Page:Substitution for the Testimony of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.pdf/18

 correct instruction. Like Hazmi, Mihdhar was chosen for the operation because he arrived in Afghanistan with a U.S. visa in his passport.

31. Sheikh Mohammed asked a great deal of al-Hazmi and al-Midhar, in whom he had only middling confidence, because of their lack of English and exposure to the West. The only reason they were involved in the 9/11 plot was because they had visas and because Bin Laden told Sheikh Mohammed that Bin Laden wanted the two to go on the operation. Because of their deficiencies, Sheikh Mohammed permitted al-Hazmi and al-Midhar, unlike the other 9/11 hijackers, to go to the local mosque to request assistance and advice on functioning in American society, and Sheikh Mohammed allowed the two, unlike the other hijackers, to contact him directly via internet chat in case they had urgent questions.

32. Sheikh Mohammed said that he decided that Hazmi and Mihdhar would spend the first few months of their time in California because it was their entry point into the U.S. It also had the added benefit that it was far from the region where, it was assumed, that the attacks would eventually take place.

33. Sheikh Mohammed instructed the two to spend time visiting museums and amusement parks in San Diego to help establish the appearance that they Page 18 of 58