Pakistan linked to 9/11 funds

By Khalid Hasan

WASHINGTON: An FBI official has told a Senate hearing here that investigators had “traced the origin of the funding of 9/11 back to financial accounts in Pakistan, where high-ranking and well-known Al Qaeda operatives played a major role in moving the money forward, eventually into the hands of the hijackers located in the US.”

John S. Pistole, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counter terrorism division, did not specify how those accounts in Pakistan were funded. He was testifying before the Senate Governmental Affairs committee on Thursday.

The FBI has estimated that the 9/11 attacks cost between $175,000 and $250,000. The money was used to pay for flight training, travel and other expenses. The funds came to the hijackers from associates in Germany and the United Arab Emirates who reported to Pakistan-based Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is believed to have managed a great deal of the planning for the attacks.

Pistole’s testimony did not make reference to reports that some of the financial support of the hijackers came from Saudi Arabia.

Richard Newcomb of the Treasury Department said that some Saudi organisations had provided considerable support for terrorism. “The extent to which that takes place is not completely clear, but I would characterise it as considerable,” he said. He added that other federal agencies had at times quashed his office’s recommendations to freeze funding for certain organisations but refused to name those organisations.

President Bush has refused to declassify the 28 pages held back form the congressional report on 9/11 attacks despite a rushed visit to Washington by Saudi Foreign Minister Saud bin Faisal. Saudi Arabia insists that the classified pages that are being used to malign the Kingdom should be declassified. Faisal said Saudi Arabia had nothing to hide. Because of the blunt US refusal, there is growing tension between the two allies.

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