In "Ticket to an American University or Ticket to Paradise?" I write about the disturbing case of Saudi "student" Anwar Al—. In lieu of today's article in the Telegraph, "New UK Terror Threat From Foreign Students," my article is worth revisiting. In it, I detail how a young Saudi male obtained a US student visa on false pretenses, was involved in an airport threat and managed to pull the wool over the eyes of multiple US federal agents who had the opportunity to interrogate him but did not. Instead, the Saudi "student" disappeared into the United States for purposes unknown. Here's an overview of the events at issue:

  • Anwar Al— was able to obtain a fraudulent visa at the US Embassy in Riyadh on the grounds that he was a student.
  • He evaded detection by multiple federal agencies when he entered the country.
  • He was involved in a suspicious incident at Reagan National Airport, one that involved multiple federal law enforcement agencies including the Federal Air Marshal Service, The FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
  • Multiple Federal Agencies became aware that Anwar Al— appeared on a terrorist watch list.
  • Unable to verify that this Anwar Al— was the terror suspect, he was let go on the grounds that he was a "student."
  • Anwar Al— never showed up for class.

The article is based on my exclusive interviews with Federal Air Marshal Jeffrey Denning, the federal agent who first interrogated Anwar Al—, as well as officials from other federal agencies involved. Here's an excerpt:

On October 18, 2006. Federal Air Marshal (FAM) Jeffrey Denning was about to catch a mission flight out of Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. when a piece of luggage left unattended in a crowded area caught his attention. FAM Denning asked the individuals in the area if the bag belonged to any of them. When no one claimed ownership, FAM Denning notified the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)—the federal agency tasked with protecting the airport from the terrorist threat. An airport police officer arrived to assist Denning.Twenty minutes passed. That's when Denning noticed a young, Middle Eastern man standing nearby watching him; it was Anwar Al—. Denning asked Anwar Al— if the bag belonged to him. Anwar Al— said "yes."

In a recent interview, Federal Air Marshal Jeffrey Denning explained to me what happened next: "I asked him why he left his bag unattended for so long. He said, 'I don't speak English' in what I call a California accent. I speak a little Arabic because I lived and worked in the Middle East. So I spoke to him in Arabic and he just clammed up. He was being deceptive. My experience said he was lying."

Read the whole article here. 

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