Ahmed Mohammad Ajaj (Arabic: أحمد محمد عجاج; also transliterated Ahmad Mohammad Ajaj; born 1966) was convicted of participating in the World Trade Center bombing in 1993. He is currently serving a 115-year sentence in the ADX Florence supermax prison in Florence, Colorado for his role in the bombing. Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... Due to the fact that the Arabic language has a number of phonemes that have no equivalent in English or other European languages, a number of different transliteration methods have been invented to represent certain Arabic characters, due to various conflicting goals. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... In the World Trade Center bombing (February 26, 1993) a car bomb was detonated by Arab Islamist terrorists in the underground parking garage below Tower One of the World Trade Center in New York City. ... In law, a sentence forms the final act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. ... The ADX Florence facility from the outside The United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) in Florence is a supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. ... Supermax is the name used to describe control-unit prisons or units within prisons, representing the most secure and austere levels of custody in prison systems. ... Florence is a city located in Fremont County, Colorado, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 3,653. ...

Ajaj was born in the West Bank and immigrated to Houston, Texas, where he worked as a pizza delivery driver. Nickname: Space City Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Country United States State Texas Counties Harris County Fort Bend County Montgomery County Incorporated June 5, 1837 Government  - Mayor Bill White Area  - City  601. ... Pizza box redirects here. ...

April 24, 1992, abandoning his first asylum claim, Ajaj flew from New York to Peshawar, Pakistan, using the alias Ibraham Salameh, from there to Camp Khaldan on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Lacking necessary credentials, Ajaj was sent to Saudi Arabia to obtain a letter of recommendation. April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Peshāwar (Pashto: پښور; Urdu:پشاور) literally means City on the Frontier in Persian and is known as Pakhawar in Pashto. ...

May 16, 1992, he flew to Saudi Arabia via United Arab Emirates where he procured a letter of introduction requesting the leader of Camp Khaldan provide the bearer with training in the use of weapons and explosives. Ajaj returned to Pakistan via UAE, arriving June 14, 1992, and began the bomb building course. May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

Return to U.S.

August 31, 1992, using services of a Pakistani travel agent, Ahmad Ajaj and Ramzi Yousef boarded Pakistan International Airlines flight 703 in Peshawar and flew to Karachi, Pakistan, then on to Kennedy Airport in New York City, flying first class during both legs of the trip, believing they would receive less scrutiny. August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Ramzi Ahmed Yousef or Ramzi Mohammed Yousef (also transliterated as Ramzi Yusuf, Ramzi Youssef) (Arabic: رمزي يوسف ), birth name possibly Abdul Basit Mahmoud Abdul Karim, (Arabic: عبد الباسط كريم ) and also known by dozens of aliases,[1] is a Kuwaiti of Pakistani descent who was one of the planners of the 1993 World Trade Center... Pakistan International Airlines (also referred to as PIA), is the national flag carrier of Pakistan and the national airline operating passenger and cargo services around the world. ... Mausoleum of Muhammed Ali Jinnah, known locally as Quaid-e-Azam ka Mazaar or Mazaar-e-Quaid Karachi (کراچي) is the largest city of Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. ... John F. Kennedy International Airport is the main international airport in New York City, and is one of the largest airports in the world. ... Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC, City That Never Sleeps, The Concrete Jungle, The City So Nice They Named It Twice Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1676 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area...

Ajaj and Yousef together had five passports and numerous documents supporting their aliases: a Saudi passport showing signs of alteration , an Iraqi passport bought from a Pakistani official, a photo-substituted Swedish passport, a photo-substituted British passport, a Jordanian passport, identification cards, bank records, education records, and medical records, and carried WAMY published manuals. (911 Commission)

On September 1, 1992, at Kennedy airport Ajaj was sent to secondary immigration inspection, where he claimed he was a member of the Swedish press, travelling as Khurram Khan with International Student Identification card and a falsified Swedish passport. Ajaj shouted to the inspector: "My mother was Swedish! If you don't believe me check your computer." September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

In Ajaj's luggage INS inspector Mark Cozine and robert Malafronte found a Saudi passport, altered Jordanian passport, with supporting documents for both; a plane ticket and British passport in the name of Mohammed Azan, bomb-making manuals, videos and other materials on assemble weapons and explosives assembly, letters referencing his attendance at terrorist training camps; anti-American and anti-Israeli materials, instructions on document forgery, and two rubber stamp devices to alter the seal on passports issued from Saudi Arabia. An INS supervisor informed the FBI Terrorist Task Force which declined to get involved but requested copies of the file. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was notified but was "not interested." The acronym INS can refer to: Immigration and Naturalization Service Indian Navy Ship Inelastic neutron scattering Inertial navigation system Insert Key of a keyboard Insurgency, a multi-player mod for Half-Life 2 International Network Services International News Service International Numbering System adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission Irish Naval... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a Federal police force which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE or ATFE) is a law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. ...

Yousef was also sent to secondary immigration inspection for lacking a passport or a visa that would allow him to enter U.S. He presented an Iraqi passport he said he bought from a Pakistani official for $100 or more (up to $2700 in one report), adding that the passport was fraudulent. Yousef claimed he was fleeing Saddam Hussein and needed asylum, that he had been recently beaten by Iraqi soldiers in Kuwait because they thought he was a member of a Kuwaiti guerilla organization. INS inspector Martha Morales also found in his possession a boarding pass in the name of Mohammed Azan, and an identity card, from Al-Bunyan Islamic Center in Arizona, with Yousef's photo and the name Khurram Khan, under which Ajaj had traveled into the U.S. Yousef had signed the back of the card as Ramzi Ahmed Yousef. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (Arabic: [1]; April 28, 1937[2] – December 30, 2006[3]), was the President of Iraq from July 16, 1979, until April 9, 2003. ... Official language(s) English Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area  Ranked 6th  - Total 113,998 sq mi (295,254 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ...

Yousef had checks from Lloyds Bank of London and an address book listing what Morales later called "unusual places [in America] for someone to visit whom had just come from halfway around the world." Fingerprinted and photographed, his passport was confiscated. Morales said Yousef spoke excellent English with a British accent, admitted his real name Ramzi Yousef and said he was born in UAE in 1967, and was a citizen of Pakistan. Her Supervisor overruled Morales's recommendation to detain Yousef on grounds the INS detention center was full - even though Yousef had committed acts of immigration fraud (travelling under three different identities and lying to an INS official), and also given inspectors evidence linking him to Ahmad Ajaj. With intermingled documents and both men in secondary inspection, still Yousef was not linked to Ajaj. He made a claim for political asylum and was released in the United States pending a hearing. Lloyds TSB Group plc is a group of financial services companies, based in the United Kingdom, with the registered office in Edinburgh, Scotland. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Ajaj's terrorist kit, counterfeit entry stamp, and outburst were all decoys intended to deflect INS attention away from Yousef and facilitate Yousef's processing - a premeditated plan intended to exploit routine activities of busy INS inspectors. After more than 8 hours of questioning, at 5:00 a.m. September 2, 1992, INS handed Ajaj to Wackenhut Correctional Corporation for incarceration in a converted warehouse in Queens. September 2 is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... The Wackenhut Corporation is a US-based corporation, headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. ... Queens Borough in New York City, in yellow Queens is one of the five boroughs of New York City, USA. Geographically the largest borough in the city, Queens is home to many immigrants and two of New Yorks major airports. ...

Ajaj's passport revealed his June 15, 1992 Pakistani entry stamp was counterfeit. Ajaj told authorities he had a political asylum claim from a prior entry in February 1992, and was detained pending a hearing. Ajaj later pleaded guilty to use of an altered passport and served six months in prison. Yousef never appeared for his hearing. June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

Participation from prison

Incarcerated from September 2, 1992, Ajaj remained in contact with Yousef and other co-conspirators and continued to be involved in the World Trade Center bombing plot. Ajaj never contacted Yousef directly. Calls were patched through "Big 5 Hamburgers" in Dallas, rendering law enforcement detection more difficult. The calls were not translated until long after the WTC bombing. (LATimes 11/14/2001) September 2 is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... In the World Trade Center bombing (February 26, 1993) a car bomb was detonated by Arab Islamist terrorists in the underground parking garage below Tower One of the World Trade Center in New York City. ... Dallas redirects here. ...

Beginning on December 4, 1992 (and later on December 29, 1992) Yousef placed a series of calls to Ajaj's lawyer in New York and to Ajaj's friend in Texas. Later that same day, a call from Ajaj was transferred to Yousef, permitting the two to speak directly. In the conversation, Ajaj immediately brought up the terrorist kit informing Yousef that the Court had ordered the Government to return Ajaj's belongings. When Yousef asked if he could take possession of Ajaj's things, Ajaj readily agreed at first, but then said that it was not a good idea for Yousef personally to obtain the materials from the Government because it might jeopardize Yousef's "business," which, Ajaj said, would be "a pity!" December 4th redirects here. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 2 days remaining. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

Ajaj was released from prison March 1, 1993 - three days after after WTC bombing. He was rearrested in connection with the attack March 9, 1993, and his asylum request was denied on April 24, 1993. In jail at the time of the WTC bombing, Ajaj was convicted of having played a role "in the early stages of the conspiracy" and convicted of 9 counts, sentenced to 115 years, fined $250,000, and ordered to pay $250 million dollars in restitution. (Terrorism Knowledge Base) March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (69th in Leap years). ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

Ajaj did not give up on his political asylum claim. He petitioned for a new attorney and an exclusion hearing - held to determine whether someone is admissible in the U.S. - in Houston, where he had filed his original political asylum claim. Ajaj's request was denied April 24, 1993, on grounds that a passport holder from a visa waiver country who uses a fraudulent passport (Ajaj had used a bogus Swedish passport) is not entitled to such a hearing. Not satisfied with that outcome Ajaj asked to file a new political asylum claim and was given ten days by an immigration judge to do so. Thus, Ajaj was able to file a political asylum claim after his arrest for involvement in the WTC bombing. Houston redirects here. ... April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

Lung Cancer

In the late 1990s Ajaj was diagnosed with lung cancer. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons moved him to a medical facility, where he had surgery to remove the cancerous lung and received radiation treatment. He has filed scores of grievances and several lawsuits against the U.S. prison system, alleging everything from interference with his mail to denial of access to lawyers, and violations of his Eighth Amendment rights. (Abbott, Rocky Mountain News 3/26/2005) Lung cancer is the malignant transformation and expansion of lung tissue, and is the most lethal of all cancers worldwide, responsible for up to 3 million deaths annually. ... The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a subdivision of the United States Department of Justice, and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. ... The Eighth Amendment may refer to the: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution - part of the bill of rights. ...

Ajaj was the only remaining plaintiff in a lawsuit by federal prisoners alleging harm from secondhand smoke seeping through the air filtration system at SuperMax.

External links

• Steven Emerson, Jonathon Levin, Terrorism Financing: Origination, Organization, and Prevention: Saudi Arabia, Terrorist Financing and the War on Terror, Testimony before the United States Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, July 31, 2003
• Summary of For the Record radio program on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
• Mark S. Hamm, Crimes Committed by Terrorist Groups: Theory, Research and Prevention, Criminology Department Indiana State University, June 1, 2005
• Profile: Ahmad Ajaj -Center for Cooperative Research
• Robert I. Friedman, Mossad Linked To WTC Bomb Suspect, Village Voice, 3 August 1993