nmah6479.xml

nmah6479.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2004-03-26

I was hosting students in the summer of 2000. They would arrive at my home and live with me and my children and attend a school to learn English. The Students I would host came from Europe, Japan and Saudi Arabia. The student that stays in my mind the most is the student from Saudi Arabia, his name was Waleed. He was distant and very private I tried to make him feel welcome in my home. I was very anxious and did not feel safe in my own home after Waleed arrived. I asked my oldest daughter Sarah to be very caustious of him I could not put my finger on it but he was up to no good. After Waleed was with me a couple of months he started to open up and communicate with me more. He told me he had big family and his Dad was a very wealthy Saudi so wealthy that he built a mosque in his home town. He had lots of brothers and sisters and would talk often with them on the phone. It was a summer evening in San Diego and Waleed and I were talking on the back porch and he asked me if I was planning on traveling in 2001, on a plane, particulary back east, New York and Washington area I replied, "no". Waleed replied "oh good". From that point on I watched the news every evening to see if there was any mention of anything that had to do with planes, or the security of our country and there was nothing. I cannot put into words the anxiety I was feeling after that conversation but I knew if I let Waleed stay in my home I could watch him. Waleed left in September of 2000 to return home to Saudi Arabia. Then 9/11 happened and the questioned Waleed asked me about flying came flooding back. He knew all along that this horrible disaster was going to happen. I screamed and cried and then called the FBI who interviewed me twice. Never to hear from them again. I also gave them Waleed's photo. I still don't know if Waleed was one of the terriorst but if he was he resembles Wail on flight 11. See Waleed could change his appearance for just a few dollars. When he went to the passport office in Saudi Arabia he would have the photographer make slight changes to his face. One photograph he showed me didn't even look like him he said that day he didn't like his ears and asked them to be changed for the photo he also had the photographer change the shape of his nose. What ever he wanted would be done and could be done for a price. When Richard Clarks book came out a couple of days ago and he mentioned that our country could of done more I agreed completely. Two of the hijackers were here and he believed their faces should have been plasted all over our newspapers as "The Most Wanted" if that story would have been released I would of immediately have called the FBI and notified them about Waleed. That is why I am telling my story now in hopes that no matter how insignificate our government may think a threat is to notify the american people of any threats so we can all be watchful, it may change the course of our history.