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To: Counterterrorism From: Berlin Re: 315N-WE-227135, 12/05/2003 Furthermore, the Al-Jazeera journalist, who had interviewed both Binalshibh and KSM, later co-authored a book, Masterminds of Terror, which explained the interview results in greater detail. The book stated that the planning for the September llth attacks originated in Afghanistan with KSM. That the planning for the September 11th attacks originated in Afghanistan was the critical point, according to Fromm. The BfV knows, or believes to know, that the Hamburg Group intended to travel to Chechnya. Chief Judge Klaus Rthle then asked Fromm whether Binalshibh, Mohammed Atta, Marwan Yousef Mohamed Rashed Al-Shehhi and Ziad Samar Jarrah traveled to Afghanistan in order to fight in Chechnya and then proposed the September 1l1lth concept to senior Al- Qaeda leadership there, or whether the entire plan was conceived solely in Afghanistan by KSM. Fromm testified that the Hamburg Group became ever more radical in its views. While in Hamburg, they developed an interest in participating in a militant "Jihad." The BfV was certain of this development. However, the planning of the attacks on New York City and the Pentagon were conceived and initiated much earlier in Afghanistan. The Bf£V was convinced that the members of the Hamburg Group only intended to travel to Chechnya to participate ina "Jihad." Chief Judge Riihle asked Fromm to identify the sources of information upon which the BfV was basing its conclusions. Fromm stated that these conclusions were based upon the investigative results developed by the police and by the prosecutor's offices, from information exchanged with domestic and foreign intelligence agencies, and upon both intelligence operations and "open sources" of information derived from the Internet. The Chief Judge then asked whether Fromm was basing his conclusions upon information developed by the German Federal Criminal Police ("Bundeskriminalamt", hereinafter "BKA"). Fromm testified that he had not said that they were planning to go to Chechnya by way of Afghanistan. They only wanted to go to Chechnya, but at some point they changed their plans and decided to go to Afghanistan instead. Once they arrived in Afghanistan their "target direction" was altered.