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+--- Thread: Woo hoo the news tracked me down! - I finally got my student visa! (/showthread.php?tid=761)
- Buttmunch - 03-13-2002
INS APPROVED TERRORISTS' VISAS
By ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press Writer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MIAMI (AP) . Six months after two terrorists died in the World Trade Center attack, the Florida flight school where they trained has received their student visa approval forms from the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Huffman Aviation received the paperwork Monday acknowledging the INS approvals for Mohamed Atta, 33, of Egypt, and Marwan Al-Shehhi, 23, of the United Arab Emirates.
Atta and Al-Shehhi trained at Huffman in Venice, Fla., in July 2000, and were aboard the separate flights that struck the World Trade Center towers.
The two initially entered the United States on visitor's visas but applied for an M-1 student visa, given to immigrants attending technical schools in the United States.
A spokesman for the immigration service, Russ Bergeron, said the INS already had notified the men and the school last summer about the approvals. He described the paperwork Huffman received this week as ``backup notification.''
The INS approved Atta's request in July 2001 and Al-Shehhi's request the following month, Bergeron said.
``The important thing to recognize is the decisions to change their status were made ... before Sept. 11, and at the time there was no information made available to INS regarding these people and their link to terrorism,'' Bergeron said.
Both men were cleared to stay in the United States until Oct. 1, 2001, according to the forms, which were provided to The Associated Press by Rudi Dekkers, owner and president of the flight school.
``When they hit the buildings they were approved to be here,'' Dekkers said.
Bergeron attributed the embarrassing delay to a backlog of documents at a federal paperwork processing center in London, Ky. Foreign students are generally allowed to study in the United States as long as they apply for student visas, he said.
But John Conyers, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said the notification was a sign of the Bush administration's ``misguided focus in pursuit of homeland security.''
``I am astonished that while the INS is fixated on detaining and rounding up countless Arab-Americans without any justification, it has failed to take basic steps to ensure that visas are not issued to known terrorists,'' said Conyers, D-Mich.
U.S. authorities believe Atta was aboard American Airlines Flight 11, which struck the north tower of the trade center, and that Al-Shehhi was aboard United Airlines Flight 175, which struck the south tower 17 minutes later.
Dekkers said Atta and Alshehhi completed the paperwork on Aug. 29, 2000, just before they began their six-month flight instruction program at the school.
Dekkers, who said he faced scrutiny in the media after the attacks for admitting the students, said the forms showed he had followed the law.
The forms, filled out by an assistant at Huffman, indicated that both men met the English language requirements to study at the school. Atta listed his nationality as Egyptian, while Alshehhi said he was from United Arab Emirates.
On the form, Atta's name is spelled ``Mohomed.'' The documents indicated the academic term lasting up to 12 months would cost $27,300.
Both men studied at the Technical University in Hamburg, received pilot training at Huffman and practiced their flying on a Boeing 727 flight simulator in the Miami suburb of Opa-locka.
03-12-02 2033EST
Holy shit.
They finally approved me.
Too bad I'm dead.
Edited By Buttmunch on Mar. 12 2002 at 10:21
- Sean Cold - 03-13-2002
I don't give a rat's ass if I am like one of ten to actually get this fuckin joke, it's still damned funny!
I saw this at the bar and I automaticly thought of you again. :bouncer: :bouncer: :bouncer:
- Buttmunch - 03-13-2002
Sean Cold Wrote:I don't give a rat's ass if I am like one of ten to actually get this fuckin joke, it's still damned funny!Of course I knew only a couple of people would get it.
I saw this at the bar and I automaticly thought of you again. :bouncer: :bouncer: :bouncer:
But, I saw this story on Fox 5 and had to post it.
What a fucking disgrace this is.
Can you imagine the incompetence of the INS?
Ponderous!!!11!!1
- Sean Cold - 03-13-2002
Buttmunch Wrote:What a fucking disgrace this is.Dude, I guess that means that FMJeff always has a chance to work with them.
Can you imagine the incompetence of the INS?
Ponderous!!!11!!1
Speaking of, how goes working with your new partner Alkey? Is he a good mod or what?
- Metalfan - 03-13-2002
BM, I thought that was your pic on the news this morning.....a little grainy but definitely you :lol: Congrats on the VISA, maybe you can get a MasterCard or Amex now too.
Quote:``When they hit the buildings they were approved to be here,'' Dekkers said.
Oh, so does that make everything ok now? Fucking tool!!!
- GonzoStyle - 03-13-2002
Sean Cold Wrote:I don't give a rat's ass if I am like one of ten to actually get this fuckin joke, it's still damned funny!Can I finally get my fuckin credit for being the first and the one to make up the pic?
I saw this at the bar and I automaticly thought of you again. :bouncer: :bouncer: :bouncer:
Next time you whine to me about some little fuckin rape line... I don' even wanna hear it Sean.
- Arpikarhu - 03-13-2002
Quote:Speaking of, how goes working with your new partner Alkey? Is he a good mod or what?someone explain this please