Fact Check: a terrorist's passport was found amongst the debris on 9/11

Fact-Check Article: "A terrorist's passport was found amongst the debris on 9/11"

What We Know

The claim that a terrorist's passport was found amongst the debris on September 11, 2001, is substantiated by multiple credible sources. According to the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, four of the hijackers' passports survived the attacks. Specifically, the passport of Satam al Suqami was recovered by a passerby who handed it to a New York Police Department (NYPD) detective shortly before the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. Additionally, the passports of Ziad Jarrah and Saeed al Ghamdi were found at the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania, and another passport belonging to Abdul Aziz al Omari was discovered in luggage that did not make it to its final destination (The 9/11 Commission Report).

Furthermore, the FBI confirmed that responders found the hijackers' notes and passports among the debris, which included a knife believed to have been used by one of the hijackers. This corroborates the claim that at least one passport was indeed found in the aftermath of the attacks.

Analysis

The evidence supporting the claim is robust and comes from well-established sources, including the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks and the FBI. The 9/11 Commission Report provides a detailed account of the hijackers' travel and the recovery of their documents, which adds credibility to the findings. The report indicates that the recovery of these passports was not an isolated incident but part of a broader investigation into how the hijackers entered the United States.

While some conspiracy theories suggest that the passport was planted or that its survival was improbable given the conditions of the attacks, these claims lack substantial evidence. The UPI Archives reported on the immediate recovery of al Suqami's passport shortly after the attacks, which aligns with the timeline provided by the Commission's findings.

The reliability of the sources is high, given that they are official reports and statements from government investigations. The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks was tasked with providing a comprehensive account of the events surrounding 9/11, and its findings are based on extensive documentation and interviews.

Conclusion

Verdict: True

The claim that a terrorist's passport was found amongst the debris on 9/11 is true. Multiple credible sources confirm the recovery of several hijackers' passports, including that of Satam al Suqami, which was handed to law enforcement just before the collapse of the World Trade Center. The evidence is supported by official investigations and reports, making the claim credible and factual.