Paris suspect Said Kouachi was roommate of 'underwear bomber': Reports

[jakeXT]

Source: Yahoo News

...

Mohammed al-Kibsi, the Yemeni journalist, told the Associated Press that he met Kouachi in early 2010 in Sanaa, Yemen's capital, where Abdulmutallab — who was later convicted of trying to blow up the Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas day 2009 using explosives concealed in his underwear — was studying Arabic.

Al-Kibsi said he asked Kouachi if he knew Abdulmutallab.

"Surprisingly, he said that, 'Yes,' he knew him and that he lived with him in the same residence," al-Kibsi said Monday. &quot Abdulmutallab) had left three or four months before we met Said."

Said Kouachi told al-Kibsi that he and Abdulmutallab prayed together at Yemen's al-Tabari School and studied Arabic at the Sanaa Arabic Grammar Institute. The pair shared an apartment "for one to two weeks" in Yemen, al-Kibsi said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/kouachi-underwear-bomber-roomate-yemen-184021010.html

[CJCRANE]

1. USA Today also reported that the Kouachi brothers returned from Syria this summer

which would seem to be a pretty big red flag.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/01/07/france-charlie-hebdo-satirical-publisher/21377861/

[jakeXT]

2. Remember the Patrick Kennedy testimony ?

Congressional hearing reveals US intelligence agencies shielded Flight 253 bomber
By Alex Lantier
3 February 2010

A January 27 hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security established that US intelligence agencies stopped the State Department from revoking the US visa of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. The Nigerian student, whom US officials suspected of being affiliated with the Yemeni terrorist group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, attempted to set off a bomb on Northwest Flight 253 into Detroit on Christmas Day. Revocation of Abdulmutallab’s visa would have prevented him from boarding the airplane.

The hearing was reported in a brief article posted January 27 on the web site of the Detroit News, headlined, “Terror Suspect Kept Visa to Avoid Tipping Off Larger Investigation.”

The revelation that US intelligence agencies made a deliberate decision to allow Abdulmutallab to board the commercial flight, without any special airport screening, has been buried in the media. As of this writing, nearly a week after the hearing, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times have published no articles on the subject. Nor have the broadcast or cable media reported on it.

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2010/02/f253-f03.html

[SoapBox]

4. Well WTF?

I don't remember hearing this.

[Jesus Malverde]

9. There is some debate whether he even had a valid passport.

He was said to have been escorted through security at the dutch airport.

[SoapBox]

3. How educated were these weirdos?

It's always hard for me to believe how wack-job these freaks are, but I guess when you only see and hear shit that you want to, then that is what you believe.

Hmmm...wackos that only watch FuksNews and read garbage from crazies here...sounds dangerous to me.

[riderinthestorm]

5. Good thing we've given the NSA and CIA carte blanche to be super effective spy agencies

I feel so much better these experts are working so hard to thwart terror attacks. ..

[Yo_Mama]

7. These are French citizens and wouldn't be the responsibility of the NSA and CIA. n/t

[riderinthestorm]

8. Ok. That is almost funny...

but not really.

For YEARS there's been a contingent of DUers insisting that the NSA and CIA have done nothing illegal or wrong. That these agencies are "only" adhering to their mandate to spy overseas - NOT on Americans. That their only goal was to stop terror plots and not to misuse their powers by applying them to Americans.

No NSA overreach!!1!!!1 (shhh, don't listen to that traitor Comrade Snowden)

Stopping terror attacks has been their sole and noble purpose!!11!!!1

And now you say that the NSA and CIA aren't/shouldn't/wouldn't be involved in monitoring terror cells overseas...

I'm sorry. It's not you personally. It's just hugely ironic in light of the backstory on DU as regards the NSA and CIA...

In answer to you specifically let me just say that these secret organizations have gotten billions of American dollars to ensure they CAN stop terror attacks anywhere on the globe. I promise you France gives the U.S. Intelligence and absolutely expects us to reciprocate.

We failed. Spectacularly.

Even as these agencies are awash in cash.

It begs the question, exactly what are they doing??

(I know what they're doing. It's a rhetorical question)

[reACTIONary]

10. I remember readinng...

...that they were on our no-fly list. They certinally couldn't have gotten a visa to enter our country.

Now, how did they get put on that list? Think maybe the NSA / CIA had something to do with it?

And exactly what, further, would you have wanted to be done, with these, ahem, French citizens? Premptively emprision them? Make them disapear? Hit them with a drone strike?

You don't think they should have been on the no-fly list? That we in some way violated their civil rights? That we shouldn't collect the intelligence to establish a no-fly list? We shouldn't even try to protect ourselves?

[riderinthestorm]

11. So billions of dollars are spent to...put people on a no fly list.

come on. Really?

IF the NSA and CIA are really about stopping terrorist attacks, the this one should have been a no-brainer.

These guys were already under surveillance. The one brother was the roommate of Abdulmutallab, the underwear bomber for gawds sake. One was imprisoned for trying to get to Iraq to become a jihadi, they'd just recently returned from Syrian terrorist training camps....

Also, they had to have gotten the funds for that kind of military hardware from SOMEONE.

The Charlie Hebdo offices had been firebombed by Islamic terrorists in the past....

Seriously. If the NSA/CIA can't discern this ahead of time with all the surveillance they have going aren't you a tad bit suspicious about WHAT exactly they're doing?

If their only goal is to put folks on no fly lists then they're seriously wasting time, $$$, and our civil liberties for bullshit.

[reACTIONary]

12. There are more than two names...

... on the no fly list. Those names represent lives saved. And, fyi, money saved also, since terrorism has significant economic consequences. In this case, our national security aperatus worked well.

Can it work better? Sure. But it wouldn't be working at all if folks like you had their way. Luckly most Americans have a bit more common sense .

[riderinthestorm]

6. Pm kick! Nt