The government’s star witness in the Detroit terrorism trial testified Wednesday that one of the defendants asked him to alter a visa so an Algerian man could travel to the United States to take flight lessons. But federal jurors may never know whether the suspects in the case were somehow linked to the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers. Federal prosecutors didn’t press Youssef Hmimssa on the issue and declined afterward to elaborate on his testimony. The testimony left defense lawyers shaking their heads, convinced that prosecutors used the testimony in a desperate attempt to persuade jurors that the four men in Detroit are terrorists. Hmimssa, an identity-thief-turned-document-forger, testified that Abdel-Ilah Elmardoudi, 37, of Minneapolis wanted him to update the expiration date on the visa, which read July 19, 2001. The visa had been issued to Mohamed Tahar Benaouicha. Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.