Abdul Rahman Yasin
Encyclopedia
Abdul Rahman Yasin helped make the bombs used in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing
attack. Yasin is of Iraqi heritage
and grew up in Baghdad
. He has been characterized in the American media as "the only participant in the first attempt to blow up the World Trade Center in 1993 who was never caught."
citizen of Iraq
i immigrants, Yasin was born in Bloomington, Indiana
, U.S.
, where his father came to study for a PhD. Shortly after his birth, Yasin's family moved back to Iraq. According to university records, Said Taha Yasin, an Iraqi, attended Indiana University in 1952-53, and also from 1956-60. Yasin's FBI report states that he is epileptic.
Recruited by Ramzi Yousef
, he had acid burns on his legs and jeans from bomb chemicals.
Soon following investigation of the attack on February 26, 1993, Yasin was picked up by the FBI on March 4, 1993, the same day as the arrest of Mohammed A. Salameh
, in a sweep of sites associated with Salameh. Yasin was found in the apartment in Jersey City, New Jersey
, that he was sharing with his mother.
Yasin was taken to New Jersey
FBI headquarters in Newark
, where he was reportedly very cool and cooperative. Agents had Yasin retrace where and how the WTC bomb had been built in New York
and New Jersey.
Yasin said he was released after giving agents names and addresses, and went to Iraq.
flight 262 to Amman, Jordan. From Amman, Abdul Rahman Yasin went on to Baghdad.
In Baghdad, Iraq, Yasin lived freely for at least a year. Saddam Hussein
regime's gave money and housing to Yasin. The Iraqi government later claimed he was arrested and put in prison (see CBS Stahl interview, below).
On October 10, 2001 Yasin appeared on the initial list of the FBI's top 22 Most Wanted Terrorists
, which was released to the public by President Bush.
On several occasions, Iraq offered to turn Yasin over to the US government in exchange for lifting UN economic sanctions
. Tariq Aziz
, spokesman of Iraq, claimed that in the 1990s all Iraq wanted in return was a signed statement that Iraq had handed over Yasin. But reportedly the statement presented to the U.S. at the time contained lengthy wording essentially exonerating Iraqi involvement in the 1993 WTC attack. Nevertheless, Kenneth Pollack
of the State Department stated that there was no CIA information tying Iraq into the 1993 WTC bombing.
With Yasin reportedly being held as a prisoner in Hussein's Iraq, Leslie Stahl of CBS
interviewed him there for a segment on 60 Minutes
on May 23, 2002 (see below). Yasin appeared in prison pajamas and handcuffs. It was claimed that Iraq had held Yasin prisoner on the outskirts of Baghdad since 1994.
Yasin is believed to still be in Iraq but he hasn't been seen or heard from since the 2002 prison interview.
1993 World Trade Center bombing
The 1993 World Trade Center bombing occurred on February 26, 1993, when a truck bomb was detonated below the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The 1,336 lb urea nitrate–hydrogen gas enhanced device was intended to knock the North Tower into the South Tower , bringing...
attack. Yasin is of Iraqi heritage
Iraqi people
The Iraqi people or Mesopotamian people are natives or inhabitants of the country of Iraq, known since antiquity as Mesopotamia , with a large diaspora throughout the Arab World, Europe, the Americas, and...
and grew up in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. He has been characterized in the American media as "the only participant in the first attempt to blow up the World Trade Center in 1993 who was never caught."
Biography
An AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizen of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i immigrants, Yasin was born in Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where his father came to study for a PhD. Shortly after his birth, Yasin's family moved back to Iraq. According to university records, Said Taha Yasin, an Iraqi, attended Indiana University in 1952-53, and also from 1956-60. Yasin's FBI report states that he is epileptic.
Arrival in United States, 1992
On June 21, 1992 Yasin was able to use his American birth citizenship to obtain a US passport from the U.S. embassy in Amman, Jordan, and thus enter the United States.Recruited by Ramzi Yousef
Ramzi Yousef
Ramzi Yousef was one of the main perpetrators of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and a co-conspirator in the Bojinka plot. In 1995, he was arrested at a guest house in Islamabad, by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence and United States Diplomatic Security Service, then extradited to the...
, he had acid burns on his legs and jeans from bomb chemicals.
Soon following investigation of the attack on February 26, 1993, Yasin was picked up by the FBI on March 4, 1993, the same day as the arrest of Mohammed A. Salameh
Mohammed A. Salameh
Mohammed A. Salameh is a convicted perpetrator of the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing. He is currently an inmate at ADX Florence in Florence, Colorado....
, in a sweep of sites associated with Salameh. Yasin was found in the apartment in Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, that he was sharing with his mother.
Yasin was taken to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
FBI headquarters in Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, where he was reportedly very cool and cooperative. Agents had Yasin retrace where and how the WTC bomb had been built in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and New Jersey.
Yasin said he was released after giving agents names and addresses, and went to Iraq.
Return to Iraq, 1993
On February 26, 1993, Yasin boarded Royal JordanianRoyal Jordanian
Royal Jordanian Airlines is the flag carrier of Jordan with its head office in Amman, Jordan, operating scheduled international services over four continents from its main base at Queen Alia International Airport at Amman Jordan. Royal Jordanian is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization...
flight 262 to Amman, Jordan. From Amman, Abdul Rahman Yasin went on to Baghdad.
In Baghdad, Iraq, Yasin lived freely for at least a year. Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
regime's gave money and housing to Yasin. The Iraqi government later claimed he was arrested and put in prison (see CBS Stahl interview, below).
On October 10, 2001 Yasin appeared on the initial list of the FBI's top 22 Most Wanted Terrorists
FBI Most Wanted Terrorists
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted Terrorists is a list of fugitives who have been indicted by sitting Federal grand juries in the United States district courts, for alleged crimes of terrorism. The initial list was formed in late 2001 in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks...
, which was released to the public by President Bush.
On several occasions, Iraq offered to turn Yasin over to the US government in exchange for lifting UN economic sanctions
Iraq sanctions
The Iraq sanctions were a near-total financial and trade embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council on the nation of Iraq. They began August 6, 1990, four days after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, stayed largely in force until May 2003 , and certain portions including reparations to Kuwait...
. Tariq Aziz
Tariq Aziz
Tariq Aziz and Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq and a close advisor of former President Saddam Hussein. Their association began in the 1950s when both were activists for the then-banned Ba'ath Arab Socialist Party...
, spokesman of Iraq, claimed that in the 1990s all Iraq wanted in return was a signed statement that Iraq had handed over Yasin. But reportedly the statement presented to the U.S. at the time contained lengthy wording essentially exonerating Iraqi involvement in the 1993 WTC attack. Nevertheless, Kenneth Pollack
Kenneth Pollack
Kenneth Michael Pollack, PhD , is a noted former CIA intelligence analyst and expert on Middle East politics and military affairs. He has served on the National Security Council staff and has written several articles and books on international relations.Pollack obtained a BA from Yale University,...
of the State Department stated that there was no CIA information tying Iraq into the 1993 WTC bombing.
With Yasin reportedly being held as a prisoner in Hussein's Iraq, Leslie Stahl of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
interviewed him there for a segment on 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
on May 23, 2002 (see below). Yasin appeared in prison pajamas and handcuffs. It was claimed that Iraq had held Yasin prisoner on the outskirts of Baghdad since 1994.
Yasin is believed to still be in Iraq but he hasn't been seen or heard from since the 2002 prison interview.