National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States Monograph on 9/11 and Terrorist Travel;Staff Report

摘要

It is perhaps obvious to state that terrorists cannot plan and carry out attacks in the United States if they are unable to enter the country. Yet prior to September 11, while there were efforts to enhance border security, no agency of the U.S. government thought of border security as a tool in the counterterrorism arsenal. Indeed, even after 19 hijackers demonstrated the relative ease of obtaining a U.S. visa and gaining admission into the United States, border security still is not considered a cornerstone of national security policy. The authors believe, for reasons discussed in the report, that it must be made one. Congress gave the Commission the mandate to study, evaluate, and report on immigration, nonimmigrant visas and border security as these areas relate to the events of 9/11. The story begins with A Factual Overview of the September 11 Border Story. This introduction summarizes many of the key facts of the hijackers entry into the United States. The chronology that follows in chapter 2, The September 11 Travel Operation, is a detailed account of how each hijacker acquired a visa and entered the United States. In all, they had 25 contacts with consular officers and 43 contacts with immigration and customs authorities. The next chapter, Terrorist Entry and Embedding Tactics, 1993 to 2001, explores the topic of fraudulent documents, which terrorists have long used to support their international travel. Chapter 4, Immigration and Border Security Evolve, 1993 to 2001, provides an overview of counterterrorism activities as they relate to border security in the Intelligence Community, the State Department, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Chapter 5, Planning and Executing Entry for the 9/11 Plot, discusses visa issuance and admission into the United States as it specifically applied to the hijackers. Thus, visa policy in Berlin, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, where the hijackers received their visas, is explored in depth. Crisis Management and Response Post-September 11, chapter 6, reports on actions taken by the intelligence community, the departments of State and Justice, and the INS following the attacks, up to the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security. Appendix A contains graphics relevant to the 9/11 plot. In Appendix B, The Saudi Flights, we examine the facts and circumstances surrounding the departure of Saudi nationals from the United States in the days after the 9/11 attack. The procedure followed for each flight, including the inspection of passengers and their belongings, is covered in detail. Finally, in Appendix C, we describe the immigration histories of certain terrorists.