US investigators, working to untangle the money trail following the September 11 terrorist attacks on have uncovered two bank accounts in the United Arab Emirates belonging to the suspected hijackers, 'The Los Angeles Times' reported on Saturday. Mohammed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi, two of the suspected plot leaders, held bank accounts in the UAE before they came to the United States, according to the report. Atta, an Egyptian, maintained an account at a local Citibank branch while Al-Shehhi, a native of the Emirates, had an account at a local branch of London based HSBC holdings, the times said quoting UAE officials. Sultan Binnasser al Suweidi, head of the UAE Central Bank, said Atta's account was busier than normal, with frequent transfers of $ 10,000 to $ 15,000. He also said the traffic in the account would provide investigators with a money trail, according to the report.
It is easy in our system to know exactly where the transfers are coming from, The paper quotes Al Suweidi as saying. The investigators and the FBI, they have everything. Al-Shehhi's account, on contrast, never held much money, the newspaper reported, citing banking officials. Bureau Report