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Khallad was another veteran mujahidin, like much of his family. His father had been
expelled from Yemen because of his extremist views. Khallad had grown up in Saudi
Arabia, where his father knew people like Bin Ladin, Abdullah Azzam, and the "Blind
Sheikh," Abdul Rahman. Khallad departed for Afghanistan in 1994 at the age of 15.
Three years later he lost his lower right leg in a battle with the Northern Alliance, a battle
in which one of his brothers died. After this experience, he pledged allegiance to Bin
Ladin—whom he had first met as a child in Jeddah—and volunteered to become a suicide
operative.43
Khallad had already applied for a U.S. visa, but his application had been deniedjQn early \ of
1999, Bin Ladin sent Khallad to Yemen to help Nashiri obtain explosives for the ship j
bombing plan and to try and obtain a visa to visit the United States, so that he could
participate in an operation there. Khallad applied under another name, using the cover
story that he would be visiting a medical clinic to obtain a new prosthesis for his leg.
Another al Qaeda operative gave Khallad the name of a person living in the United States
whom Khallad could use as a point of contact on a visa application. Khallad contacted
this individual to help him coordinate an appointment at a U.S. clinic. While Khallad was
waiting to receive the letter from the clinic confirming the appointment, however, he was
arrested by Yemeni authorities. Ironically, the arrest was a matter of mistaken identity;
Khallad was driving the car of another conspirator in the U.S.S. Cole bombing plot who
was wanted by the Yemeni authorities.44
Khallad was released sometime during the summer of 1999, after his father and Bin
Ladin intervened on his behalf. Khallad learned later that the al Qaeda leader, apparently
concerned that Khallad might reveal Nashiri's operation while under interrogation, had
contacted a Yemeni official to demand Khallad's release, suggesting that Bin Ladin
would not confront the Yemenis if they did not confront him. This account has been
corroborated by others. Giving up on acquiring a U.S. visa and concerned that the U.S.
might learn of his ties to al Qaeda, Khallad returned to Afghanistan.45
Travel issues thus played a part in al Qaedals-opcrStional planning from the very start. -
During the spring and summer of^9997KSM realized that Khallad and Abu Bara, both of
whom were Yemenis, would-rfotbe able to obtain U.S. visas as easily as Saudi operatives
like Mihdhar and Hazmi.Although Khallad had been unable to acquire a U.S. visa, KSM
still wanted Khallad and Abu Bara, as well as another Yemeni operative from Bin -f a
Ladin's security detail, to participate in the planes operation. Yet because individuals ^ .*
with Saudi passports could travel much more easily than Yemenis, particularly to the
(1
Susan Ginsburg
Susan -
The attached State visa statistics show that Yemenis were denied tourist visas 66% of the time in fiscal year
1999, as contrasted with a 2% denial rate for the Saudis.
In addition, the attached World Bank, World Development Indicators database, July 2004, shows that the
Republic of Yemen ranks 161st in the world, with per capita income of $520, as contrasted with Saudi Arabia
which ranks 57th with per capita income of $8,530.
-- Tom
Original Message
From: Susan Ginsburg
Sent: Friday, July 02, 2004 10:38 AM
To: Tom Eldridge
Subject: footnote call
Tom,
Yemen is a poorer country and its nationals were often denied visas on the grounds they might be
intending to immigrate.
Thanks.
S
7/2/2004
YEMEN
SAUDI ARABIA
Visa Class Data FY-1999 FY-2000 FY-2001 FY-2002 FY-2003
B1 Issuances 33 35 35 181 162
Refusals 7 10 9 61 254
Total Workload 40 45 44 242 416
Overcomes 0 ^.
V 1 42 163
GNI per capita 2003, Atlas method and PPP
Purchasing
Atlas power parity
methodology (international
Ranking Economy (US dollars) Ranking Economy dollars)
1 Bermuda a 1 Luxembourg 54,430
2 Luxembourg 43,940 2 Bermuda .. a
3 Norway 43,350 3 United States 37,500
4 Switzerland 39,880 4 Norway 37,300
5 United States 37,610 5 Liechtenstein a
6 Liechtenstein .. a 6 Channel Islands .. a
7 Japan 34,510 7 Switzerland 32,030
8 Denmark 33,750 8 Denmark 31,210
9 Channel Islands a 9 Ireland 30,450
10 Iceland 30,810 10 Iceland 30,140
11 Sweden 28,840 11 Canada 29,740
12 United Kingdom 28,350 12 Austria 29,610
13 Finland 27,020 13 San Marino a
14 Ireland 26,960 14 Cayman Islands a
15 San Marino .. a 15 Belgium 28,930
16 Austria 26,720 16 Hong Kong, China 28,810
17 Cayman Islands .. a 17 Japan 28,620
18 Netherlands 26,310 18 Netherlands 28,600
19 Belgium 25,820 19 Monaco .. a
20 Monaco .. a 20 Australia 28,290
21 Hong Kong, China 25,430 21 United Kingdom 27,650
22 Germany 25,250 22 France 27,460
23 France 24,770 b 22 Germany 27,460
24 Canada 23,930 24 Finland 27,100
27 Australia 21,650 25 Italy 26,760
28 Italy 21,560 26 Sweden 26,620
29 Singapore 21,230 30 Singapore 24,180
35 Spain 16,990 33 Macao, China 27,920 a
37 Kuwait 76,340 a 35 Spain 22,020
38 Israel 76,020 a 36 United Arab Emirates 27,040 a, c
40 New Zealand 15,870 38 New Zealand 21,120
41 Bahamas, The 14,920 a 41 Greece 19,920
43 Macao, China 74,600 a 42 Cyprus 19,530
45 Greece 13,720 43 Slovenia 19,240
47 Cyprus 72,320 a 45 Israel 19,200
49 Portugal 12,130 46 Malta 77,870 a
50 Korea, Rep. 12,030 47 Kuwait 77,870 a,c
51 Slovenia 1 1 ,830 49 Portugal 17,980
52 Puerto Rico 70,950 a 50 Korea, Rep. 17,930
53 Bahrain 70,840 a 52 Bahrain 76,770 a
54 Malta 9,260 a 53 Puerto Rico 76,320 a, c
55 Barbados 9,270 54 Bahamas, The 76,740 a
56 Antigua and Barbuda 9,160 55 Seychelles 15,960
57 Saudi Arabia 8,530 a 56 Czech Republic 15,650
59 Oman 7,830 a 57 Barbados 15,060
61 Palau 7,500 58 Hungary 13,780
62 Seychelles 7,480 60 Oman 73,000 a, c
63 Trinidad and Tobago 7,260 61 Slovak Republic 13,420
65 St. Kitts and Nevis 6,880 62 Saudi Arabia 72,850 a,c
66 Czech Republic 6,740 63 Estonia 12,480
67 Hungary 6,330 67 Poland 11,450
68 Mexico 6,230 68 Mauritius 11,260
70 Croatia 5,350 69 Lithuania 11,090
71 Poland 5,270 70 St. Kitts and Nevis 11,040
72 Estonia 4,960 71 Argentina 10,920
73 Slovak Republic 4,920 73 Croatia 10,710
74 Lithuania 4,490 74 South Africa 10,270 c
75 Chile 4,390 75 Latvia 10,130
76 Costa Rica 4,280 76 Chile 9,810
77 Panama 4,250 77 Antigua and Barbuda 9,590
78 Mauritius 4,090 78 Trinidad and Tobago 9,450
.. Not available. GNI is gross national income (gross national product, or GNP, in previous editions). PPP is purchasing power parity.
Note: Rankings include all 208 World Bank Atlas economies, but only those with confirmed Atlas GNI per capita estimates or those that rank among the top twenty are
shown in rank order. Figures in italics are for 2002 or 2001. a. 2003 data not available; ranking is approximate, b. Data include the French overseas departments of French
Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion, c. Estimate is based on regression; other PPP figures are extrapolated from the latest International Comparison Programme
benchmark estimates, d. Excludes data for Kosovo, e. Estimate is based on a bilateral comparison between China and the United States (Ruoen and Kai, 1995). f. Data refer
to mainland Tanzania only. g. Estimated to be low income ($765 or less), h. Estimated to be upper middle income ($3,036 to $9,385). i. Estimated to be high income ($9,386
or more), j. Estimated to be lower middle income ($766 to $3,035).