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January 03, 2007
 

New Document Raises Khobar Issue


Gitmo Detainee Abuse Release Contains Record of Interrogation For Suspect In Khobar Towers Bombing; Detainee Was In U.S. On 9/11, Left Country Three Weeks Later

By J.M. Berger
INTELWIRE.com


Buried within the 244 pages of Gitmo detainee abuse investigation reports released by the FBI yesterday was a clue to one of the longstanding mysteries in the War on Terror -- did al Qaeda have a role in the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing?

According to an FBI FD-302 interrogation record dated May 22, 2002, two FBI agents questioned a Gitmo detainee who had been identified by Saudi and Kuwaiti officials as a suspect in the Khobar bombing.

The detainee had been identified as a Khobar suspect by both Saudi and Kuwaiti intelligence as early as 1996. He was allowed to emigrate to the United States and was living in Buffalo, New York, at the time of the September 11 attacks.

Despite the fact the detainee was known to two U.S. allies as a suspected terrorist, the detainee was able to leave the United States three weeks after 9/11 -- a period when thousands of Muslim men living here had been rounded up and were being held without charge by U.S. officials.

The detainee was eventually apprehended in Afghanistan, the report said.

Click here to view the full document (PDF).

In June 1996, a truck bomb detonated at Khobar Towers, a U.S. military dormitory in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Nineteen Americans were killed in the attack, which is believed to have been the work of Saudi Hezbollah.

For years, rumors have persisted that al Qaeda played a role in the attack as well. The 9/11 Commission reported that Osama bin Laden received congratulatory phone calls on the day of the attack and suggested a link. During the 1990s, al Qaeda and Hezbollah collaborated in terrorist training and other matters. The relationship between Hezbollah and al Qaeda was brokered by Ali Mohamed, an Egyptian-American who worked as a trainer for al Qaeda.

The detainee, apparently a Saudi national, recounted a long history of close encounters with known al Qaeda networks, although he denied any involvement in terrorism. In 1989, the detainee -- then 16 years old -- stayed at the Bait Al-Ansar guesthouse in Peshawar, Pakistan. The house was owned and operated by Osama bin Laden. Al Qaeda was founded in or around this location at the same time.

The detainee received training at the nascent al Qaeda's Al-Sideek camp near Khost, Afghanistan. He claimed he was physically unable to complete the training due to obesity and asked to be sent home.

But in 1995, he traveled to Bosnia, where he served alongside al Qaeda-linked Muslim fighters. The detainee claimed he was merely the unit's cook, but he displayed knowledge of al Qaeda-linked charities and fighting units in Bosnia during the interview with FBI agents. The detainee subsequently traveled to Chechnya, another al Qaeda-linked hot-spot.

Over the years, the detainee frequently returned to Saudi Arabia, where he worked as a liaison between the Saudi government and foreign contractors based in the kingdom. But in 1996, he decided to travel to Tajikistan to fight with Muslim jihadists there.

While he was awaiting a flight to Tajikistan out of Kuwait, the Khobar bombing occurred, according to the detainee. The detainee said he was held by Kuwaiti intelligence for 10 days and released without charge. A few weeks later, the detainee returned to Saudi Arabia where he was again arrested on suspicion of involvement in the Khobar attack, according to the detainee.

Saudi officials have released little information concering their investigation of the Khobar attack. Then-FBI director Louis Freeh and others have complained that the Saudi government obstructed their own efforts to investigate the bombing.

The detainee said he was arrested, interrogated and released repeatedly after his return to Saudi Arabia, and his passport was revoked for several years. Finally, the detainee mamanged to leave the country through a special passport program for Saudis of Bahraini descent. Despite his history with Saudi and Kuwait authorities, he was able to obtain a visa from the U.S. embassy and moved to the United States.

He lived in Indiana for several months, making visits to Michigan and Buffalo, New York, during this time. Eventually, he moved to Buffalo where he lived until three weeks after September 11, 2001.

After the attacks, he left the country -- apparently without incident -- and traveled to Afghanistan through Iran.

The detainee is Juma Al Dosari, an al Qaeda recruiter, according to Jean-Charles Brisard, author of "Al Zarqawi: The New Face of al Qaeda."

The FD-302 document linked with this story appears to have been obtained by Frontline and the New York Times in 2003, but has not been publicly released until now.

According to Frontline, Dosari was known as "the closer" for his prodigious recruiting skills. Dosari was profiled at some length in 2003.

The FBI believes he recruited the "Lackawanna Six" terror cell, whose members were convicted of providing material support to al Qaeda.

Another FD-302 included in the Gitmo release details the interrogation of an Egyptian prisoner who admitted that he was suspected in a 1995 attempt to assassinate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a trip to Ethiopia (though he did not admit actually having a role in the attack).

Other detainees have also been alleged to be involved in this incident, which is believed to have been an Egyptian Islamic Jihad operation sponsored by Ayman al Zawahiri. Click to view PDF.




TOPIC INDEX OF INTELWIRE DOCUMENTS

Here's a sampling of INTELWIRE's extensive archive of classified and declassified government documents, court records related to terrorism, rare transcripts and more. New documents are added every month.

Click here for the latest additions

  • Mohammed Jamal Khalifa
  • Ali Mohamed
  • Terror Detainees
  • 9/11 Attacks
  • WTC Bombing (1993)
  • History of Al Qaeda
  • Jose Padilla
  • Zacarias Moussaoui
  • Millennium Bombing
  • African Embassy Bombings
  • Benevolence Foundation
  • U.S. Intervention in Bosnia
  • Al Qaeda in Bosnia (2008)
  • PATCON (FBI Undercover Op)
  • Oklahoma City Bombing
  • Aryan Republican Army
  • Texas Reserve Militia
  • Special Forces Underground
  • Meir Kahane
  • The Siege At Mecca
  • Egyptian Extremism
  • Sadat Assassination
  • Political Islam, Extremism
  • Toronto Terror Cell
  • Assassin Cult
  • Miscellaneous Terrorism


  • INTELWIRE EXCLUSIVES

  • Female Al Qaeda Suspect Diagnosed With Depressive Type Psychosis

    INTELWIRE WEBLOG

  • Indictment of Aafia Siddiqui
  • OKBOMB Docs, Strassmeir, Gamaat Islamiyah
  • Rumbles Around Awakening
  • Obama Threat: A Profiling Failure
  • Al Qaeda's 20th Anniversary
  • Anthrax investigation, key documents
  • Hamdan Trial Documents
  • Origin of the word Bojinka?
  • FOIA Reveals D.C. Madam Investigative Files
  • State Department Report On Wagdy Ghoneim

    NEW DOCUMENTS

  • 1984: 990 Form, U.S. Council for World Freedom
  • 2001 to 2007: U.S. civilians killed; Iraq, Afghanistan
  • 9/2/2008: Aafia Siddiqui indictment
  • 4/28/1995: State Dept OKBOMB Query to Bonn
  • 2/29/1996: Affidavit of Andreas Strassmeir
  • 4/27/1995: State Dept OKBOMB Query, Hong Kong
  • 4/20/1995: Gamaat Islamiya call on OKC
  • 4/20/1995: Brussels call on OKC
  • 4/23/1995: Riyadh call on OKC
  • 5/18/1995: FBI, FD-302, OKBOMB, FEMA Report
  • 5/31/1995: FBI, FD-302, Murrah Building Demolition
  • 3/28/96: FBI, FD-302, OKBOMB, Wayne Green
  • FBI 9/11 Investigation, 1/1/02 to 4/30/02
  • Indictment of Tharin Gartrell (Obama threat)
  • Indictment of Nathan Johnson (Obama threat)
  • Indictment of Shawn Robert Adolf (Obama threat)
  • Anthrax/Ivins investigation, affidavit, 10/31/2001
  • Anthrax/Ivins investigation, affidavit, 10/31/2007

    INTELWIRE ON TV

    VIDEO CLIP: J.M. Berger discusses Mohammed Jamal Khalifa with Al Jazeera English. Click here to view.

    INTELWIRE EXCLUSIVES

  • Behind the Rumsfeld-Saddam Handshake
  • Terrorists Add Strong Encryption To Toolbox
  • PATCON: The FBI's Secret War With The Militia
  • The 1994 Attempt To Kill Osama Bin Laden
  • U.S. Secretly Met Blind Sheik's Disciples
  • The Infiltrator and 9/11: Ali Mohamed
  • Jamal Khalifa: Life and Death Secrets

    INTELWIRE SOURCEBOOKS

  • Al Qaeda In America
  • The Siege at Mecca Sourcebook
  • Islamic Extremism in Egypt
  • Mohammed Jamal Khalifa Sourcebook
  • Ali Mohamed Sourcebook
  • The Sadat Assassination
  • Gitmo Detainees Vol. 1 Sourcebook
  • Benevolence Foundation Sourcebook
  • List of Al Qaeda Members (Summer '07)
  • Who's Who in Terrorism, Winter '06

    NEW WEBLOG

  • DOCBLOG: New 9/11 Chronological Post
  • Yet Another OKBOMB Informant
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  • The Perils of Awakening
  • Zarqawi Mentor Maqdisi Free Again

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  • FBI Documents Cited By 9/11 Commission
  • New Connections Between Saudi Gov, Hijackers
  • Hijackers' Timeline
  • The hijackers' pal and the Saudi government
  • More information on Omar Al-Bayoumi
  • Still more on Omar Al-Bayoumi
  • Analysis of 9/11 Hijacker's Cell Model
  • FBI Report on Conflict Diamonds and Al Qaeda
  • Summary (1999): Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
  • Khalid Shaikh Mohammed's American Education
  • Unpaid Bills Cripple FBI Phone Tap Program
  • Fort Dix Six Recruit For al Qaeda In Prison
  • First-Person View Of CIA Rendition, Prison
  • 12/04/07: Terry Nichols Claims OKC Coverup
  • 5/20/92: State Dept. (DOS) Threat Summary, Algerian Crisis And Terrorist Attack
  • 8/21/92: DOS Intel Summary, Algeria, Syria
  • 2/4/92: DOS Cable, Arab Afghans in Algeria
  • 4/27/1991: DOS Report, Political Islam in Algeria
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  • Judge Muksaey And Bin Laden's Top Spy

    MORE EXCLUSIVES

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  • Channel Change in the Middle East

    ABOUT INTELWIRE

    INTELWIRE.com is a clearinghouse for analysis, investigative reports and exclusive research documents relating to the War on Terror, domestic and international extremism, and Middle Eastern politics.

    J.M. BERGER, WEBMASTER

    INTELWIRE's J.M. Berger has covered terrorism and related issues for the National Geographic Channel, National Public Radio, Public Radio International and more. As a freelance reporter, he has written for the San Francisco Examiner, the Boston Globe and others.

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    SPECIAL REPORT

    PATCON Revealed: An Exclusive Look Inside The FBI's Secret War With The Milita Movement

    The FBI used undercover agents and an extensive network of informants as part of a secret campaign to penetrate the militia movement during the early 1990s, according to documents obtained by INTELWIRE. Members of the targeted groups were linked to the Iran-Contra scandal, Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and Olympic Park Bomber Eric Rudolph.

    MORE DOCUMENTS

  • 5/20/92: State Dept. (DOS) Threat Summary, Algerian Crisis, Terror Attack
  • 8/21/92: DOS Intel Summary, Algeria, Syria
  • 2/4/92: DOS Cable, Arab Afghans in Algeria
  • 4/27/1991: DOS Report, Political Islam in Algeria
  • 1970s: Order of St. John banking Scam
  • 10/31/07: FBI Opposes Terry Nichols Testimony
  • 7/15/93: FBI Teletype, Order of St. John (OSJ)
  • 12/21/90: FBI Memo, Texas Reserve Militia (TRM)
  • 7/26/90: FBI PATCON Undercover Operation
  • 1/10/91: FBI Lab Report, Texas Reserve Militia
  • 2/4/92: Letter From FBI's Larry Potts to US Army
  • 1/22/92: FBI Teletype, TRM, Civilian Material Assistance (CMA)
  • 1/3/92: FBI Memo, Danny Coulson to Potts, PATCON
  • 1/8/92: FBI Memo, Coulson to Potts, PATCON
  • 10/1/92: FBI Teletype, PATCON, Theft of Stingers
  • 11/21/91: FBI FD-302, CMA Convention
  • 12/26/92: FBI Memo, CMA, TRM, Interlocking
  • 12/10/91: FBI FD-302, Threat To FBI In Phoenix
  • 12/10/91: FBI FD-302,CMA Convention
  • 2/5/92: FBI Teletype, OSJ
  • 4/1/92: FBI, PATCON OSJ Compound Infiltration
  • 1/22/92: FBI Teletype, CMA
  • 7/1/92: FBI Memo, OSJ, John L. Grady

    PERENNIAL FAVORITES

  • Torture & White House Ethics Vid
  • How Al Qaeda Recruited U.S. Vets
  • The 1994 Attempt To Kill Osama Bin Laden
  • U.S. Secretly Met Blind Sheik's Disciples
  • 9/11/2026: A Look Ahead With CIA's Michael Scheuer
  • The Trentadue Files: FOIA on OKC
  • Trentadue Documents Reveal OKC Informants
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  • 1994 Arrest of OBL Brother-In-Law Khalifa
  • Al Qaeda Spy Crafted 9/11 Network
  • New Link Between Ali Mohamed And 9/11
  • Who Masterminded 1993 WTC Bombing?
  • Channel Change in the Middle East
  • Al Qaeda And OKC: Unfinished Investigation
  • Did Nichols and Yousef meet?
  • Yahya Al-Libbi: A New Leader Steps Up
  • 1991 Memo Warned of 'Turner' Bombing
  • CIA Gave OKC Imagery, Data Leads To FBI
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    THE AL QAEDA NETWORK

  • Khalid Shaikh Mohammed Confesses 9/11, WTC 1993 | (Transcript)
  • Minutes of al Qaeda Founding
  • Toronto Terror Cell's al Qaeda Links
  • London Air Bomb Design Traces To Yousef
  • Taliban Fundraising Web Site

    AL QAEDA & THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

  • Moussaoui Had Phone # For CIA Mercs
  • How Al Qaeda Recruited U.S. Vets

    TERRORIST SECTS

  • Takfir Cult Linked To Mecca Siege
  • Al Qaeda and The Assassins
  • Al Qaeda Recruited Christians in Cebu

    IRAQ WAR

  • 'Sidewalk beheadings' hit Iraq |
  • Nick Berg Conspiracy Theories
  • American-Made: Al Qaeda's New Caliphate
  • Rumsfeld: 'Inhuman' Acts At Abu Ghraib
  • Class Action: More Abu Ghraib Horrors
  • Cell Phone Video of Saddam Hanging

    BOSNIA

  • CIA Chief Watched Al Qaeda Arm In Bosnia
  • Richard Perle Linked To MPRI Bosnia Hire

    AL QAEDA'S AMERICANS

  • American's Star Rises In al Qaeda
  • Jose Padilla: Backgrounder
  • FBI Interrogation: Jose Padilla
  • U.S. v Omar Abdel Rahman Transcript
  • Azzam the American: Background, Video
  • Photos: Padilla as 'Enemy Combatant'

    J.M. BERGER AUDIO

    INTELWIRE Webmaster J.M. Berger works as a freelance producer of nationally syndicated news programming. Here are links to public radio news reports he helped produce.

  • Al Qaeda's Online Secrets
  • Iraq: The Last Nation-State?
  • U.S. Fatwa Against Terrorism
  • Interrogation at Gitmo
  • The Trial of Saddam Hussein
  • London Bombing Standoff
  • Brits Pursue Bombing Leads
  • 7/7 Traced To Saudi
  • Controversial Iraq War Drama
  • The Death of King Fahd

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