Evidence shows 9/11 mastermind lived in Bosnian capital in 1995
BBC Monitoring Europe (Political) - January 27, 2009 Tuesday

Text of report by Bosnian newspaper Dani on 23 January

[Report by Esad Hecimovic: "Leader of Attack on US Lived in Downtown Sarajevo?"]

During a police raid of the seat of the Benevolence International Foundation humanitarian organization in Sarajevo in March 2002, discovered was a report of State Security Service Sarajevo, which in mid-November 1995 noted that Khalid Shaykh Mohammad, the mastermind of 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, lived in downtown Sarajevo.

Did Khalid Shaykh Mohammad (KSM), the mastermind of 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, stay and work in Sarajevo during his second trip to Bosnia in 1995? Until now, the public was aware of allegations about his two trips to Bosnia, but now for the first time available is a document confirming this.

SDB's Secret Document

This is a 19 November 1995 report by the Sarajevo Sector of the State Security Service [SDB], entitled "Citizens, Organizations, and Institutions From Afro-Asian Countries Staying and Operating in our Area - An Overview of Findings and Proposed Measures." Dani journalist received the cover page and pages 2 and 3 of this report, which presents findings about the activities of the Egyptian Aid humanitarian organization in Sarajevo. According to this document, the list of foreign employees in Egyptian Aid includes a person named Khalid Shaykh Mohammad. He is described as "a citizen of Pakistan, born 14 April 1965 in Kuwait, temporarily staying in 11 Bjelave Street, engineer by profession, staying in Sarajevo since 25 September 1995."

This document was discovered during a police raid of the headquarters of the Benevolence International Foundation (BIF) in Sarajevo in March 2002. It is possible that the origin of the document was court-verified at a Sarajevo trial of a local intelligence officer charged with and convicted of taking confidential documents from the SDB-AID [Agency for Investigation and Documentation]. The trial was closed to the public, and there is no information available as to whether this document originates from the then discovered collection of at least 100 "secret documents" about the so-called "AA Factor" taken out of the AID and, according to allegations of the AID itself, forwarded to people suspected of links to Al-Qa'idah. The local authorities, such as the Security Ministry, have the responsibility to check the document's authenticity and see whether KSM stayed in Sarajevo and Bosnia-Hercegovina and what he was actually up to.

The said biographical data match the information usually cited in KSM's biographies. Most of them say that he was born either on 1 March 1964 or 14 April 1965 in Pakistan or Kuwait. KSM grew up in Kuwait, and then completed engineering studies in the United States. Shortly after graduation, he went to Afghanistan to join the fight against the USSR. His trips to Bosnia are known from before, but no document specifies where he stayed and what he did.

In the report of the 11 September Commission, there is an entire chapter about KSM's activities. This report describes both his trips to Bosnia-Hercegovina:

"In 1992, KSM spent some time fighting alongside the mujahidin in Bosnia and supporting that effort with financial donations."

It is also said that KSM left Bosnia and went briefly to Pakistan, and then to Qatar, where he got the job of project engineer in the Ministry of Electric Energy and Water. Ramzi Yousef, KSM's cousin, was arrested in 1995 in Pakistan, after the police in the Philippines discovered the Boyinka conspiracy, with simultaneous explosions in several airplanes that were supposed to fly from Manila. In January 1996, US prosecutor charged KSM with this conspiracy. A Qatari official warned KSM, and he avoided the arrest. He remained at large until he played a central role in plotting the September 11 attacks.

KSM's Arrest

Footnote 5 of this report's Chapter 5 says that KSM, during his hearing, added that, between 1993 and 1996, he had travelled to China, the Philippines, Pakistan, Bosnia (for the second time), Brazil, Sudan, and Malaysia.

"Most, if not all, of this travel appears to have been related to his abiding interest in carrying out terrorist operations. Although KSM claims that Shaykh Abdallah was not a member, financier, or supporter of Al-Qa'idah, he admits that Abdallah under-wrote a 1995 trip KSM took to join the Bosnia jihad," says the September 11 Commission report. [passage omitted: more about KSM from September 11 Commission report]

[Box] Humanitarian Aid for Tunnel

Different Egyptian nongovernmental, humanitarian, and Islamic organizations had a significant influence in the besieged Sarajevo during the war. This is confirmed by the letter of thanks that Alija Izetbegovic signed on 10 April 1995, thanking for the donation of 600,000 dollars that was provided for the city of Sarajevo by the Egyptian Humanitarian Aid Agency, which coordinated various Egyptian organizations.

"A part of this donation was spent on the gasification of Sokolje and Kobilja Glava settlements, as well as on preparatory works to build a new tunnel underneath the Sarajevo airport. In the continuation of realization of this donation, I would kindly ask you to release the next 150,000 deutschmarks for the procurement of machines to manufacture orthopedic tools of the Neretva company, and hand over the remaining funds to the Executive Board of the City Assembly to continue the works on the building of the tunnel. I pray to God to repay you for your efforts and assistance provided to the Bosnian people," Alija Izetbegovic wrote.

There for some time has been confusion about which of the Egyptian organizations worked in Bosnia-Hercegovina as a legitimate humanitarian organization, and which acted as a front for the abuse of humanitarian funds for military purposes and terrorism. These are two organizations, one based in Cairo (HRA) and the other in London (HRI). The Cairo organization was founded by the doctors' labour union. The 1995 SDB document cites seven activities of Egyptian "Aid." The organization's name is probably just the Bosnian translation of the Arab word "igase," and this organization was probably known as the Egyptian Igasa. Cited as its activities are: procurement of raw materials for Bosnalijek [pharmaceutical company]; dental clinc in Kobilja Glava; equipping of a primary school in the area of Vogosca; sponsorship of book publication; social, educational, and financial assistance; scholarships; and help to the agricultural and veterinary centres.

During the war in Bosnia-Hercegovina, EHRA (Egyptian Humanitarian Relief Agency) was under investigation of Egyptian authorities over links to Muslim Brothers. This organization has always denied the accusations of being linked to terrorism or military actions in Bosnia-Hercegovina. EHRA was present in Bosnia-Hercegovina since 1992. A 1996 CIA report on the activities of humanitarian organizations linked to terrorist groups identifies the HRA and the HRI. Both foreign employees cited in the SDB document as employees of the Egyptian Igasa are indeed included in the list of people from African countries who were granted B-H citizenship. One of them is a Sudanese national, who previously worked in this humanitarian organization's offices in Zagreb and Zenica. The second employee was an Egyptian national.

Source: Dani, Sarajevo, in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian 23 Jan 09 pp 26-28
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