WASHINGTON (AP)-[off the wire, no link]-U.S. Customs authorities blocked a Jordanian man from entering the country 20 months before he was accused of carrying out an Iraq suicide bombing, according to an internal Homeland Security memo obtained Wednesday.
The Aug. 22 memo to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff credited Customs agents with identifying Ra'ed Mansour al-Banna as a suspicious traveler on June 14, 2003, when he flew into Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.
"While it is not clear that al-Banna was a suicidal jihadist, the basis for denying him entry was that Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, officers that interviewed him believed his intent for entering ... was inconsistent with the purpose of his visa," wrote Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert C. Bonner.
Al-Banna has been accused of carrying out one of Iraq's deadliest suicide bombing - the Feb. 28 attack in Hillah that killed 125 people.
But the Jordanian government and al-Banna's family said he carried out a different suicide bombing in Iraq. The terrorist group al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for the Hillah bombing.
The Homeland Security memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, said al-Banna was carrying a valid Jordanian passport and valid work visa. But the Customs agents believed the passport was falsified, and ultimately rejected al-Banna's entry after secondary security screening and questioning, said Customs spokeswoman Kristi Clemens.
Al-Banna's denied entry into the U.S. was briefly mentioned in an April report in Time Magazine.
Copyright © 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.(AP-DJ)--08-24-05 1314EDT |
OK two things. First, way to go Border Patrol guys. I love the statement that they didn't let him in because they thought his "intent for entering ... was inconsistent with the purpose of his visa." It's slightly comforting that if they put down as their purpose for the visit to "see the Statue of Liberty, watch a Yankee game, and blow up the Capitol building" that we won't let them into the country.
Second, bad Border Patrol. If he was deemed a threat, why not hold him and turn him over to the FBI or CIA or the Boy Scouts or something. He ended up being a suicide bomber anyway (and don't you like how they're arguing over which bombing he did).
For those of you in the LA area, I'm sure you're familiar with Hugh's competition Jon and Ken. They're fun to listen to every so often; more center of the road than they get credit for, but they go off the handle on illegal immigration issues. And I remember one show they were saying how they don't buy the idea that us fighting terrorists in Iraq is preventing those terrorists from coming here. Well I think this shows that while we lost troops in whichever bombing this terrorist did, I think we'd all prefer our troops having a fighting chance with a possible IED or car bomb as opposed to civilians here in the states dying. It does seem that terrorists still want to kill us at home. If you can, read the Time magazine article (subscribers only). It puts a totally different spin on the "denial of entry": After he was denied entry at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport for apparently falsifying details on his visa application, al-Banna's life took a turn that led him down the path of radical Islam and ultimately to join the insurgency against the U.S. in Iraq. |
Ah, yes. The US's abhorrent Middle East policy creates another terrorist. |
