A Brief Summary Of Sibel Edmonds' Connection To 9/11

Recently, I have seen a lot of people asking about Sibel Edmonds' connection to 9/11. I sent an email to Luke Ryland, the individual that knows that most about Sibel, and asked him to please give me a brief summary of Sibel's relationship to 9/11. Here is what he wrote.

I would say:

1. (from Sibel's letter to the commission)

"More than four months prior to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, in April 2001, a long-term FBI informant/asset who had been providing the bureau with information since 1990, provided two FBI agents and a translator with specific information regarding a terrorist attack being planned by Osama bin Laden. This asset/informant was previously a high-level intelligence officer in Iran in charge of intelligence from Afghanistan. Through his contacts in Afghanistan, he received information that: 1) Osama bin Laden was planning a major terrorist attack in the United States targeting four or five major cities; 2) the attack was going to involve airplanes; 3) some of the individuals in charge of carrying out this attack were already in place in the United States; 4) the attack was going to be carried out soon, in a few months. The agents who received this information reported it to their superior, Special Agent in Charge of Counterterrorism Thomas Frields at the FBI Washington Field Office, by filing 302 forms, and the translator translated and documented this information. No action was taken by the special agent in charge, and after 9/11 the agents and the translators were told to "keep quiet" regarding this issue."

2. a) and b) (from Sibel's letter to the commission):
"a) The new translation revealed certain information regarding blueprints, pictures and building material for skyscrapers being sent overseas. b) It also revealed illegal activities in obtaining visas from certain embassies in the Middle East through network contacts and bribery."

3. (from Sibel's letter to the commission)
"The public has not been told that certain information, despite its relevance to terrorist activities, is not shared with counterterrorism units. This was true prior to 9/11, and it remains true today. If counterintelligence receives information about terrorism that implicates certain nations, semi-legit organizations or the politically powerful in this country, then that information is not shared with counterterrorism, regardless of the consequences. In certain cases, frustrated FBI agents have cited "direct pressure by the State Department."

4 (from Sibel's letter to the commission)
"Dickerson and several FBI targets of investigation hastily left the United States in 2002, and no criminal investigation has been opened."

5. (from the recent Times article):
"Following 9/11, a number of the foreign operatives were taken in for questioning by the FBI on suspicion that they knew about or somehow aided the attacks.

Edmonds said the State Department official once again proved useful. "A primary target would call the official and point to names on the list and say, 'We need to get them out of the US because we can't afford for them to spill the beans'," she said. "The official said that he would 'take care of it'."
The four suspects on the list were released from interrogation and extradited."

Note: I believe that the targets who left the country in point 4 are different to those in point 5 - but I'm not certain.

I think that is as much as we "know."

Any more to story?

How could there not be more to the translations about the ties to US counterparts that would have to be involved?

Sure there is...

But this is just a brief summary.


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Thank you

Great information. Thanks for sharing!

Sibel Edmonds PEN Newman Award

Sibel Edmonds PEN Newman Award

PEN American Center has named Sibel Edmonds, a translator who was fired from her job at the FBI after complaining of intelligence failures and poor performance in her unit, as the recipient of this year's prestigious PEN/Newman's Own First Amendment Award.

Government Agents LIHOP and then Covered It Up

"The agents who received this information reported it to their superior, Special Agent in Charge of Counterterrorism Thomas Frields at the FBI Washington Field Office, by filing 302 forms, and the translator translated and documented this information. No action was taken by the special agent in charge, and after 9/11 the agents and the translators were told to "keep quiet" regarding this issue.""

The Informant

It sounds like that informant who provided the information in April 2001 was doing the important work of laying out the cover story in advance, so that the bin-Laden-did-it meme would be more readily accepted and reinforced once the deed was done. Whether the informant did so wittingly or as an unwitting dupe, I would consider him to be a 'person of interest' in a real investigation of 9/11. Follow the propagation of the cover story to its source and I think we'd be sure to find people who were 'in on' the actual plot.

Good point

but it begs the question of how Ms Edmonds learned about this information. I'm not seeing how a short-term translator becomes privy to so much information not related to the tasks for which she was hired.

I also can't get around her claim that she and other translators were ordered to purposefully delay translations in order to justify a larger budget. This is not plausible, plays right into the incompetence explanation, and was not substantiated by the Inspector General's report.

I'm not saying she was not fired in retaliation for raising serious issues in good faith. The Inspector General's report supported her on that. But I'm not seeing a specific link to 9/11.

I also speculate that she

I also speculate that she could have been fed disinformation about the patsy "Muslim Terrorists". The recent revelations seem to go on a tangent to the 9-11 event by leading instead to a nuclear proliferation thread. To the uninitiated, the recent revelations in the Sunday Times only reinforces the story that "Muslim Terrorists responsible for 9-11 were also actively seeking nuclear weapons". Doesn't that sound like the making of a dangerous new terrorist myth.

--------------------------------------------
WTC 9-11-2001 was a Neocon-Zionist conspiracy, but
Jews DID NOT do 9-11 - http://www.911blogger.com/node/8914#comment-174921
The WTC was destroyed by controlled demo- http://www.ae911truth.org

To whoever gave me the

To whoever gave me the negative point, if it's not too much, please post the reason why? Is there anything wrong with my argument? A civil discussion on the merits of a comment would be a lot more helpful than a mere negative vote.

--------------------------------------------
WTC 9-11-2001 was a Neocon-Zionist conspiracy, but
Jews DID NOT do 9-11 -
http://www.911blogger.com/node/8914#comment-174921
The WTC was destroyed by controlled demo- http://www.ae911truth.org

Why? At least one 'because':

Following Sibel's lead, there is an unhealthy aversion to reconcile harder facts against the more ethereal yet compelling narrative presented by her highly sympathetic character. Unfortunately, a number of influential 9/11 researchers have found it difficult to hold her darling feet to the fire, such as that she herself may be the unwitting carrier of ill information fed right into her headphones. THAT IS just a speculation, one that graciously affords the greatest benefit of doubt and innocence on the part of Sible, yet in light of harder facts like the physics of aircraft vs. steel high-rise construction, air defense stand-down, the existence of ongoing MKCointellingBird (an innocent and non-accusatorial discussion strangely avoided by Sibel on several occasions), such a possibility only increases in probability.

Unfortunately, Mr. Gold also chooses to follow his darling leader through this fowl air.

Mr. Gold... any chance you have located the disturbingly short links between the popularizes of Sibel's story with another well known and deleterious hoax upon the truth? I have, and I wish you would take this more seriously than simply cheerleading a narrative greatly wanting for its disconnection from the more complete block of evidence.

Do tell

Sorry if you've already gone into this in other threads--but just what is the 'well known and deleterious hoax upon the truth' which you are referring to here, and what are the 'disturbingly short links' connecting that to proponents of Sibel's story?

These are high stakes. You would agree, rm?:

As much as I would prefer an unhindered free exchange of information here... and in spite of my previous belief that "putting it out there affords more protection than not doing so".... I feel it's prudent to bite my tongue a little and hold a few cards a bit closer to the vest. I do not need the internet in this case to stash and establish some 'back-story' of my concerns. The hint and question was addressed to Mr. Gold, a fellow I do so wish would demonstrate more initiative to reconcile the mismatches within his enormous collection of information. Or at least some better humility in the off chance that any of us could find ourselves mistaken and/or mislead at times. Myself included foremost.

However, my rub with Sibel, Lurkey, the makers of KTM, and Mr. Gold... has to do with a strange uniformity among that crowd unanimously avoiding self-critique, and thus prudent admonitions to potential boosters of the gapping access afforded to The Nafarious through a poison well of Secrets. If one could even get these folks to allow that such dynamics exist on an information battlefield, they sure seem uniformly confident in their immunity and savvy to sort it out for us... "no need to worry about that, especially if you knew what we know."

THAT is the Giant Red Flag flapping in my face. Near total, and may I say arrogant, confidence that Sibel's story is unassailable and free from any debilitating ill-information.

Prove me wrong, Mr Gold. Yet based upon prior behavior and no real hint that you even trust my good intentions in this matter... I suspect you will dash in some fresh tangential material, and leave my point un-addressed, same as if "innocently unnoticed"... same as time and time before. You too Sibel. You too Lurkey. You too Matt.

I wish more than ever, that one of them would show me where I've gone astray. But alas, the days, weeks, and now years simply pass by.

If you have something...

That discredits Sibel Edmonds, or contradicts her story that has yet to be covered by the American Press (with one exception), then share it. Otherwise, I have nothing to say to you.


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Updated email...

... in my account contact link. I'm no longer inclined toward much more of this discussion in front of anonymous down-voters seemingly disinterested in critical honesty. Try fucking with me one on one. If that's not your thing, at least we can be more productive working where the rubber meets the road, and right now that isn't here in this thread.

email me

Erin - could you please email me

Lukery

sent

.

FBI relies on those in its employ to keep secrets....

The government, in general, including the FBI are hard pressed for those possessing language skills either arabic or farsi. I buy it that Sibel Edmonds was employed because the agency had to deal with its language deficit. It's really that simple

Government relies on oaths of secrecy and resorts to intimidation if all else fails. Sibel Edmonds doesn't appear to be as resolute as she's proven to be in this case. It's possible she's an agent of disinformation, but my impression, she possesses the character flaw--naive truthfulness--and also the backbone to be a genuine whistle-blower. She's feisty!

Our government has gotten involved in so many covert operations, I believe, it's impossible to keep all the illict activities compartmentalized. It's just grown to such enormous and widespread levels!

I suspect, quite a few in the FBI's employ comes across such activities as the drug trade, selling nuclear secrets and moving nuclear waste for a price! This is even more likely in Middle Eastern issues. I can just hear them reminding themselves, "the American people can't handle the truth."

...don't believe them!

I'm not doubting her integrity

You say:

"she possesses the character flaw--naive truthfulness--and also the backbone to be a genuine whistle-blower. "

I support whistleblowers, and whistleblowers need protection regardless of whether their concerns are ultimately found correct. And here, Ms. Edmonds' concerns could relate to a variety of issues.

The question here is whether she has anything to offer about 9/11 other than the general truism that politics and corruption can interfere with law enforcement.

Sibel Edmonds in "Kill the Messenger"

Jack Blood's Deadline Live Friday program on GCN featured an hour long doc about Sibel Edmonds, "Kill the Messenger". It's definitely worthwhile!

...don't believe them!

this issue is monumental

We need to have a concerted effort of the entire movement pushing for Sibel hearings.

Compare what she said Grassley said . . .

with what Grassley said.

At 1:01-1:14, she says:

"We had the CBS 60 Minutes segment, when Senator Grassley showed up and said this is outrageous, even people within the FBI have confirmed all her stories."

At 1:26-1:32, Grassley says: "the reason I feel she is very credible is that people within the FBI have corroborated a lot of her story."

Is it "all" or "a lot of"? What then have they not confirmed or corroborated?

She goes on to say that the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) confirmed her stories. Not true. They did not confirm her story about the translation slowdown.

http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/special/0501/index.htm

"We found insufficient evidence to substantiate Edmonds’ allegation that such time and attendance abuse was condoned or occurred. Moreover, given the backlog of translation work at the FBI, we do not believe the FBI would need to intentionally slow down the linguists’ work to support hiring additional translators.'"

So the text on the video "Never contradicted. Never denied" is not true.

This translation slowdown was a big part of her story in 2002:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/10/25/60minutes/main526954.shtml

And was a big part of her 2004 letter to Kean/Hamilton:

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0802-06.htm

Is she calling the 9/11 Commission "fraudulent" for not including this allegation in their report? Or for not including the allegations of Turkish spies? Why specifically should this Turkish spy issue have been included?

I don't see that a case has been made for "a concerted effort of the entire movement" to push for "Sibel hearings."