UPDATE:

I have seen another wave of dismissive rationalizations that use the argument that it was only in hindsight that the Able Danger folks found the names of Atta and Al-Shehhi and the two others from the thousands that would have surfaced from a data mining activity after 9-11. Basically they claim the names were mined post 9-11.

Hate to burst bubbles, but that would mean there never was a request to alert the FBI on these four people in 2000. I like to call this a logic bomb blowing up wild speculation.

When will people stop working so hard to disbelieve, and work hard to find out what happened?

OK, back from the brink. If the report in 2000 from Able Danger was a broad list of names, then I will agree the claims of Able Danger’s were exaggerated by Weldon.

END UPDATE

My first two posts on this subject are here (some speculation) and here (facts garnered from news reporting). This update focuses on the response to the revelations that Atta and 3 of his 9-11 cohorts were being monitored well before 9-11, that the monitoring was ordered stopped, and that the 9-11 commissioners were not informed of this matter.

Here is key information. The other three men identified with Atta where Marwan al-Shehhi, Khalid al-Mihdar and Nawaf al-Hazmi . Atta was one of the pilots, so it makes sense these four were the ones who knew the plot in its entirety if they too were pilots.

According to this FBI release in 2001 we can see Atta was not the only key figure in the 9-11 attacks Able Danger had identified:

UNITED AIRLINES #175
BOEING 767

1) Marwan Al-Shehhi

-Date of birth used: May 9, 1978

-Possible residence(s): Hollywood, Florida

-Believed to be a pilot

Then

AMERICAN AIRLINES #77
BOEING 757

1) Khalid Almihdhar – Possible Saudi national

-Possible resident of San Diego, California, and New York

-Alias: Sannan Al-Makki; Khalid Bin Muhammad; ‘Addallah Al-Mihdhar; Khalid Mohammad Al-Saqaf

Then

AMERICAN AIRLINES #77
BOEING 757
…
3) Nawaf Alhazmi – Possible Saudi national

-Possible resident of Fort Lee, New Jersey; Wayne, New Jersey; San Diego, California

-Alias: Nawaf Al-Hazmi; Nawaf Al Hazmi; Nawaf M.S. Al Hazmi

Note that there are no ‘pilots’ identified at this stage for flght AA 77. It appears maybe two terrorists per plane were trained as pilots for the human laden missiles (if you look at the other flights listed in the report). Which would make sense for contigencies where one pilot failed to show up or was taken out somehow.

More here on the core leaders from an article a year after 9-11

Although 15 of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, federal prosecutors have alleged in court documents that it was Mohamed Atta of Egypt, Ziad Jarrah of Lebanon and Marwan Al-Shehhi of the United Arab Emirates who “formed and maintained an al-Qaida terrorist cell in Germany” in the late 1990s.

The three Sept. 11 pilots lived in Hamburg, where they studied at universities and worked at a computer-packing company

For an initial response to this disturbing news so far we have comments from the 9-11 families – apparently the ones who were not out insinuating Bush and his administration were at fault

group of 9/11 widows called the September 11th Advocates issued a statement Wednesday saying they were “horrified” to learn that further possible evidence exists, and they are disappointed the 9/11 commission report is “incomplete and illusory.”

“The revelation of this information demands answers that are forthcoming, clear and concise,” the statement said. “The 9/11 attacks could have and should have been prevented.”

It is clear we had an opportunity to take out the ring leaders. Everyone needs to recall most of the hijackers had no idea what was going on that day until the last minute. Without Atta and his 3 cohorts , the 9-11 attacks could very well have been stopped.

As I see more responses I will add them to this post. The response to this will be very important in determining how this plays out.