In a chilling new report, at least three individuals noticed Al-Qaeda members casing and testing out security checkpoints at Boston's Logan Airport four months before 9/11, and after each alerted authorities no followup was conducted. A wrongful-death suit filed against the government and airlines led to the discovery of the testimony by all three individuals — each deemed a credible witness by the FBI.
Stephen J. Wallace first alerted Logan authorities that two Middle Eastern men — one of whom he would later ID as Mohammed Atta from a photo array following the attacks — were acting suspiciously outside the main security checkpoint. The 17-year American Airlines technician watched two men acting suspiciously for about 45 minutes, taking photos and video of the security checkpoint while also talking loudly on a cellphone.
According to Wallace, he eventually confronted the men, looked at what appeared to be new pilot bags and asked, "You guys don't have any of this stuff in your bags, do you?" as he motioned to a sign of prohibited items. "One of them said to the other, gesturing at me, called me a rather nasty name in Arabic."
Wallace recognized the insult because he claims to "swear in Arabic."
He claims to have followed them to another checkpoint and then alerted authorities there to the behavior that he had watched for nearly an hour. Those authorities never followed up and it is believed that if action had been taken on the spot, then Logan Airport may not have been used as a starting point for the horrific terrorist attack four months later.
Teresa Spagnuolo, a passenger screener for American Airlines, also observed a man later identified as Atta videotaping the main security checkpoint. She notified her supervisor, James Miller Jr., who told her nothing could be done because it was a public place. Miller also thought the behavior was suspicious and reported it to higher-ups, who confirmed that no action could be taken.
Ironically, none of this testimony even made it into the final 9/11 commission's report — even as a footnote. Obviously, the ball was completely dropped and the U.S. found itself tangled in its own red tape. That is something the government quite obviously did not want the general public to realize, so it has been a well-kept secret until now.
Why do you think the U.S. wanted us to think there was no advance warning or indication that something sinister could have been in the works? Comment below.
