Alexandria, Va.
Three weeks before the Sept. 11 attacks, an FBI agent warned superiors that Zacharias Moussaoui was involved in a plot to hijack a commercial jet using small knives, the agent testified this week. Special Agent Harry Samit, testifying in a trial that will determine whether Moussaoui will be imprisoned for life or put to death, said he detailed his concerns in more than 70 pages of memos to FBI headquarters. But officials in Washington declined Samit’s repeated requests for permission to search Moussaoui’s apartment. He later confessed to being an al Qaida operative. “God help us all if the next terrorist incident involves this kind of plan,” an investigator in Samit’s office wrote, in a memo dated Sept. 10, 2001.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What will the thaw in Russia-US relations cost Europe?Today's Big Question US determination to strike a deal with Russia over Ukraine means Europe faces 'betrayal by a long-term ally'
-
Why Spain's economy is boomingThe Explainer Immigration, tourism and cheap energy driving best growth figures in Europe
-
5 trips where the journey is the best partThe Week Recommends Slow down and enjoy the ride
