Editing Khalid al-Mihdhar (section)

===Malaysia summit===
[[File:KAlmihdhar.JPG|thumb|right|Khalid al-Mihdhar]]
{{main|Kuala Lumpur al-Qaeda Summit}}
The [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] was aware of al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi's involvement with al-Qaeda, having been informed by Saudi intelligence during a 1999 meeting in [[Riyadh]].  Based on information uncovered by the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] in the [[1998 United States embassy bombings]] case, the [[National Security Agency]] (NSA) began tracking the communications of Hada, al-Mihdhar's father-in-law. In late 1999, the NSA informed the CIA of an upcoming meeting in [[Malaysia]], which Hada mentioned would involve "Khalid", "Nawaf", and "Salem", who was al-Hazmi's younger brother, [[Salem al-Hazmi]].<ref name="soufan"/>

On 4 January 2000, al-Mihdhar left Yemen and flew to [[Dubai]], [[United Arab Emirates]], where he spent the night.  The CIA broke into his hotel room and photocopied his passport, which gave them his full name, birth information and passport number for the first time, and alerted them that he held an entry visa to the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/pdf/fullreport_errata.pdf |title=Report of the Joint Inquiry into the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |year=2002 |page=144 |access-date=2008-09-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005014507/http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/pdf/fullreport_errata.pdf |archive-date=October 5, 2008 }}</ref>  The photocopy was sent to the CIA's [[Bin Laden Issue Station|Alec Station]], which was tracking al-Qaeda.<ref name="soufan">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/07/10/060710fa_fact_wright?currentPage=all |author=Wright, Lawrence |title=The Agent: Did the CIA Stop an FBI Detective from Preventing 9/11 |date=2006-07-10 |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080717133042/http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/07/10/060710fa_fact_wright?currentPage=all |archive-date=2008-07-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 5 January 2000, al-Mihdhar traveled to [[Kuala Lumpur]], where he joined al-Hazmi, bin Attash and al-Yemeni, who were all arriving from Pakistan. [[Hamburg cell]] member [[Ramzi bin al-Shibh]] was also at the summit, and Mohammed possibly attended.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/could/ |title=The Man Who Knew: What If... |work=Frontline |publisher=PBS |access-date=2008-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921160152/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/could/ |archive-date=2008-09-21 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="fouda">Fouda and Fielding (2003), pp. 129–130</ref> The group was in Malaysia to meet with [[Hambali]], the leader of [[Jemaah Islamiyah]], an Asian al-Qaeda affiliate.  During the [[Kuala Lumpur al-Qaeda Summit]], many key details of the 9/11 attacks may have been arranged. At the time, the attacks plot had an additional component involving hijacking aircraft in Asia, as well as in the United States.  Bin Attash and al-Yemeni were slated for this part of the plot.  However, it was later canceled by bin Laden for being too difficult to coordinate with United States operations.<ref name="911-ch5"/>

{{quote box |width=20em |quote='[W]e've got to tell the Bureau about this. These guys clearly are bad. One of them, at least, has a multiple-entry visa to the U.S. We've got to tell the FBI.' And then [the CIA officer] said to me, 'No, it's not the FBI's case, not the FBI's jurisdiction.' |author=[[Mark Rossini]] |source="The Spy Factory"<ref name=rossini1>{{cite news | url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/spy-factory.html | title=The Spy Factory | publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] | author=Bamford, James | author-link=James Bamford | author2=Willis, Scott | date=February 3, 2009 | access-date=July 2, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140411200414/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/spy-factory.html | archive-date=2014-04-11 | url-status=live }}</ref>}}

In Malaysia, the group stayed with [[Yazid Sufaat]], a local Jemaah Islamiyah member, who provided accommodation at Hambali's request.<ref name="911-ch5"/>  Both al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi were secretly photographed at the meeting by Malaysian authorities, whom the CIA had asked to provide [[surveillance]].  The Malaysians reported that al-Mihdhar spoke at length with bin Attash, and he met with [[Fahd al-Quso]] and others who were later involved in the [[USS Cole bombing|USS ''Cole'' bombing]].<ref name="soufan"/><ref name="fouda"/>  After the meeting, al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi traveled to [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]], on 8 January and left a week later on 15 January for the United States.<ref>FBI Hijackers' Timeline, p. 52</ref>