Profile: Two Senior Al-Qaeda Leaders Give Interviews to Al-Jazeera

Morning Edition: September 13, 2002

BOB EDWARDS, host:

Two senior al-Qaeda leaders who played key roles in last year's terrorist attacks have given interviews to the Arabic language satellite television network Al-Jazeera. In yesterday's broadcast from Al-Jazeera's headquarters in the Gulf state of Qatar, the two men talked about how they prepared for the attacks. From Qatar's capital, Doha, NPR's Kate Seelye reports.

KATE SEELYE reporting:

The interviews are part of a documentary prepared by Al-Jazeera investigative reporter Yosri Fouda on the events leading up to September 11th. Fouda met with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Ramzi Binalshibh in Pakistan in June. Both men are identified by US authorities as senior members of al-Qaeda. In the interviews, the two men confirm al-Qaeda's role in the September 11th attacks and provide details of the planning.

Mr. RAMZI BINALSHIBH (Al-Qaeda Senior Member): (Foreign language spoken)

SEELYE: Ramzi Binalshibh was a close associate of Mohammed Atta, the alleged leader of the September 11th hijackers. Here, Binalshibh, who belonged to al-Qaeda's Hamburg cell, describes how he got a call from Atta in the US. Binalshibh says Atta told him in code that the date for the attack had been chosen.

Mr. BINALSHIBH: (Through Translator) He said two sticks, a dash and a cake with a stick pointing downwards. As it turns out, two sticks is the number 11, a dash is a dash and a cake with a stick pointing downwards is the number nine. And that was September 11.

SEELYE: Binalshibh told Fouda he then left Hamburg for Afghanistan on September 6th to inform Osama bin Laden that the date for the attack had been set. Later in the documentary, Binalshibh says that the hijackers planned their mission carefully, but he admits there were some anxious moments.

Mr. BINALSHIBH: (Through Translator) You are going into battle, an unconventional battle against the most powerful force on Earth. You are facing them on their land among their forces and soldiers with a small group of 19.

SEELYE: Fouda says Khalid Shaikh Mohammed told him that al-Qaeda decided to attack the US two and a half years ago. Mohammed claimed that the network considered striking US nuclear facilities but decided against it, fearing things might get out of hand. Instead, they chose other symbolic targets, says Fouda.

Mr. YOSRI FOUDA (Al-Jazeera): The White House was in the list, but then was later taken off the list for navigation reasons, according to Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

SEELYE: And replaced by the US Capitol, adds Fouda, the fourth target presumably of the hijacked jet that crashed in Pennsylvania. Fouda says it was Mohammed who provided most of the information about the planning, but Fouda was unable to include audio or video of his interview in the documentary. Fouda says he was not allowed to bring recording equipment to the interview. It was al-Qaeda that taped the session, he says. But instead of sending him video copies as promised, they sent only the audiotape of Binalshibh. Fouda says his introduction to al-Qaeda began with an anonymous phone call. A man told him he could put him in touch with the right people for his September 11th anniversary special. Fouda says he was instructed to fly to Islamabad and then to Karachi.

Mr. FOUDA: At one point, then I'm blindfolded and being led to some address there. I'm face to face with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. Khalid introduced himself to me instantly and that was a shock to me as head of al-Qaeda military committee. And then he turned towards Ramzi, introducing him as `the' coordinator of September 11th.

SEELYE: Fouda says the two men described the pride and joy they took in the attacks and said they hope to accomplish a thousand more assaults similar to September 11th. Fouda says he believes the men risked seeing him in order to relay the message that al-Qaeda has not been defeated by the US-led war on terrorism.

Mr. FOUDA: They still are capable of staying alive, of surviving, of getting a message out to the world. And they're still capable of maintaining their determination, even after what happened.

SEELYE: Even possibly despite the death of their leader, Osama bin Laden. Fouda says the men repeated several times that bin Laden was alive and well. But in what Fouda described as a slip of the tongue, one of them referred to bin Laden in the past tense. Kate Seelye, NPR News, Doha, Qatar.

EDWARDS: It's 11 minutes before the hour.

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