T5 B68 Tampa Airport QFRs Fdr- Saudi Flights- Media-Business Info- 1st Pgs for Ref

8/14/2019 T5 B68 Tampa Airport QFRs Fdr- Saudi Flights- Media-Business Info- 1st Pgs for Ref

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Archives: St. Petersburg Time s Page 1 of 3

> t Petersburg (TimesTIA now verifies flight of Saudis:[SOUTH PINELLAS Edition]J EAN H E L L E R . St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Fla.: Jun 9, 2004. pg. l.AFull Text (1195 words)Copyright Times Publishing Co. Jun 9, 2004Two days after the Sept. 11 attacks, with most of the nation's air traffic still grounded, a small jetlanded at Tampa International Airport, picked up three young Saudi men and left.The men, one of them thought to be a member of the Saudi royal family, were a ccompan ied by aformer FBI agent and a former Tampa police officer on the flight to Lexington, Ky.The Saudis then took another flight out of the country. The two ex-officers returned to TIA a fewhours later on the same plane.For nearly three years, White House, aviation and law enforcement officials have insisted theflight never took place and have denied published reports and widespread Internet speculationabout its purpose.But now, at the request of the National Comm ission on Terrorist Attacks, TIA officials ha veconfirmed that the flight did take place and have supplied details.The odyssey of the small LearJet 35 is part of a larger controversy over the hasty exodus from theUnited States in the days immediately after 9/11 of members of the Saudi royal family andrelatives of Osama bin Laden.The terrorism panel, better known as the 9/11 Commission, said in Apri l that it knew of sixchartered flights with 142 people aboard, mostly Saudis, that left the United States between Sept.14 and 24, 2001. But it has said nothing about the Tampa flight.The com mission 's general coun sel, Da niel Marcus, aske d TIA in a letter dated May 25 for anyinformation about "a chartered flight with six people, including a Saudi prince, that f lew fromTampa, Florida on or about Sept. 13, 2001." Heasked for the information no later than June 8.TIA officia ls said they sent their reply on Monday.The airport used aircraft tracking equipment normally assigned to a noise abatemen t program todetermine the identity of all aircraft entering TIA airspace on Sept. 13, and found four records forthe LearJet 35.The plane first entered the airspace from the south, possibly from the Fort Lau derdale area,sometime after 3 p.m. and landed for the first time at 3:34 p.m. It took off at 4:37 p.m., headednorth. It returned to Tampa at 8:23 p.m. and took off again at 8:48 p.m., headed south.Author Craig Unger, who first disclosed the possibility of a post- 9/11 Sa udi airlift in his bookHouse of Bush, House of Saud, s aid in an interview that he believes the jet cam e to Tampa asecond time to drop off two former law enforcement agents from Tampa who accom panied threeyoung S audis to Lexington for secu rity purposes.The Saudis asked the Tampa Police Department to escort the flight, but the department handedoff the assignment to Dan Grossi, a former member of the force, Unger said. Grossi recruitedManuel Perez, a retired FB I agent, to accom pany him. Both described the flight to Unger as

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/649189841.html?M AC= 379c428ed9c693b3fl3453f2... 6/25/2004


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f a m p a airport offic ia l s conf i rm post-9/11 je t flight to Lexington Page 1 of 2

K e r t t v c k y c o mPosted on Thu, Jun. 10, 2004

Tampa airport officials confirm post-9/11 jet flight to LexingtonSAUDI PRINCE THOUGHT TO HAVE LEFT U.S. WHILE AIR TRAVEL RESTRICTEDSTAFF, WIRE REPORTSAfter nearly three years during which federal officials denied the story, officials at Tampa International Airport have nowconfirmed that a small jet flew from Tampa to Lexington just two days after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001,according to a published report.Details of the flight, supplied by the Tampa airport at the request of the national Commission on Terrorist Attacks,indicate that the plane picked up three young Saudi men there and left for Lexington's Blue Grass Airport.

The men, one of whom was thought to be a member of the Saudi royal family, were accompanied by a former FBI agentan d a former Tampa police officer on the flight, according to an article in yesterday's editions of the St. PetersburgTimes.In Lexington, the plane is believed to have picked up Saudi Prince Ahmed bin Salman, a horseman who had beenattending horse sales at Keeneland, according to an account in a recent book, House of Bush, House of Saud. The booksays the party then traveled to London.Th e story of the plane, a LearJet 35, has been a subject of Internet speculation and conspiracy theories for severalmonths. Some, including the book's author, Craig Linger, suggest that the quick evacuation of Saudi nationals was apolitical favor extended by the Bush administration at a time when most air travel was restricted.Fifteen of the 19 terrorists who hijacked airplanes on Sept. 11 were Saudi.

A s far as Lexington's Blue Grass Airport is concerned, spokesman Tom Tyra said that commercial flights were cleared toresume on Thursday, Sept. 13, shortly after noon hours before the Saudi plane apparently took off. The first flight leftBlue Grass, bound for Atlanta, at 12:50 p.m. that day, he said.Lexington was the 12th airport in the nation given clearance to resume flights after the terrorist attacks, Tyra said.While small private planes remained grounded for some time after Sept. 11, Tyra said it's his understanding that largergeneral aviation aircraft, such as corporate jets and "special circumstances" flights, were given clearance to leave BlueGrass Airport an d other airports on a case-by-case basis by the FAA.Th e Saudi plane wasn't the only one to leave on Sept. 13 and through the weekend immediately following Sept. 11, Tyrasaid. Other large private planes -- from places such as Dubai, France and Spain -- were at the airport for the Septembersale at Keeneland. Many of them left on Friday and during the weekend, Tyra said.

However, getting a flight out of Tampa might have been more complicated. The St. Petersburg Times' story quoted FAAspokes-man William Shumann as suggesting that air travel was being limited at the time to paid charter flights, but notprivate, non-revenue flights.The legality of the LearJet flight "hinges on whether somebody paid for it," Shumann told the newspaper. "That's thekey."For nearly three years, officials with the White House, the Federal Aviat ion Administration and law enforcement haveinsisted that the flights did not happen.The FAA declined to comment to the Florida newspaper about the Tampa airport's disclosure. So did the FBI and the9/11 commission.

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/state/8885976.htm?template=contentModul... 6/14/2004


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*FULL TEXT***

1. 9-11 Probe Up in Air on Osama Kin FlightsJAMES GORDON MEEKThe New York Daily NewsThe 9/11 commission is no longer certain that Saudis - including members of Osama Bin Laden'sfamily - did not fly out of the country immediately after the terror attacks when all aircraft weregrounded, officials said yesterday.In recent weeks, the panel's investigators have scrambled to re-interview current and former FBIleaders about the flights at the request of lawmakers, sources said."In trying to get to the bottom of [the Saudi flights], you find a lot of difficulty navigating that murky,sludge-filled bottom," said commissioner Tim Roemer, a former Democratic lawmaker who isleading the renewed effort. "There are just not a lot of solid answers on this."The FBI officials have been pressed in private by Roemer and staff investigators to say if theSaudis were given special permission to fly around the U.S. and out of its air space before itreopened to commercial planes on Sept. 13, the sources said."They're exploring both possibilities," said one source who has been quizzed by the panel.Th e FBI's former counterterror chief, Dale Watson, and former Acting FB I Director To m Pickardwere among those re-interviewed by the commission, sources said.No evidence has been presented publicly indicating the Saudis were allowed to fly before the airspace was reopened.But one lingering issue concerns private investigators who were hired to fly Saudis on Sept. 13from Tampa, Fla., to Lexington, Ky. At the time, only commercial planes were allowed to take off,not private planes.FBI officials have said that air space restrictions forced the group to drive to Lexington, wherePrince Ahmed, owner of the Thoroughbred War Emblem, waited.Tampa International Airport released electronic records yesterday that they gave to thecommission indicating the Saudis did indeed fly from Tampa."W e identified the aircraft the commission was asking about," said airport spokeswoman BrendaGeoghagan.FBI officials indicated that they were unconcerned with the departure of the Saudis, including BinLaden's family members.The FBI repeatedly had dangled a $5 million reward in front of Bin Laden's siblings who wereliving in the U.S. before 9/11 for help in tracking down the terrorist."We started every conversation with, 'Hey, how'd you like to make $5 million?' They'd just look atus, like, 'Are you kidding?1" said a top FBI source.The wealthy family members convinced the feds they had no information about their brother andat least one even encouraged them to nail Bin Laden.


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June 8,2004 - Press Clips June 9, 20042. TIA now verifies flight of SaudisJEAN HELLERThe St. Petersburg TimesTw o days after the Sept. 11 attacks, with m ost of the nation's air traffic still grounde d, a small je tlanded at Tampa International Airport, picked up three young Saudi men and left.The m en, one of them thought to be a member of the Saudi royal family, we re accompanied by aformer FB I agent and a former Tampa police officer on the flight to Lexington, Ky.The Saudis then took another flight out of the country. The two ex-officers returned to TIA a fewhours later on the same plane.For nearly three years, White House, aviation and law enforcement officials have insisted theflight never took place and have denied published reports and widespread Internet speculationabout its purpose.Bu t now, at the request of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks, TIA officials haveconfirmed that the flight did take place and have supplied details.The o dyssey of the small LearJet 35 is part of a larger controversy over the hasty exodus fromthe United States in the days immediately after 9/11 of me mbers of the Saudi royal family andrelatives of Osama bin Laden.The terrorism panel, better known as the 9/11 Commission, said in April that it knew of sixchartered flights with 142 people aboard, mostly Saudis, that left the United States between Sept.14 and 24, 2001. B ut it has said nothing about the Tam pa flight.The comm ission's general counsel, D aniel Marcus, asked TIA in a letter dated May 25 for anyinformation a bout "a chartered flight with six people, including a Saudi prince, that flew fromTampa, Florida on or about Sept. 13, 2001." He asked for the information no later than June 8.TIA o fficials said they sent their rep ly on Monday.Th e airport used aircraft tracking equipment normally assigned to a noise abatement program todetermine the identity of all aircraft entering TIA airspace on Sept. 13, and found four records forthe LearJet 35.The plane first entered the airspace from the south, possibly from the Fort Lauderdale area,sometime after 3 p.m. and landed for the first time at 3:34 p.m. It took o ff at 4:37 p.m., headednorth. It returned to Tam pa at 8:23 p.m. and took off again at 8:48 p.m., headed south.Author Craig Unger, who first disclosed the possibility of a post-9/11 Saudi airlift in his bookHouse of Bush, House of Saud, said in an interview that he believes the jet came to Tampa asecond time to drop off two form er law enforcement agents from T ampa w ho accompanied threeyoung S audis to Lexington fo r security purposes.The Saudis asked the Tampa Police Department to escort the flight, but the department handedoff the assignment to Dan Grossi, a former member of the force, Unger said. Gross! recruitedManuel Perez, a retired FB I agent, to accompany him. Both described the flight to Unger assomewhat surreal.


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Business Wire: Spirit Airlines Update 11 am - Thursday, Sept. 13, 2001. Page 1 of3

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El Print article QTell a friend DOFnd subscription dealsSpirit Airlines Update 11 am - Thursday, Sept. 13, 2001.Business Wire, Sept 13, 2001

Business & Travel Editors

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-Sept. 13, 2001

Spirit Airlines expects to resume a limited schedule today, (completeschedule below)

We encourage passengers to arrive at the airport a minimum of 3hours prior to scheduled departure. We appreciate the understandingand patience of each and every member of the travelling public. Wewill do our best to minimize delays; however, expect long lines aswell as heightened security measures.

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We ask each and every passenger to be patient and understanding asall of the new measures have been put in place for the safety andsecurity of passengers, crew, and airport personnel.

For more information on flight status or to make any re-accommodating plans, please call reservations number at 1-800-772-7117. We do expect a high call volume and we appreciate yourpatience. Please also continue to monitor our website,http://www.spiritair.com for updates.

We continue to work with the FAA and Federal Authorities and arepleased that the airspace has opened so that we can serve ourpassengers. We plan to fly as much of our schedule as possible onFriday, September 14, 2001 and ask passengers to continue to checkour website for detailed information.

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http://www.fmdarticles.com/cf_dls/mOEIN/2001^Sept 13/78228440/pl/article.jhtml 5/24/2004


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AirTran Airways to Resum e Limited Flight Schedule Thursday Afternoon Page 1 o f4

BW2164 SEP 13,2001 11:26 PACIFIC 14:26 EASTERN

(BW)(FL-AIRTRAN-AIRWAYS)(AAI) AirTran Airways to Resume Limited FlightSchedule Thursday A fternoonBusiness & Travel EditorsORLAND O, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-Sept 13, 2001--AirTran Airways (NYSE:AAI) announcedthis morning, Thursday, September 13, 2001,plans to resume limited flight operations starting atapproximately 2:00 p.m.Eastern time.AirTran Airways plans to operate to the following cities today:

Atlanta, GA (ATL)Buffalo-Niagara, NYDayton, OHFort Walton Beach, FLHouston (Hobby), TXMiami, FLMyrtle Beach, SCNewport News-Williamsburg,Philadelphia, PASavannah-Hilton Head, SCWashington (Dulles), DC

VA

Akron-Canton, OHChicago (Midway, ILFlint, MIGreensboro-High Point-Winston Salem, NC

Jacksonville, FLMinneapolis-St. Paul, MNNewark, NJNew York (LaGuardia), NYPittsburgh, PATampa, FL

Bloomington-Normal, ILDallas-Fort Worth, TXFort Lauderdale, FLGulfport-Biloxi, MSMemphis, TNMoline-Quad Cities, IL-IANew Orleans, LAOrlando, FLRaleigh-Durham, NCToledo, OH

AirTran Airways plans to operate the following flights today:FLT NO. ORG DEST DEP ARR14655410771011177570941723258

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http://www.businesswire.com/webbox/bw.091301/212562164.htm 5/24/2004

T5 B68 Tampa Airport QFRs Fdr- Saudi Flights- Media-Business Info- 1st Pgs for Ref

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