Terrorist attackers get their US visas

14 Mar, 2002 07:56 AM2 mins to read

WASHINGTON - The White House on Wednesday is investigating why the Florida flight school where two of the September 11 hijackers trained received notices this week that their student visas had been approved.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said President George W, Bush was "very displeased".

"He wants to know how and why this happened, and he wants it fixed."

The president had asked Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge to work with Attorney General John Ashcroft to "get to the bottom of this" as quickly as possible.

The US Immigration and Naturalisation Service said Mohamed Atta and Marwan Al-Shehhi were notified last summer of the change in their visa status from visitor to student.

But "secondary notification" to the school did not go out until after the paperwork was done manually.

Atta and Al-Shehhi trained at Huffman Aviation International in Venice, Florida, and are believed to have piloted the two planes that destroyed the World Trade Centre in New York on September 11.

Atta's application to change his non-immigrant status was approved on July 17 last year and Al-Shehhi's on August 9.

"Notices to students are automatically generated upon approval," an INS statement said.

"Secondary notification to the school occurs later, after data is manually entered."

Asked whether the head of the INS, who was appointed by Bush, or other employees might be fired, a Justice Department official said the agency would await the inspector general's report.

"There's no question there are problems within the INS," the official said.

"This should not happen, point blank."

Senator Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, called the incident "an embarrassing mistake" that showed the INS had serious problems.

Kennedy is the chief Senate sponsor of legislation to update technology at the INS and close loopholes in the immigration system.

McClellan said the White House has been working with the agency since the September attacks to get student visa and other immigration records computerised.

- REUTERS

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