More Suspects May Have San Diego Ties
Clairemont Resident Recognizes Photographs
POSTED: 6:16 p.m. PDT September 20, 2001
UPDATED: 6:21 p.m. PDT September 20, 2001
Two more suspected hijackers in last week's terrorist attack might have San Diego ties, 10News reported.
The New York Times published photographs of 16 out of 19 men suspected of hijacking the four planes last week.
Authorities already believed that three of the men may have lived in the Parkwood Apartments in Clairemont last year. Khalid Al Midhar, Nawaq Alhamzi and Hani Hanjoor reportedly moved out the Sunday before the attack.
When residents of the apartment complex were shown photographs of the 16 men, most did not recognize the faces.
One resident, however, said that two suspects previously unconnected to San Diego were definitely seen with the man who lived in apartment 136. According to 10News, that apartment was rented to Al Abdula until this past August.
The resident, who asked not to be identified, was certain that he recognized Ahmed Alhaznawi and Marwan Al Shehhi (pictured, left).
After looking at pictures of suspects al Midhar and Alhamzi Thursday, the owner of a flight school at Montgomery Field confirmed that the two men trained there.
Sources at the airport say that during their training, Alhamzi and Al Midhar showed up with two other men.
Man Arrested For Assisting Terrorists
A man suspected of providing financial assistance to Al Midhar, Alhamzi and Hanjoor was identified as a La Mesa gas station employee living here on an expired student visa, 10News reported.
Federal law enforcement sources told The San Diego Union-Tribune that the man arrested over the weekend for immigration violations is named Omer Bakarbashat and is believed to a Yemeni national.
FBI agents tracked Bakarbashat through local bank records, according to 10News. He was arrested Sunday night somewhere in San Diego County and taken Wednesday to New York, where he is being held as a material witness.
10News traced Bakarbashat's name to a mailbox drop at a Mail Boxes Etc. store on Clairemont Drive, and to an apartment complex in La Mesa. Neighbors said that they knew him, but not well.
A federal official told the Union-Tribune earlier this week that a man served the three hijackers as "an associate, friend and facilitator."
Al-Midhar, Alhamzi (pictured, left) and Hanjoor have been identified by federal officials as hijackers aboard the American Airlines jet that crashed into the Pentagon.
The Union-Tribune Thursday quoted a law enforcement source as saying that Bakarbashat lived with the hijackers, "helped them learn English and pointed them in the right direction."
The FBI is also investigating the offices of a La Mesa insurance company, where one of the hijackers bought car insurance, according to 10News.
Agents seized the files hoping to find fingerprints.
So far, federal agents nationwide have detained at least 75 people for questioning on immigration violations who are suspected of being involved in the attacks.
Foreign Students To Face More Scrutiny
Immigration experts and U.S. officials expect a new push for a government database of foreign students, in the wake of the terror strikes.
Authorities began compiling such a database in response to the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.
But the program languished amid political opposition.
That's expected to change now, especially in light of the fact that the FBI has said some suspects and material witnesses in last week's attacks entered the country on student visas, including San Diego suspect Omer Bakarbashat.
There are nearly 600,000 foreign students at colleges and universities in the United States. Most are from China, Japan and India.
The database program would require schools to report any change in a foreign student's status, such as enrollment, or a move to a new address.
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One resident, however, said that two suspects previously unconnected to San Diego were definitely seen with the man who lived in apartment 136. According to 10News, that apartment was rented to Al Abdula until this past August.
The resident, who asked not to be identified, was certain that he recognized Ahmed Alhaznawi and Marwan Al Shehhi (pictured, left).
After looking at pictures of suspects al Midhar and Alhamzi Thursday, the owner of a flight school at Montgomery Field confirmed that the two men trained there.
Sources at the airport say that during their training, Alhamzi and Al Midhar showed up with two other men.
Man Arrested For Assisting Terrorists
A man suspected of providing financial assistance to Al Midhar, Alhamzi and Hanjoor was identified as a La Mesa gas station employee living here on an expired student visa, 10News reported.
Federal law enforcement sources told The San Diego Union-Tribune that the man arrested over the weekend for immigration violations is named Omer Bakarbashat and is believed to a Yemeni national.
FBI agents tracked Bakarbashat through local bank records, according to 10News. He was arrested Sunday night somewhere in San Diego County and taken Wednesday to New York, where he is being held as a material witness.
10News traced Bakarbashat's name to a mailbox drop at a Mail Boxes Etc. store on Clairemont Drive, and to an apartment complex in La Mesa. Neighbors said that they knew him, but not well.
A federal official told the Union-Tribune earlier this week that a man served the three hijackers as "an associate, friend and facilitator."
Al-Midhar, Alhamzi (pictured, left) and Hanjoor have been identified by federal officials as hijackers aboard the American Airlines jet that crashed into the Pentagon.
The Union-Tribune Thursday quoted a law enforcement source as saying that Bakarbashat lived with the hijackers, "helped them learn English and pointed them in the right direction."
The FBI is also investigating the offices of a La Mesa insurance company, where one of the hijackers bought car insurance, according to 10News.
Agents seized the files hoping to find fingerprints.
So far, federal agents nationwide have detained at least 75 people for questioning on immigration violations who are suspected of being involved in the attacks.
Foreign Students To Face More Scrutiny
Immigration experts and U.S. officials expect a new push for a government database of foreign students, in the wake of the terror strikes.
Authorities began compiling such a database in response to the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.
But the program languished amid political opposition.
That's expected to change now, especially in light of the fact that the FBI has said some suspects and material witnesses in last week's attacks entered the country on student visas, including San Diego suspect Omer Bakarbashat.
There are nearly 600,000 foreign students at colleges and universities in the United States. Most are from China, Japan and India.
The database program would require schools to report any change in a foreign student's status, such as enrollment, or a move to a new address.
- September 19, 2001: Report: Hijackers Targeted 2 San Diego Flights
- September 19, 2001: Flight Instructor Flunked Suspected Terrorists
- September 18, 2001: San Diego Man Arrested For Funding Hijackers
- September 17, 2001: Report: Two Hijackers Took Flying Lessons In San Diego
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