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MEMORANDUMFORTHERECORDEvent:
InterviewofFBISpecialAgentDanielGonzales
Typeofevent:
Interview
Dates:
November18,2003
SpecialAccessIssues:
AccessLimitedtoDieterSnell,RajDe(sourcedisclosure)
Preparedby:Raj
De
Location:
FBI,SanDiegoFieldOfficey
Participants-Non-Commission:
FBISupervisorySpecialAgen~.......
TeamNumber:
lA
Participants-Commission:
DieterSnell,RajDeSADannyGonzalesjoinedtheFBIin1989(EOD
11/89)
andwasassignedtotheSanDiegoFieldOfficeinFebruary1990.Hewasacriminalagentuntil
9/11
andgainedexperienceininvestigationsofextortion,fugitives,kidnapping,publiccorruption,drugs,moneylaundering,andpubliccorruption.On
9/11,
GonzaleswasassignedtoaterrorismsquadunderSSAA.Cortez.Bythebeginningof2002,hisinvestigationsbegantofocusonspecificindividualswhoareassociatedwiththeapartmenta~landtheTexacogasstationinLaMesa,suchasModharAbdullah,OmarBakarbashat,OsamaAwadallah,IyadKhreiwesh,andOsamaMustafa.:/Beforeturningtothesesubjects,GonzaleswasaskedwhetherheknewanythingabouttheallegationthatattorneyRandallHamudhadboughtplaneticketsforAbdullah,Bakerbashat,andAwadallahpriorto9/11foracross-couP.trytripfromNewYorktoSanFranciscoinOctober2001,aswasstatedinarecentFB~,/document.Gonzalesbelievedthattheremustsimplyhavebeenamistakeastothestateddateofpurchase(thedatewasprobablyearlyOctober2001ratherthanearlySeptember2001),becauseHamuddidnotknowanyoftheseindividualspriortorepresentingthempost-9/11andthepurporteddatesotherwisemakesensebecausethose
individuals
wouldhavetestifiedasmaterialwitnessesinNewYorkaroundthattime..Justaftertheattackson9/11,SanDiegoreceivedtheleadfromtheDullespolicethatacarleftbythehijackerswasregisteredto
~n
addressinLemonGrove.InvestIgatingthislead,Gonzalesfoundandinterviewed
Bakarbashat,
whowasresidingatthataddress
.1I...
~.~karbashat,whoconsentedtotheinterview,identifiedthehijackersNawatal-HazmtandKha1idJ~l-Midhar.HestatedthathehadonlymovedtothataddressinAugust2001
and
thathehadfound.
Q.~~
about
it
attheTexacogasstation.Bakarbashat1
 
alsostatedthathe
was
not
as
good
fij]l~l:~i:~~idharas
Abudullah.Atthispoint,Gonzalesbegantofocusthei~ve,~tigati'Qri''':?~heTexacostation-;ndonAbdullah.Withrespecttothegas
station,
honzal~:~:-.stat~dhatithadbeenasocialgatheringplaceforseveralMuslimmalesprior
to
:9/~
1.W~ell"askedaboutwitnessreportingthatasecretivemeetinhadtakenla¢eattheiTexacost~tio.ri-.pnSetember102001Gonzaies··...identified..Withrespectto~allegedm~e~ngohseptembe~\lo,
:i(1O~j
lbelievedthatsomethingimportanthappenedthatmorning~ttheTexaco..station.HeidentifiedseveralindividualsasbeingpresentattheTexaco
station
earlythat..
morning,
includingAbdullah,Bakarbashat,Awadallah,Khreiwesh,andtwo'otherunidentifiedmales(oneyoung,andoneold).Althoughthese
individuals-often
hungoutattheg~,station,theywerenevertherethisearlyin
the'
morning.They
sometimes
prayed
together
inth~afternoon,andtheyenerallsokeinArabic.Onih~:mominofSetember\tO,the\,~ereallpresentwhenverheardthemsaysomethinglike"It'sfinallygoingtohappen",Theywerea.somewhatcelebratory,givingeachother/highfives."':.'."
.
..
Gonzaltf'statedthattherearenoother~itnessestoconflrniJpio;...--"!accountandthathehadinterviewedatleast15gasstationcustomerswhoweretherethatday.WhenheaskedAbdullahaboutthisallegedincidentlater,Abdullahsaidhedidnotknowaboutitbutdidnot/explicitlydenyora~itbeingthere,GonzalesdidnotthinkthatAbdullahwouldsayanythingwithoutcompleteimmunity.\HealsodidnotthinkthatAwadallahorBakerbashatwouldprovideanyinformationeither-hedescribedAwadallahassomeonewhoactsnicebutwouldnevercoo;eratefullywiththeFBI,andBakerbashatessentiallyasan:Gonzalesdidconfirm,however,thatwasveryspecific
InIS
accounting
0
eeventsofthemorning'ofSeptember10,2001,andthathebelievedhewasagoodwitness(eventhoughtheAl.0SAsdidnotlikehimasanuncorroboratedwitness
in
viewofhisbackgroundwith
I.
f
GonzalesthoughtthaiIrecalledthetwounidentifiedindividualsfromthatmeetingwithsuchspecificitythathemightrecognizethemeventodayifshownphotos.Hesuggestedthatwespeak
~.~~hl
I
whoisl
I
TurningtoAbdullah,Gonzalesdescribedhimas"slick"andcharismatic"liar"whoislikedby.~veiybodyinthecommunity.AbdullahadmittedtoassistingHazmiandMidharobtainstateidentificationandcontactflightsschools,andtotranslatingforthemonoccasion,Gonzalesnotedthateverythinginhisinvestigationledbacktoatwoweekstretch,fromAugust25,2001toSeptember11,2001,whenAbdullahwasactingvery..····strange.Accordingtoseveralwitnesses,Abdullahwasnervous,paranoid,andanxiousduringthisperiodanddidnotgotoworkortoschool.Abdullahattributedhisbehavior2
 
t
PersonalPrivacy
duringthistimetol,..:Gonzalesdidnotfmd.thisexplanationtobebelievableandthenproceededtodescribeseveralcircumstances,inadditiontothisstrangebehaviorandtheallegedSeptember10meeting,thatwouldsuggestAbdullahmayhavehadadvanceknowledgeofthe
9111
attacks.'.InAugust2001,AbdullahwaslivingwithSharif
el-Arbi,
Abdullahwasstillontheleaseforthd~partment,buthesaidthat'theapartmentwastoobusyforhimtostudysohehaddecidedtomoveout.Sharifel-ArbiwasthefatherofKhalilel-Arbi,whosubsequentlyidentifiedHazmiandMihdarasfriendswithwhomheplayedsoccer.GonzalesstatedthatwhenKhalilidentifiedthetwohijackers,hisfatherinterruptedtheinterviewandsaidhis
son
didnotknowanything(apparentlythemotherwasalsopresentandagreed).
Notably;
accordingtoGonzales,neitherparentindicatedthattheirolderson,Sharif,hadalsometthehijackers.AccordingtoGonzales,SharifwasstudyingabroadinJordanduringAugust2001andhadarrangedforAbdullahtomoveintohisfather'sapartmentwhile~ewasaway..
\
\
GonzalesstatedthatAbdullahsteppedusingthephoneattheArbi'sapartmentonAugust24,2001-infact,fromthat
date'
forward,therewasnophoneactivity
on.
.thatline(Gonzalessaidthatthemajorityofcalls
on
theArbilinepriortothattimeweremadebyAbdullah).GonzalesfoundthissuspiciousinviewofAbdullah'sallegedbehavior
'a~
thistime,aswellasthefactthatthehijackersmusthavepickedthedatefortheattackaroundthistimesinceHazmiboughthisplaneticfetonAugust27.GonzalesalsofounditsuspiciousthatAbdullahapparentlywantedtomarryayoungwomanhehadmetmonthsearlierohtheoihtofSetember10,2001
___~-.I
AbdullahmetthewomaninJune,ancaeeragamonAugustwhenhewasapparentlyadamantaboutwantingtomarryher.AlthoughGonzalescouldnotconfionwhethertheyactuallyweremarriedonthenightofSeptember10,hestatedthatasofthemorningofSeptember11heap\parentlycalledherhiswife.Inviewofthesesuspicious
circumstances
(Abdullah'soddbehaviorasofAugust25,thesharpdropinregularphoneactivity
as:
ofthattime,hissuddeninterestingettingmarriedasofthattime,hisallegedmarriageontheeveofSeptember10,andtheallegedgatheringattheTexacostationonthemorningofSeptember10-combined
with
thefactthatthehijackersmusthavemadetheirdecisionaboutthedateoftheattacksroughlyatthesametimeallofthisstarted),GonzalesaskedAbdullahdurinhisrofferaboutthephonecallhereceivedfromHazmionAuust
25.
u
nu
iayresponeyasmgonzaes.torefreshhismemoryaboutthecaewasaskingabout,andhislawyerthenadvised'himnottorespond.Interestingly,itwasasaresultofthisquestionthatAbdullahlateraskedGonzaleswhetherhehadtapedthecall.:....
-----------__....;........1
Healsostated,however,
t
atepone.recorallincomingcallstothepayphoneattheTexacos~~tio·~:.w.ere.unavaitabfe·~...
~sensitive
3
of 00

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