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Secret c/6 3ti

MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD

Event: Interview of Alexander Murray

Date: November 18, 2003

Special Access Issues: None

Prepared by: Quinn John Tamm, Jr.

Team Number: lA

Location: FBI San Diego Field Division, San Diego, CA

Participants -Commission: Hyon Kim, Michael Jacobson, Quinn John Tamm, Jr.

FBI Representative: Richard Kelly

(U) (U) Alexander Murray, Supervisory Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), joined the FBI on March 3, 1996. He is presently the supervisor of Counter-Terrorism Squad 21 in the San Diego (SD) Division.

) Immediately after the terrorist attacks on 09/11/2001 Mr. Murray was assigned to a team of agents investigating Omar al-Bayoumi. Mr. Murray reviewed telephone calls made from both al-Bayoumi's home and from his cell telephone. Mr. Murray concentrated on telephone calls that were made to hotels. He thereafter attempted to identify who may have been staying at the hotels that would have been contacted by al-Bayoumi. Osama Basnan, Luwam Nour and Osama Nooh were identified by this method. Nooh was identified from a call al-Bayoumi made to the La Jolla Marriott Residence Inn. Al-Bayoumi also called Khaled Abdulrab. Abdulrab was then a language student, staying with a host family in San Diego.

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0y-A video tape of a party given by al-Bayoumi that included Abdulrab was obtained by the FBI in a search of the Parkwood Apartments. The video is recorded in February 2000 and Abdulrab receives an award, a plaque, from al-Bayoumi for assisting the Islamic Center of SD during Ramadan. Mr. Murray stated that it was determined that Abdulrab had assisted the mosque is scheduling guest preachers during the services. Also in the video were Sheik Abdul Rahman Barzanji and the local . dentist, Mohammed Tarabishi. The identifications were made by an informant, of questionable reliability.

(U) Mr. Murray stated that there was no significance to the location of the host family's home with which Abdulrab lived during his language studies. The house was in the Point Loma section of San Diego. The FBI reviewed the telephone toll records for the home telephone but did not find any significant calls or call pattern. The FBI was unable to determine the most frequent caller to Abdulrab.

was determined that Abdulrab used cell phones provided by acquaintances from the mosque. Abdulrab then used calling cards to place long distance telephone calls

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GS) Mr. Murray stated that the explanation for Abdulrab's sudden departure for Saudi Arabia was that Abdulrab had been called by his father from Saudi Arabia, and told that he must return immediately to obtain his Saudi citizenship. Abdulrab was from the southern area of Saudi Arabia that has an undefined border with Yemen. Consequently, he was not automatically a Saudi citizen by birth.

(S'). Abdulrab may have also had a relationshipwith , ............... r1 Personal Privacy

pitachcd_attheIslamit'Center of SD during,Ramadan in 200U and Abduirab a. may_ eerithe person from the mosque that arranged to ... ----

to - preabh t the Islamic Center.

(S) Abdulrab's relationship with Anwar Aulaqi was also investigated. Abdulrab was a participant in the paintball games which were initially"organized by Aulaqi. This was the only relationship between Abdulrab and Aulaqi - that was identified.

(gvIr. Murray then discussed with,theinterviewers the additional investigation conducted concerning the analysis of al,Bayoumi's telephone numbers. No direct calls were made by al-Bayoumi to Fahad-d-Thumairy.

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ci) f Mr. Murray also worked on the investigations of Diah Thabet andr 7 - Thabet was an active member of the;Islamic -Center SD -and-an- associate -of

awa -Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar. Thabet was also associated with Osama Basnan. Thabet was initially reported to the FBI in San Diego as an individual who was

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"happy" about the 09/11/2001 attacks. Further investigation determined that he "hung out" at the Mediterranean Café in downtown San Diem. He was al o associated with al-Bayoumi. He paid for travel byl 9/11 Personal Privacy back to Yemen to be married. Thabet came from a prominent family in Yemen:

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Thabet seemed to have a successful business, the Red Sea Flour Company that was ocated in San Die o.

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lwas interviewed -and - adthitted that he Jcnew-Nawafiar,Ilt -- ail Personal Privacy

and Khalid al-Mihdhar and met them- at-their apartment in the Parkwood Apartment complex. I lwasalso -associated with Mohdar Abdul-lah through the-soccer team sponsored by the Islamic Center of SD. 17 -7-firit came to the FBI'S attention because he was attempting to obtain a commercial pilot's license. A subsequent search of his apartment found a generic airline pilot's uniform. and his wife were arrested by the Immigration and Naturalization Service for being out of status. Both refused to speak with investigators. Mr. Murray provided no additional information at this time.

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