Abdullah Noman

From 9/11 Encyclopedia:

From a former GROUND ZERO Forum article, released at Scoop:

"...about 50 to 100 visas were improperly issued by Noman..." (ABC NEWS November 2001) Abdullah Noman was working for the US Consulate in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia -->), where he filed 10-15 visas for the September 11th hijackers in the so called visa express program. Noman was later arrested in a sting by the FBI in Las Vegas in November 2001. Michael Springman, the former chief of the visa section at the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah already confirmed in various international interviews (incl. Greg Palast/BBC), that Jeddah is a CIA connected consulate. He protested about superiors who ordered him to issue visas to unqualified applicants and later resigned from this position. http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewMediaFile.cfm? http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/events/newsnight/newsid_1645000/1645527.stm 

It looks now that the CIA okayed the visas for most of the 911-hijackers and used employee Abdullah Noman to file visas for: Abdulaziz Alomari, Banihammad Fayez, Ahmed al-Ghamdi, Hamza al-Ghamdi, Saaed al-Ghamdi, Salem al-Hamzi, Ahmed al-Haznawi, Majed Moqed, Ahmed al-Nami, Waled al-Shehri, Wail al-Shehri, Mohald al-Shehri, and Satam al-Suqami...."

None of them was pilot of any of the four September 11th planes. Two more hijackers (which brings us to a total of 15) may have received their visas from Jeddah as well: "...Abdul Alomari, on Flight 11...listing his address as Jeddah , Saudi Arabia, according to FAA records... ...In December 2000, (Hanjour,Hani) obtained a visa from the American consulate in Jeddah and arrived in the United States, according to US officials..." http://www.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/news/driving_a_wedge/part1.shtml

Vince Cannistraro, former head of the CIA's counter-terrorism office and deputy station chief in Jeddah from the mid-to late-1970s, said that the Southwest was the nexus of recruitment for the Saudi hijackers. Why Noman's story didn't make more news play, is pretty unclear. It could be the Saudi-Arabian connection, the CIA-connection or both. Springman gave various interviews and confirmed his statements on a press conference in the National Press Office in Washington, organised by http://unansweredquestions.org http://unansweredquestions.org http://unansweredquestions.org 06/10/02: ".

..I used to be in charge of the Visa Section at the CIA's consulate at Jeddah, the principle city of the Hejahs in Western Saudi Arabia. There, for a year and a half, I issued visas to terrorists recruited by the CIA and its asset, Osama Bin Laden. At the time I thought it was basically visa fraud. Somebody was paying $2500 bribes to State Department officials. I was ordered by these same high State Department officials to issue the visas, to shut up, to do my job and ask no questions... ...I asked a few more questions and I said, "No. Visa denied. You haven't proved to me that you're going to come to the United States, accomplish your business and then return home." Well a few minutes later I had a phone call from a CIA case officer assigned to the commercial section. "Issue the visas." I said, "No." He said, "Well, it's important they get a visa." And I said, "No." And a few minutes later he was over talking to the chief of the consular section, reversed me, issued the visas and these guys took off. And this was typical.... ....this went on for a year and a half. I had people, not every day perhaps, but every week. And I estimate as many as 100 people got visas through me getting overruled on my analysis of their ability to go to the United states and then return. ....And I protested this. I protested to the Counsel for Consular Affairs in Riad. I protested to the Bureau of Consular Affairs in Washington ( http://travel.state.gov/index.html ). I protested to the State Department's Inspector General. ( http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/
http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/ )
( I protested to the State Department's Office of Diplomatic Security. http://ds.state.gov/ http://ds.state.gov/http://ds.state.gov/ )

I talked about this to the FBI, to the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility ( http://www.usdoj.gov/opr/index.html ) , and I went to a couple of Congressional Committees. And by and large I was told, "Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about. This is a difference of opinion. You don't know what you're doing...." Some information about some of the offices Springman contacted. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is headed by Glenn A. Fine since since August 2000 ( http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/ http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/).

In testimony of October 2001 he confirmed, that "Historically, the OIG has played an important role in attempting to combat one aspect of immigration fraud". He mentions the Visa Waiver progam but ignored the Visa Express Program from Jeddah. In a conclusion, he urged, "the INS and the FBI to ensure that their databases share information, both with each other and with other government agencies." http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/ts102001b.htm 

The same Glenn A Fine later testified on the INS-investigation of Mohamed Atta and Marwan Alshehhi, who didn't get their visas from Jeddah. His only conclusion was to support a new student tracking system called Student & Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/sevis http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/sevis http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/sevis

The OIG work strongly together with the Department of Justice under John Ashcroft (->). Glenn Fine reported on the FBI's handling of documents related to Timothy McVeigh on request of Attorney General John Ashcroft. http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2002/March/02_ag_158.htm

In another testimony of June 20th, 2001, Fine pointed out, that the "Congress gave the Attorney General the authority to readjust the jurisdiction of the OIG" (See § 9(a)(2) of the IG Act) http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/ts062001.htm 

Fine explains the problems: "Under this Order, the OIG may undertake investigations in the FBI and the DEA only when the Attorney General or Deputy Attorney General specifically authorizes us to do so in a particular case". Fine was invited to the 9/11 hearings in June 2002. The content is classified. http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usterr042731168jun04.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-print 

The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) reports directly to the Attorney General John Ashcroft (under Clinton it was Janet Reno, who now tries to run for governor of Florida). http://www.usdoj.gov/opr/index.html 

FOIA (Freedom of Information Act ) Robert B. Lyon, Jr., Counsel for Professional Responsibility, DOJ. is H. Marshall Jarrett. He has former served as Criminal Chief, US Attorney's Office, DC; Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity Section, Criminal Division, DOJ In July 2002 the express visa program was finally stopped without explaining the deeper reasons. http://www.sunspot.net/news/custom/attack/bal-te.visas21jul21.story?coll=bal%2Dhome%2Dheadlines

The first complaints can be find here (incl. criticism of State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher): http://www.nationalreview.com/mowbray/mowbray071802.asp 

From November 14th-17th, 2001 Abdullah Noman was a participant at the International Association of Amusement Parks in Atlanta, GA, organised by the U.S. Department of Commerce who work on various trade shows held by Saudi Arabia in the United States. We can assume that the FBI used this chance to try to get in touch with Noman: http://www.us-saudi-business.org/shows.htm "
...Industry Theme: SPT, TOY Dates of Event: November 14 - 17, 2001 Type of Event: IBP Post Recruiter/Control Officer: Jeddah - Abdullah Noman (966 2) 606-2479 x 205..." He worked the last few years at these trade shows, another confirmation about 1998 you can find here: http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/business/com_guides/1999/nea/saudi99_12.html ".
..Dates of Event: November 17-21, 1998 Type of Event: Reverse Trade Mission Post Recruiter/Control Officer: Jeddah - Abdullah Noman, (966 2) 698-3779 x 205..." It looks as if Noman was arrested before he was able to arrive in Atlanta: November 30th, 2001 - "...he was arrested on Nov. 1, said Assistant U. S. Attorney Lee Vilker.." http://www.miraserve.com/pressrev/EN30Nov01.htm http://www.miraserve.com/pressrev/EN30Nov01.htm http://www.miraserve.com/pressrev/EN30Nov01.htm

But Las Vegas Review claims, it was on a Sunday, which was Nov 4th: "....The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports a U.S. Dept. of Commerce employee Abdulla Noman was arrested Sunday in Las Vegas, NV..." http://www.letsgojeffs.com/article/articleview/835/1/9/> - 11/06/2001 But they wrote in another article that Noman was "arrested Thursday in a Las Vegas Strip hotel room" (=November 1st) http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/11/5/82710.shtml 

There are a couple of other articles about the arrestment of Noman in Las Vegas, for instance freelance editor Michelle Malkin mentioned it at: http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2001/november/mm_terrorist_visas.htm http://www.usbc.org/profiles/1101visasforsale.htm http://www.usbc.org/profiles/1101visasforsale.htmhttp://www.usbc.org/profiles/1101visasforsale.htm (U.S. Border Control) or http://www.jewishworldreview.com/michelle/malkin051902.asp 

ABC News wrote that "about 50 to 100 visas were improperly issued by Noman from September 1996 until last November (2001)". Noman said he got bribes worth thousands of dollars for making it appear. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/homefront020521.html 

Noman is being held in a secluded cell at the Passaic County Jail (New Jersey) after being attacked by inmates during his confinement in Las Vegas. His attorney is Kim Otis of Princeton, New Jersey. Nomans indictment is at: http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/terrorism/usnomancc110201.pdf 

Noman was arrested with the help of FBI agent Henry Falkowsky. About the FBI-"plot": According to the criminal complaint against Noman, an informant allegedly paid Noman 12,000 riyals (about $3,100) for a visa in 1998. Agents in Newark later recorded several phone calls between the two that led to Noman's arrest in a Las Vegas hotel after he allegedly accepted half-payment of $4,000 for a second visa, the complaint said. http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/110701/new_1107010071.shtml 

Tuesday, November 6th 2001 - "...Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard Zlotnick told U.S. Magistrate Robert Johnston that the FBI has tape-recorded and videotaped evidence that the consulate employee, Abdulla Noman, arranged the sale of visas to people entering the United States from Saudi Arabia..." In which 'strip' hotel Noman was arrested and on which day (November 1st or 4th)? Is there any connection to Atta,Mohammads trip to Las Vegas from June 29 to July 1 (2001), according to a registration slip at the Econo Lodge, an inexpensive motel on the Las Vegas Strip? And what about the story about him in a "meeting" with Nawaq Alhamzi and Hanjour,Hani? Was this story true? http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-092201probe.story 

Or was the Las Vegas connection based on misinformation? And who leaked this information in the same week that Noman was arrested?

November 6th, 2001 - "...Since the first reports that five terrorists visited Las Vegas earlier this year, there has been speculation that the group was in the valley to complete plans for the September 11 East Coast attacks. Abdulla Noman, 52, was moved on November 30th 2001 from Nevada to New Jersey , `where the FBI recorded calls in which he allegedly demanded $8,000 from an informant to arrange a U.S. visa for a Saudi citizen'. http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Nov-06-Tue-2001/news/17385913.html 

The visa consulate-website in Jeddah is located at http://usembassy.state.gov/posts/sa1/wwwhj1.html