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Folder Title: Comments to Staff Statement #16

Document Date:
Document Type: Draft
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Subject: Draft with comments of Staff Statement 16

In the review of this file this item was removed because access to it is
restricted. Restrictions on records in the National Archives are stated in
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NND: 341
Withdrawn: 08-19-2008 by:

RETRIEVAL #: 341 00020 0056 1

System DocID: 3990

' J-
Suggested changes in Chapter Six

Page 2, second paragraph from bottom

Existing language:

To be sure, Thumairy undoubtedly met with and provided religious counseling to

countless individuals during his tenure at the King Fahd Mosque, so he might well not
remember two transients like Hazmi and Mihdhar several years later. In any event, after
exploring the available leads, we have not found solid evidence that Thumairy provided
assistance, knowing or unknowing to Hazmi and Mihdhar.

Suggested change (in bold):

To be sure, Thumairy undoubtedly met with and provided religious counseling to

countless individuals during his tenure at the King Fahd Mosque, so he might well not
remember two transients like Hazmi and Mihdhar several years later. We have not
found solid evidence that Thumairy provided assistance to Hazmi and Mihdhar, but
he remains a likely candidate for having assisted the hijackers in view of his
extremist reputation, connections to close associates of the hijackers, and the facts
contradicting his answers in our interviews.

The changed language could also read as follows, though the first alternative is
preferable: Despite Thumairy's extremist reputation, connections to close associates
of the hijackers, and less than candid interviews, we have not found solid evidence
that Thumairy provided assistance to Hazmi and Mihdhar.

Page 3, second paragraph from bottom

Existing language:

Bayoumi is a devout Muslim, obliging and gregarious, perhaps to a fault. He spent much
of his spare time involved in religious study and helping a mosque in El Cajon. It is
certainly possible that he has dissembled about some aspects of his story, perhaps trying
too hard to counter suspicion. But his story generally holds up. We have seen no
credible evidence that he believed in violent extremism or knowingly aided extremist
groups. Our investigators who have dealt directly with him and studied his background
find him to be an unlikely candidate for clandestine involvement with Islamic extremists.

Suggested change (in bold):

Bayoumi is a devout Muslim, obliging and gregarious, perhaps to a fault. He spent much
of his spare time involved in religious study and helping a mosque in El Cajon. It is
certainly possible that he has dissembled about some aspects of his story, perhaps trying
too hard to counter suspicion. Although there are significant inconsistencies in his
story of how he met the hijackers and facilitated their move to San Diego, we have
not uncovered evidence that Bayoumi did so knowing that they were terrorists, or
that he believed in violent extremism. Our investigators who have dealt directly with
him and studied his background find him to be an unlikely candidate for clandestine
involvement with Islamic extremists. [Note: the proposed change makes the conclusion
more consistent with the one in the staff statement.]

Page 13, third paragraph from bottom

Existing language:

FBI investigators doubt Rababah's story. Some agents believe Aulaqi tasked Alrababah
to help Hazmi and Hanjour. Rababah was later convicted in a fraudulent driver's license
scheme and was deported to Jordan.

Proposed change (in bold):

FBI investigators doubt Rababah's story. Some agents believe Aulaqi tasked Alrababah
to help Hazmi and Hanjour. Rababah was later convicted in a fraudulent driver's license
scheme and was deported to Jordan. As discussed previously, the Commission was
unable to locate and interview Aulaqi, but it seems unlikely that it was a coincidence
that the hijackers spent time and received assistance at Aulaqi's mosque in Virginia.
(This injects some doubt about Aulaqi, rather than just saying that we don't know about
Aulaqi because we didn't get to talk to him, which is what the report says now.)