Oct 13, 2001

Report: FBI Agents in Spain Retracing Footsteps of Mohamed Atta

The Associated Press

MADRID, Spain (AP) - FBI agents have been helping Spanish police investigate a visit to this country in July by Mohamed Atta, believed to have piloted one of the jetliners that crashed into the World Trade Center, a newspaper said Saturday.

The report in the Barcelona daily La Vanguardia also said the American agents - who arrived in the northeast province of Tarragona this week - were helping U.S. companies in the region boost security. They include Dow Chemical, which has a plant in Tarragona.

Spanish Interior Ministry officials were not immediately available to comment on the report, which did not say how many agents have traveled to Spain.

Atta is known to have visited Spain twice this year, in January and July. During the summer visit, Atta spent several days in the resort town of Salou in Tarragona province south of Barcelona and is said to have met with other Islamic extremists.

Investigators are trying to determine the exact purpose of Atta's visit to Salou and other parts of Spain.

Police say Atta drove nearly 1,200 miles in a rented car during his July 8-19 stay in Spain, after which he flew back to Miami.

AP-ES-10-13-01 1023EDT

This story can be found at : http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAW037IRSC.html

-- Anonymous, October 13, 2001