Question:

   On may 13th, Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton announced that the 9-11 commission will submit questions to  Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM), the alleged "mastermind" of the 9-11 attack. According to the New York Times, the CIA has questioned KSM by such exotic means as strapping him to a board and then submerging him under water until he nearly drowns.  Assuming such duress has made him more compliant, what questions should the Commission put to the KSM?

Answer:

       Since Khalid Shaikh Mohammed has been identified by the U.S. as the controlling case officer for both Ramzi Yousef, who helped organize the attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, and Mohammed Atta, who helped organize the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, he can clarify the issue of who provided support for the plots. For starters, he should be asked:

1) When, and under what circumstances, did you recruit Mohammed Atta?

2)  Why did Atta apply for a Czech visa in May 2000 soon after receiving a U.S. visa?

3) Why did Atta fly to the Prague International Airport on May 30th, 2000-- one day before the visa arrived-- even though he was limited to the transit lounge?   If he met someone there, who was it?  How did he avoid the Czech surveillance cameras during this meeting? Why was the trip so time-sensitive that he could not wait one day until May 31, when his visa, in fact, arrived?

4)   Why did Atta return to Prague on June 2, 2000 before proceeding on his mission to America?

5)   On April 4, 2001, Atta left the Diplomat Inn in Virginia Beach, Virginia, withdrew $8,000 in cash from his account at the Suntrust Bank, and then disappeared for one week?  Where did he go? Was his $8,000 withdrawal-- the largest cash withdrawal he made-- authorized by you? If so, what was its purpose?

6) On April 8th, 2001, a Czech counterintelligence operative identified Atta in Prague.  Was Atta authorized to be in Prague at this time?  If so, what was the purpose of his trip?  What identity did he use to leave and re-enter the United States?  Whom did he meet in Prague on this trip?

7)  Did Atta obtain a false passport in Spain Khaled Madani and Moussa Laouar, as reported by Spanish intelligence?
8)When, and under what circumstances, did you recruit 9-11 hijackers Khalid al Midhar and Nawaz al Hamzi? Was their trip to Malaysia in January 2000 related to their mission?

9) Did an Iraqi named Ahmad Hikmat Shakir facilitate the trip of al Midhar and al Hamzi to Malaysia in January 2000?

10) Did Shakir also meet with Atta's associate Ramzi bin al-Shibh in Malaysia?

11) Since Shakir operated under the direction of an employee of the Iraq embassy in Malaysia, was his assistance he rendered to the three 9-11 conspirators known to Iraq officials?  If so, why did Iraq provide such assistance to your agents?

12) Did Iraqi's Foreign Intelligence chief Farouk Hijazi meet in Afghanistan in 1998 with top Al-Qaeda leaders, including yourself?  If so, did he offer assistance in providing Al-Qaeda operatives with Yemen passports and other  travel assistance?  If so, what was the quid pro quo al-Qaeda was to provide Iraq?

13)  From who did you obtain a a fake Saudi passport? Who provided the back-up legend?

14) Who provided the 9-11 hijackers with doctored passports between January 2000 and July 2001?