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Spanish authorities tie suspects to key figures in U.S. hijackings
By Al Goodman MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- The leader of eight suspected Islamic terrorists arrested this month by Spanish authorities met with key figures involved in the September 11 hijackings, including some alleged terrorists still on the run, according to a court document.
Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, also known as Abu Dahdah, was the head of a Spanish-based cell of terrorists, said the document, which detailed 20 trips he took to other countries where he met with a host of individuals implicated in the terrorist attacks in the United States. One of the people he met with was Mohamed Atta, believed to be a central figure among the 19 hijackers and identified by U.S. law enforcement as the pilot of one of two jets that slammed into the World Trade Center. Yarkas also met with Said Bahaji and Ramzi bin al-Shibh, accused by German authorities of helping to plan the September attacks. They are wanted for mass murder and are the subjects of a worldwide manhunt. Yarkas was one of eight people sent to prison Sunday by a Spanish judge who accused the group of collaborating in the U.S. hijackings and belonging to Osama bin Laden's terrorist network. The court document cited an intercepted August 27, 2001, phone call placed to Yarkas in which an associate appears to talk about preparations for the impending hijackings. "In the classes, we have dealt with aviation and even cut the bird's throat," the man said. Authorities believe the pilots' throats on at least some of the four hijacked jets were slashed. The document provided extensive detail on Yarkas' alleged contacts and noted that despite a modest income, he managed to take 20 overseas trips from Spain during a five-year period, starting in 1996. Among the countries he visited: Turkey, Britain, Indonesia, Malaysia, Jordan, Germany, Australian and Afghanistan. In Britain, Yarkas met with Abu Qutada, the spiritual leader of European mujahedeens, Islamic fighters. |
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