Aircraft hijackers made enquires about crop dusters; More box-cutting tools found on aircraft

Airline Industry Information, Sept 25, 2001

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2001 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has said that one of the men identified as a hijacker in 11 September's terrorist attacks against the USA had visited a Florida airport to question crop-dusting employees about their aircraft.

The FBI has subsequently grounded all crop-dusting aircraft and urged people to be vigilant about noting 'suspicious activity' with regard to the handling of hazardous chemicals used for crop-dusting farm fields. The ban has been extended through to Tuesday, 25 September for 'national security reasons', Reuters reported.

The man identified by the FBI is Mohamed Atta, who is alleged to have questioned employees at the Belle Glade Municipal Airport in Palm Beach County about how much fuel they carry, how fast they fly and how much chemical can be carried. Atta is suspected of hijacking one of four aircraft that were hijacked on 11 September. An American Airlines aircraft was flown into one of the World Trade Center's twin towers, as was a United Airlines commercial flight. An American Airlines aircraft was also flown into the Pentagon, while a second United Airlines flight crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. It is believed the latter aircraft was en route to Washington when passengers and crew may have overpowered the hijackers and deliberately crashed the aircraft before it reached a major population centre.

Willie Lee, the general manager of the Florida airport, has said that Atta and several other Arab men came to his company to enquire about the aircraft in groups of two or three over a period of six or eight weeks. Lee indicated that the men were told only that the aircraft were very difficult to fly.

The focus on crop-dusting aircraft comes after the FBI reportedly found a crop-dusting manual during a search for the terrorists. The discovery has created concern that the aircraft could be used for a biological or chemical assault.

More than 6,000 people are dead or missing following the terrorist attacks.

In related news, the FBI has apparently found box-cutting tools similar to those used by the hijackers on aircraft that were grounded by the 11 September attacks.

The discovery has raised speculation that more attacks involving aircraft were planned than those four flights that crashed. The tools were apparently found on a flight that originated in Boston and on another en route from Atlanta to Brussels, Belgium.

A man arrested with three family members in London, UK on 21 September has been linked to the terrorist attacks, according to The Associated Press. A fourth man was also arrested in Birmingham.

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