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Yousef and said he was born in UAE in 1967, and was a citizen of
Pakistan. Her Supervisor overruled Morales's recommendation to detain Yousef on grounds the INS detention center was full - even though Yousef had committed acts of immigration fraud (travelling under three different identities and lying to an INS official), and also given inspectors evidence linking him to Ahmad Ajaj. With intermingled documents and both men in secondary inspection, still Yousef was not linked to Ajaj. He made a claim for political asylum and was released in the United States pending a hearing.
389:, where he had filed his original political asylum claim. Ajaj's request was denied April 24, 1993, on grounds that a passport holder from a visa waiver country who uses a fraudulent passport (Ajaj had used a bogus Swedish passport) is not entitled to such a hearing. Not satisfied with that outcome, Ajaj asked to file a new political asylum claim and was given ten days by an immigration judge to do so. Thus, Ajaj was able to file a political asylum claim after his arrest for involvement in the WTC bombing.
378:
brought up the terrorist kit informing Yousef that the Court had ordered the government to return Ajaj's belongings. When Yousef asked if he could take possession of Ajaj's things, Ajaj readily agreed at first, but then said that it was not a good idea for Yousef personally to obtain the materials from the government because it might jeopardize Yousef's "business", which, Ajaj said, would be "a pity!"
31:
286:, bomb-making manuals, videos and other materials on assemble weapons and explosives assembly, letters referencing his attendance at terrorist training camps; anti-American and anti-Israeli materials, instructions on document forgery, and two rubber stamp devices to alter the seal on passports issued from
341:
and an address book listing what
Morales later called "unusual places for someone to visit whom had just come from halfway around the world." Fingerprinted and photographed, his passport was confiscated. Morales said Yousef spoke excellent English with a British accent, admitted his real name Ramzi
266:
with
International Student Identification card and a falsified Swedish passport. It is unknown whether Ajaj was meant to cause a scene as a distraction to let Yousef slip through, or legitimately lost his temper, but he shouted to the inspector: "My mother was Swedish! If you don't believe me check
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Ajaj was released from prison March 1, 1993 – three days after the WTC bombing. He was rearrested in connection with the attack March 9, 1993, and his asylum request was denied on April 24, 1993. In jail at the time of the WTC bombing, Ajaj was convicted of having played a role "in the early stages
357:
Ajaj's passport revealed his June 15, 1992 Pakistani entry stamp was counterfeit. Ajaj told authorities he had a political asylum claim from a prior entry in
February 1992, and was detained pending a hearing. Ajaj later pleaded guilty to use of an altered passport and served six months in prison.
377:
Beginning on
December 4, 1992 (and later on December 29, 1992), Yousef placed a series of calls to Ajaj's lawyer in New York and to Ajaj's friend in Texas. Later that same day, a call from Ajaj was transferred to Yousef, permitting the two to speak directly. In the conversation, Ajaj immediately
305:
Yousef was also sent to secondary immigration inspection for lacking a passport or a visa that would allow him to enter U.S. He presented an Iraqi passport he said he bought from a
Pakistani official for $ 100 or more (up to $ 2700 in one report), adding that the passport was fraudulent. Yousef
423:
moved him to a medical facility, where he had surgery to remove the cancerous lung and received radiation treatment. He has filed scores of grievances and several lawsuits against the U.S. prison system, alleging everything from interference with his mail to denial of access to lawyers, and
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Ajaj's terrorist kit, counterfeit entry stamp, and outburst were all decoys intended to deflect INS attention away from Yousef and facilitate Yousef's processing - a premeditated plan intended to exploit routine activities of busy INS inspectors. After more than 8 hours of questioning, at
218:
where he procured a letter of introduction requesting the leader of Camp
Khalden provide the bearer with training in the use of weapons and explosives. Ajaj returned to Pakistan via the UAE, arriving June 14, 1992, and began the bomb building course.
624:
254:
passport bought from a
Pakistani official, a photo-substituted Swedish passport, a photo-substituted British passport, a Jordanian passport, identification cards, bank records, education records, medical records, and
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your computer." The passport was legitimate, belonging to a
Swedish citizen who had attended a training camp in Pakistan and surrendered his identity cards to those who ran the camp, but Ajaj had used simple
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Ajaj did not give up on his political asylum claim. He petitioned for a new attorney and an exclusion hearing – held to determine whether someone is admissible in the U.S. – in
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614:
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Ajaj was the only remaining plaintiff in a lawsuit by federal prisoners alleging harm from secondhand smoke seeping through the air filtration system at SuperMax.
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because they thought he was a member of a
Kuwaiti guerilla organization. INS inspector Martha Morales also found in his possession a boarding pass in the name of
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On September 1, 1992, at Kennedy airport Ajaj was sent to secondary immigration inspection, where he claimed he was a member of the Swedish press, travelling as
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of the conspiracy" and convicted of nine counts, sentenced to 240 years, fined $ 250,000, and ordered to pay 250 million dollars in restitution.
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Ajaj and Yousef together had five passports and numerous documents supporting their aliases: a Saudi passport showing signs of alteration, an
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404:
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Incarcerated from September 2, 1992, Ajaj remained in contact with Yousef and other co-conspirators and continued to be involved in the
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Conspiracy to traveling and using facilities in interstate and/or foreign commerce to commit crimes of violence (18 U.S.C. § 1952)
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294:(“The Base” or “The Foundation”) and was more widely reported after the group came to prominence. An INS supervisor informed the
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Terrorism Financing: Origination, Organization, and Prevention: Saudi Arabia, Terrorist Financing and the War on Terror
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374:, rendering law enforcement detection more difficult. The calls were not translated until long after the WTC bombing.
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Conspiracy to bomb property and vehicles owned, used, and leased by an agency of the United States (18 U.S.C. § 844)
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https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/25/nyregion/trade-center-bombers-get-prison-terms-of-114-years.html?pagewanted=all
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with BOP number 40637-053. In 2021, one of Ajaj's convictions was overturned, reducing his sentence by 30 years.
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Conspiracy to bomb or destroy a vehicle used in interstate commerce resulting in death (18 U.S.C. §§ 33 and 34)
604:
334:
145:
584:
215:
544:
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passport, with supporting documents for both; a plane ticket and British passport in the name of
457:
Katz, Samuel M. "Relentless Pursuit: The DSS and the manhunt for the al-Qaeda terrorists", 2002
247:, flying first class during both legs of the trip, believing they would receive less scrutiny.
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290:. One of the manuals, written in 1982, seven years before the group was founded, was entitled
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plot. Ajaj never contacted Yousef directly. Calls were patched through "Big 5 Hamburgers" in
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Conspiracy to use and carry a destructive device during a crime of violence (18 U.S.C. § 924)
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Terrorist Task Force which declined to get involved but requested copies of the file. The
240:
548:
326:, under which Ajaj had traveled into the U.S. Yousef had signed the back of the card as
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Conspiracy to bomb a building used in interstate and foreign commerce (18 U.S.C. § 844)
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522:
244:
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on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Lacking necessary credentials, Ajaj was sent to
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478:, Margot Williams and Alyson Hurt, NPR, 3-3-11, retrieved 2011 03 04 from npr.org
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On April 24, 1992, abandoning his first asylum claim, Ajaj flew from New York to
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151:; born 1966) is a Palestinian citizen who is convicted of participating in the
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347:
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inspector Mark Cozine and Robert Malafronte found a Saudi passport, altered
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August 31, 1992, using services of a Pakistani travel agent, Ahmad Ajaj and
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47:
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Conspiracy to transport explosives in interstate commerce (18 U.S.C. § 844)
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and needed asylum, that he had been recently beaten by Iraqi soldiers in
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30:
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240 years imprisonment; commuted to 84 years and 10 months imprisonment
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DATA & GRAPHICS: Population Of The Communications Management Units
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Crimes Committed by Terrorist Groups: Theory, Research and Prevention
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Benjamin, Daniel & Steven Simon. "The Age of Sacred Terror", 2002
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338:
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279:
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People convicted of murder by the United States federal government
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489:"4 men convicted in 1993 WTC bombing have had sentences cut"
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radio program on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
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report claimed he was imprisoned in a highly restrictive
318:, and an identity card, from Al-Bunyan Islamic Center in
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to plaster his own photograph over the legitimate owner.
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Conspiracy to assault federal officers (18 U.S.C. § 111)
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United States Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs
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5:00 a.m. September 2, 1992, INS handed Ajaj to
125:
117:
78:
64:
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40:
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16:Palestinian participant in the 1993 WTC bombing
350:for incarceration in a converted warehouse in
214:May 16, 1992, he flew to Saudi Arabia via the
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415:In the late 1990s Ajaj was diagnosed with
29:
18:
439:
358:Yousef never appeared for his hearing.
302:was notified but was "not interested."
300:Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
630:People imprisoned on terrorism charges
615:Palestinian people convicted of murder
211:to obtain a letter of recommendation.
155:. He is currently serving an 84-year
7:
620:Palestinian people imprisoned abroad
259:published manuals. (911 Commission)
322:, with Yousef's photo and the name
235:flight 703 in Peshawar and flew to
348:Wackenhut Correctional Corporation
14:
569:Mossad Linked To WTC Bomb Suspect
564:-Center for Cooperative Research
163:for taking part in the bombing.
233:Pakistan International Airlines
153:1993 World Trade Center bombing
59:1993 World Trade Center bombing
571:, Village Voice, 3 August 1993
187:Training for terrorist attacks
1:
398:Communication Management Unit
44:1966 (age 57–58)
646:
610:Palestinian mass murderers
368:World Trade Center bombing
362:Participation from prison
135:
74:
28:
555:Indiana State University
600:Inmates of ADX Florence
553:Criminology Department
403:As of 2020, Ajaj is at
333:Yousef had checks from
306:claimed he was fleeing
590:20th-century criminals
527:Testimony before the
171:Ajaj was born in the
567:Robert I. Friedman,
216:United Arab Emirates
562:Profile: Ahmad Ajaj
142:Ahmed Mohammad Ajaj
424:violations of his
328:Ramzi Ahmed Yousef
274:In Ajaj's luggage
199:, using the alias
126:Imprisoned at
421:Bureau of Prisons
237:Karachi, Pakistan
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595:Bombers (people)
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426:Eighth Amendment
203:, from there to
118:Criminal penalty
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532:, July 31, 2003
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241:Kennedy Airport
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201:Ibrahim Salameh
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65:Criminal status
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558:, June 1, 2005
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538:For the Record
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519:Jonathon Levin
515:Steven Emerson
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509:External links
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480:
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308:Saddam Hussein
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223:Return to U.S.
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181:Houston, Texas
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146:transliterated
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55:Known for
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605:Living people
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405:USP Coleman I
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316:Mohammed Azan
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284:Mohammed Azan
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245:New York City
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239:, then on to
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130:USP Coleman I
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81:Conviction(s)
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545:Mark S. Hamm
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496:. Retrieved
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324:Khurram Khan
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288:Saudi Arabia
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269:school paste
264:Khurram Khan
263:
261:
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229:Ramzi Yousef
226:
213:
209:Saudi Arabia
205:Camp Khalden
200:
190:
170:
148:
141:
140:
69:Incarcerated
35:Ajaj in 1991
585:1966 births
536:Summary of
419:. The U.S.
417:lung cancer
411:Lung cancer
335:Lloyds Bank
161:USP Coleman
579:Categories
498:2022-06-13
435:References
177:immigrated
167:Early life
101:(2 counts)
23:Ahmed Ajaj
280:Jordanian
173:West Bank
48:West Bank
493:ABC News
428:rights.
292:al-Qaeda
231:boarded
197:Pakistan
193:Peshawar
157:sentence
392:A 2011
387:Houston
320:Arizona
372:Dallas
352:Queens
339:London
312:Kuwait
144:(also
252:Iraqi
149:Ahmad
257:WAMY
175:and
41:Born
394:NPR
337:of
296:FBI
276:INS
243:in
179:to
159:at
581::
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521:,
517:,
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400:.
354:.
330:.
195:,
183:.
501:.
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