"[A] common thread runs between the first attack on the World Trade Center in February 1993 and
the 11 September attacks. . . . [Khalid Shaikh Mohammed] is the uncle of Ramzi Yousef, who
masterminded the 1993 bombing plot against the World Trade Center."
-- Testimony of CIA Director George Tenet, Joint Congressional Inquiry, June 18, 2002.
The Terrorist Masterminds of Baluchistan
The common thread is a place called Baluchistan, a region that straddles the border
between Pakistan and Iran. This is the place from which at least half a dozen of the
terrorist strategists originate, including the two key masterminds: Ramzi Yousef
(mastermind of the 1993 and 1995 terrorist plots), and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (1995
and 2001).
But this discovery raises more questions. We have some idea why Osama bin Laden and Al
Qaeda embarked on war against the U.S. But what about the Baluch terrorists? The
Baluch are not fundamentalist or fanatic Moslems, and neither are these masterminds.
There has been no videotape or other statement about their demands or beliefs. They
have little or nothing to do with the U.S., politically or even culturally.
An effective terrorism strategy cannot be based on the catch-all label "Islamic militant." It
must be based on evidence, including evidence that points to state support or sponsorship
of terrorist "networks."
To understand the 2001 attacks, we have to go back to 1993 — to the launch of a ten-year
war against the U.S. Focusing on al Qaeda obscures the question of links to terrorist
sponsors. In 1993 al Qaeda had not become an active threat, and the senior investigators
traced the WTC bombing plot to Iraq. On this website you are invited to examine the
evidence behind that conclusion. That issue from 1993 has become terribly relevant in
2004, and it is worth taking some time to examine it carefully.
the 11 September attacks. . . . [Khalid Shaikh Mohammed] is the uncle of Ramzi Yousef, who
masterminded the 1993 bombing plot against the World Trade Center."
-- Testimony of CIA Director George Tenet, Joint Congressional Inquiry, June 18, 2002.
The Terrorist Masterminds of Baluchistan
The common thread is a place called Baluchistan, a region that straddles the border
between Pakistan and Iran. This is the place from which at least half a dozen of the
terrorist strategists originate, including the two key masterminds: Ramzi Yousef
(mastermind of the 1993 and 1995 terrorist plots), and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (1995
and 2001).
But this discovery raises more questions. We have some idea why Osama bin Laden and Al
Qaeda embarked on war against the U.S. But what about the Baluch terrorists? The
Baluch are not fundamentalist or fanatic Moslems, and neither are these masterminds.
There has been no videotape or other statement about their demands or beliefs. They
have little or nothing to do with the U.S., politically or even culturally.
An effective terrorism strategy cannot be based on the catch-all label "Islamic militant." It
must be based on evidence, including evidence that points to state support or sponsorship
of terrorist "networks."
To understand the 2001 attacks, we have to go back to 1993 — to the launch of a ten-year
war against the U.S. Focusing on al Qaeda obscures the question of links to terrorist
sponsors. In 1993 al Qaeda had not become an active threat, and the senior investigators
traced the WTC bombing plot to Iraq. On this website you are invited to examine the
evidence behind that conclusion. That issue from 1993 has become terribly relevant in
2004, and it is worth taking some time to examine it carefully.
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