Columnist Jeff German: Hijackers still a scary mystery

Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2003 | 11:18 a.m.

Just why five of the 19 hijackers in the Sept. 11 attacks passed through Las Vegas was a mystery two years ago.

Today, on the eve of the second anniversary of the deadly attacks that brought down the World Trade Center in New York and damaged the Pentagon, the question of why they were here remains a mystery.

That has created a niggling doubt that keeps us worrying about our safety.

It's true that authorities are far better equipped today to spot suspected terrorists slipping into Las Vegas.

It's true that federal, state and local police agencies are working together more often and better than they did two years ago.

And it's true that Metro Police and the FBI are well prepared to watch over and protect the city.

Yet there's that one thing dampening our comfort level. We still don't know why some of the people responsible for the worst act of terrorism on American soil spent time here before committing that act.

Even in today's heightened state of alert, the five hijackers who visited Las Vegas prior to Sept. 11 -- including lead organizer Mohamed Atta -- would have been difficult to spot. They all flew in under the radar, renting economy cars and checking into low-budget motels, usually during separate visits. No one stayed longer than three days.

In a congressional report made public in July, FBI Director Robert Mueller said all five hijackers scheduled "layovers" in Las Vegas between May and August of 2001 on the return end of cross-country flights that originated on the East Coast.

There has been speculation that the flights were practice runs for Sept. 11, but Mueller said FBI agents still don't know the reason for the layovers.

It's important to understand why the hijackers were here because it could provide valuable intelligence not only in the country's overall homeland defense, but in the effort to protect Las Vegas and its 35 million annual visitors.

This knowledge could be crucial in determining whether Las Vegas, as some terrorist experts outside the city have alleged over the past several months, truly is a prime target for al-Qaida.

Did the hijackers come here for a last hurrah before their fatal mission? Or did they use Las Vegas as a staging area for the Sept. 11 attacks? Was the city, with its free-flowing cash system, a source of funding for the terrorists?

This week Ellen Knowlton, special agent in charge of the Las Vegas FBI office, said authorities still don't have answers to those questions.

Knowlton, however, was hopeful that captured al-Qaida members one day might help agents fill in the blanks.

"It's possible we won't figure it out totally," Knowlton said. "But I remain optimistic there still are things we can do."

Hopefully, she's right, because we do need answers. We won't know how safe we can feel until this mystery is solved.