Agent cites 'sixth sense' in denying man's entry into U.S.

Agent cites 'sixth sense' in denying man's entry into U.S.
Saudi among suspects who may be so-called 20th hijacker

(CNN) --Five weeks before 9/11, a U.S. customs agent was questioning a young Saudi trying to enter the United States at Orlando International Airport.

The well-dressed man with military bearing told the agent he was in Florida for a six-day vacation -- normal enough for someone arriving in the hometown of Walt Disney World.
But something didn't make sense, agent Jose Melendez-Perez said Tuesday as he recalled the encounter on CNN's "American Morning."

U.S. officials now say Melendez-Perez had reason to be concerned.
The Saudi, identified as Mohammed al-Qahtani, is among a handful of suspects who may have been the so-called 20th hijacker in the September 11, 2001, attacks, a senior U.S. official said.
The customs agent said the way al-Qahtani looked at him when they met and how he carried himself during the 90-minute interview made him think the man was hiding something.
"He seemed like a military person or a person who had received some military training," the agent said Tuesday.

Through an interpreter, al Qahtani said he didn't have hotel reservations or a ticket for a return flight home, the agent said. He told the agent he was meeting a friend -- but not for a few days. And during the interview, he changed answers to some of his questions, Melendez-Perez said.
"My first instinct was just that sixth sense that something wasn't right, that the guy was hiding something, that the guy was coming to do harm in some way," Melendez-Perez said.

"This doesn't make any sense, that he's going to wait for somebody for three or four days when he was coming for a six-day vacation."

Melendez-Perez put al-Qahtani on a plane back to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, denying him entry into the United States.

"My first belief, impression, when he said he didn't have a return ticket [was] that he was a hit man," Melendez-Perez said, "because a hit man doesn't know where he is going. That way if he gets caught he doesn't have anything to bargain with."

Officials suspect that al-Qahtani came to Florida in August 2001 so he could prepare to board United Airlines Flight 93. On September 11, that plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers overpowered the hijackers.

Flight 93 was the only one of the jets overtaken by four hijackers that day. The two that hit the World Trade Center in New York and the one that slammed into the Pentagon outside Washington each had five, leading officials to suspect that a 20th hijacker was planned.

Al-Qahtani later was captured fighting with al Qaeda in Afghanistan. He is in custody at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where the American government has been interrogating detainees and deciding whether they will face military tribunals or be released.

As of last month, al-Qahtani had not provided much information to his interrogators, officials said.

Melendez-Perez testified January 26 before the independent commission investigating the September 11 attacks.

Thwarting the "20th Hijacker"

Thwarting the "20th Hijacker" Jose Melendez-PerezCustoms and Border Protection OfficerDepartment of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection

On August 4, 2001, a Saudi man named Mohamed al-Kahtani had just arrived at the Orlando airport off a flight from London and was acting strangely. Some of his required Immigration documents were not properly completed, and he was unable to communicate in English. He also had no return airline ticket or hotel reservations. Immigration Inspector Jose Melendez-Perez was assigned to query Mohamed al-Kahtani further based upon his earlier responses.

Melendez interviewed al-Kahtani for almost two hours via an interpreter. Al-Kahtani said he was meeting a friend at the airport, then changed his story to say he was meeting the friend a few days later, then suggested that his plan was to vacation in the U.S. What investigators would later discover was that Mohammed Atta, one of the lead terrorists in the 9/11 attacks, was in the Orlando airport waiting for al-Kahtani at that very moment.

Melendez-Perez utilized the experience he had gained in nearly three decades of military service, including training in interviewing techniques, to parse al-Kahtani's words and gestures. Al-Kahtani behavior was hostile and would not reveal the name or phone number of the friend he was supposed to meet. But even though he was acting suspiciously, the man carried a genuine Saudi passport and a valid U.S. visa. This meant that if Melendez-Perez were to recommend that the U.S. government disrupt al-Kahtani's flight plans, he would need to have complete confidence that the man posed a risk to national security.

Relying on the skills he had developed as an Army sergeant as well as his own instincts, Melendez-Perez decided to go for it. He recommended to his supervisor that al-Kahtani be put on a plane out of the country, noting that the man's true intentions were unclear and that he appeared very evasive. Melendez-Perez's supervisor, in turn, recommended to his own boss that al-Kahtani be asked to leave the United States. As he was escorted to the departure gate, al-Kahtani turned to the officers and sneered that he would be back someday.

Since that day, experts on the federal commission charged with investigating the attacks of September 11th have stated that Mohamed al-Kahtani very likely intended to serve as the “20th hijacker” aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania. Intelligence officials believe that the intended target of that flight was either the White House or the U.S. Capitol Building. Al-Kahtani has since been placed in custody at the American military base in Guantanamo Bay to answer further questions about the September 11th attacks.

Ever since September 11th, most of the stories looking back on the events leading up to this tragedy have left us wondering what would have happened if we had done this or that the ”right way.” But Jose Melendez-Perez's story is one case where a public servant did his job exactly as it should have been done, and as a result, one of the 9/11 terrorists was captured in advance. As our nation looks for ways to prevent another terrorist attack, many questions remain. But one thing that is certain is that we will need more professionals like Jose Melendez-Perez doing their jobs skillfully if we are to keep our nation safe and secure from terrorism.

Melendez-Perez's contributions were recognized when he was chosen as a finalist for the Service to America Medals in June 2004.