embassy in Paris 1995. Has been tied to many additional attacks,
was believed to succeed Atef as main military operations coordinator after the latter's death in
Afghanistan. Captured in March 2002 in Karachi, (rg 98, also NYT, 28 Dec. 2001, article by
Erlanger and Hedges.)

Wadih el-Hage: Born in Lebanon 1960, Catholic family. He converts to Islam, later comes
to US, settles in Lafayette, Louisiana 1978. Takes 8 years to get degree in urban planning,
ends up working at Dunkin' Donuts. Marries American, two move to Quetta 1986 Mother-
in-law accompanies them, is source for much of this info. Says Hage worked for Azzam at
this time, made several trips to Afghanistan. [Returns to Tuscon 1987?] Makes several trips
to Brooklyn 1987-1990.[hwi 135 - is this in contradiction to m/s?] Called to NY from
Tucson 27 Feb. 91 to replace Shalabi. (Before Shalabi killed.) In September 1997 testifies at
Grand Jury investigating bin Laden, statements later determined to be perjury, charged with
this in September 1998. (hwi 135-36)
 19

Mustafa Shalabi: Head of Alkhifa from outset, (rg ... says appointed by Azzam),helped
Rahman get settled in US in 1990. Assassinated 1 March 1991, after falling out with
Rahman.

Jamal al-Fadl: Sudanese" arrived in US on student visa 1986, married American. Worked at
Alkifa in Brooklyn. Went to Afghanistan for Jihad, swore allegiance to bin Laden's al Qaeda
organization in 1989 which he has said was time of its founding process. Later would be
involved in bin Laden move to Sudan, and subsequent planning for African embassy
bombings. Split with bin Laden over money issue, (charged by bin Laden with embezzeling
more than $100,000, became star informant and witness for U.S. in embassy bombing trials,
(hwi 60)

Ihab Ali: American citizen, dead end jobs in Florida at inter alia Disney World. Goes to
Peshewar 1989. 1993, assists in purchase of aircraft for al Qaeda, which is flown to Sudan.
Studied flying at Norman, Oklahoma. Moves to Kenya in mid-1990s, communicates with el-
Hage. (hwi 139)

Essam al-Ridi: Person described by rg in almost exactly the same terms as hwi describes
Ihab Ali. Are they reporting the same person under different names? (rg 59)

Raed Hijazi: California bom 1969, Palestinian heritage. Travels to Afghanistan training
camps near Khost in 1990s. Stint in Boston as cab driver, goes to Jordan to work on bomb
materials for thwarted millennium plot of December 1999. Arrested in Syria October 2000,
still in custody, still no confession [to date?] (hwi 139)

Mahmud Abouhalima - WTC I participant. Worked at Alkhifa. Fought in Afghanistan

1990. (hwi 134,136.)

El-Sayyid Nosair: Born '55 Port Said, Egypt. Family displaced in 1967 war. Grew up in
Cairo. Graduated Helwan U., Cairo, 1978, degree industrial design/engineering. 1981
immigrates US, Pittsburgh. 1982 marries American recently converted to Islam. Becoming
more Islamistic. Fired from job as diamond cutter in 1983, part because of job performance,
partly because of proselytizing on the job. 1985 two separate charges of rape lodged; charges
dropped after intervention of local Iman, but moves to Jersey City address where police would
pick up Abouhlima and Salameh 5/6 November. 1988 (spring) gets job in Brooklyn -
essentially janitor -- giving address as that of cousin Ibrahim el-Gabrowny. Becomes
"fixture," full time worker, at al-Kifah Refugee Services Center (U.S. Branch of Office of
Services set up in Peshawar. Emir is Mustafa Shalabi. Nosair falls under liturgy of Abdllah
Assam - "scholar, soldier, orator, organizer, prophet, and propagandist." Azzam frequently
traveled to US to raise funds, preach global Jihad. (E.g. speech in 1988 at Farooq mosque
where al Kifah located.) (ms/c 50ff.)

Ramzi Yousef: Leader of 1993 bombing. Flew to NY from Peshwar in Sept. 92. On arrival,
his companion was arrested on immigration charges. Search turned up explosives manual,
titled "Al-Qaeda" The Base. [NYT translation.] Uncle had been regional manager of Mercy
International Relief, Peshwar based charity working closely with Bin Laden, issued identity
cards to Bin Laden, Ali Mohamed. Trained in Afghanistan in camp of Sayyaf, where Fadl
claims to have seen him sometime in 1989-90. Moved to Philippines in early 1990s,
contacted Abu Sayyaf group, collaborated with group. Caught after explosives experiment in
his Manila apartment went awry, ran away leaving smoke coming out of window. Computer
 20

revealed plans for plans to blow up 11 passenger jets and kill Pope. Abu Sayyaf involved.
When captured had address of Bin Laden guest house.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: [(hwi 137 calls him Zahid Sheikh) Yousef s uncle (according
to hwi, 137) regional manager of Mercy International, in Pesawar, during mid-1990s. Is said
to have run Islamic Coordination Council in 1993, which had been established by Azzam to
coordinate activities of 20 other charities in city. Own statements and Fadl description have
him in 1989-1991 at the Sadda bomb-making training camp in Afghanistan, run by Abdul
Sayyaf.. Later info says Yousef had been in Philippines in early 1990s initiating creation of
Abu Sayyaf Brigade there. Later, 2000, Abu Sayyaf used hostages to demand Yousef release
from NY. (hwi 138-39; also independent sources identified in dm memo.)

Ahmed Ressam: Algerian arrested at border crossing in Washington state on 14 December

1999. Another recruit from the mosques. Bounced around in late 80s, early 90s, went to
Montreal in 1994, went to Afghanistan in 1998, trained and indoctrinated. Went back to
Montreal, met with some fellow Algerians, made preparations for strikes in US, with money
from al-Qaeda, meanwhile serving as point for Algerian recruits/volunteers from Montreal,
(hwi 139)

Abu Hassan and

Mohammed Omar al-Harazi Leaders of Yemeni terrorist groups reportedly cooroperating
with al Qaeda on Cole bombing, (hwi 177ff.)

Al-Fadl al-Makke: One of the top managers of al Qaeda financial channels, (hwi 66)

Mamdouh Mahmud Salim: Al-Qaeda operative involved in efforts to acquire weapons

grade nuclear materials, (hwi 85, citing Grand Jury testimony of Hage, entered into record 22
February 2001.)

Abu Hamza. Egyptian, leader of IAA, met Rahman in UK while as student there in mid-
1980s. 1987 while on a Hajj to Saudi Arabia met Abdullah Azzam. Spent much of 1989-93
in Afghanistan. After an accident with a land mine, returned to London as a preacher and
recruiter in 1993. Operated from there as the "mastermind" behind IAA, had satellite commo
and broadcasts.

Anas al-Liby: Computer expert for al-Qaeda, escaped London just ahead of police raid.
Had made 1993 trip to Nairobi to develop photo surveillance of embassy.

L'Hossaine Kherchtou: Moroccan, attended catering school in France. Went to Afghanistan

in 1991, went through camp training, (hwi 89)

Harrakatt- ul-Mujahdin of Kashmir led by Fazal-ul-Rehman Khalil. This could be the

same person who signed the Feb. 98 Fatawa, listed in the FBIS report as Fazal Rehman, but
as Emir of Jihad of Bangladesh.

Abu Avoub al-Iraqi: An early founding member of bin Laden's inner circle, called "Emir"
at the time (rg 56)

Muhammed Atef true name Subhi 'Abd-al-'Aziz-Sittah (rg26)