Monday, March 20, 2006

FBI agent in Moussaoui trial predicted hijack terror on AUG 18, 2001

Agent who arrested Moussaoui blasts FBI
Defense questioning brings out fact that headquarters wasn’t interested




ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The FBI agent who arrested Zacarias Moussaoui in August 2001 accused headquarters of criminal negligence for its refusal to investigate Moussaoui aggressively after his arrest, according to court testimony Monday.

Agent Harry Samit testified under cross-examination at Moussaoui’s trial that FBI headquarters’ refusal to follow up “prevented a serious opportunity to stop the 9/11 attacks” that killed nearly 3,000 people..


Memo predicted aircraft hijacking

Under cross-examination by defense attorney Edward MacMahon, Samit acknowledged that he predicted in an AUGUST 18, 2001, memo that Moussaoui was a radical Islamic terrorist in a criminal conspiracy to hijack aircraft. Moussaoui ended up pleading guilty to two specific counts that Samit had explicitly predicted in his Aug. 18 memo.

Despite Samit’s urgent pleadings, FBI headquarters refused to open a criminal investigation and refused Samit’s entreaties to obtain a search warrant.

“You needed people in Washington to help you out?” MacMahon asked.

“Yes,” Samit said.

“They didn’t do that, did they?”

Samit said no....

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