Germany Clears One 9/11 Suspect, Says Yemeni Chief

[Robb]

Germany Clears One 9/11 Suspect, Says Yemeni Chief

Note: This is Al Jazeerah, claiming Monday's DPA headlines in advance, so let's see how accurate their sources are.


Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Arab News

MUNICH, 7 September 2003 Ñ A German investigation into the Sept. 11 attacks, believed to have been devised and led by a group of Muslim students from Hamburg, has found that Ramzi Bin Al-Shibh, captured a year ago in Pakistan, was the leader, according to a report yesterday.

For the past two years, it had been believed that Mohammed Atta, an Egyptian who probably piloted the first jet, American Airlines flight 11, into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, was the cell leader.

The report, to appear Monday in the German news weekly Focus, said the inquiry had meanwhile cleared a businessman, named only as T., who had been suspected of bringing Islamists into Germany with fake papers. Officials confirmed this to Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

(snip)

Whereas US officials have generally stressed Osama Bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda network as the author of the attacks, German investigators have contended the original conspiracy took place in Hamburg and that Al-Qaeda was then tapped for funds, training and additional men.

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