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Investigation: Attention focuses on runways

Attorney General John Ashcroft speaking at a recent news conference.

SUMMARY:

Two of the hijackers believed to have steered airliners into the towers of the World Trade Center left a stalled twin-engine aircraft on the taxiway of Miami International Airport last Christmas, the head of their aviation school said.

Preliminary findings of a government audit revealed that one of the nation's largest airport security firms is still employing screeners with criminal records that should disqualify them from employment.

In Detroit, Michigan, meanwhile, a so-called "mystery" man indicted on identity fraud charges following the September 11 terrorist attacks pleaded not guilty Wednesday and will remain in federal custody in Michigan.

UPDATE:

Hijacking suspects Mohamed Atta and Marwan Al-Shehhi rented a twin-engine Piper Warrior from Huffman Aviation Venice just four days after getting their multi-engine certification from the school, according to the school's president, Rudi Dekkers. (Full story)

They rented the $65-an-hour aircraft, and after safely landing at Miami International Airport, they had entered the taxiway when the plane's engine quit. According to Dekkers, the men then shut the airplane down, including all communications with the control tower, which he termed a major "rookie mistake."

According to Dekkers, his flight report states that the students abandoned the plane and rented a car to drive back to Venice, on Florida's west coast. They had the plane for 2.6 hours of flight time.

Airport security, meanwhile, continues to be a pressing issue for the federal government in the aftermath September attacks. An audit conducted by the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration examined Atlanta, Georgia-based Argenbright Security's operations at 14 airports. (Full story)

Argenbright is responsible for security at Philadelphia International Airport and airports nationwide including Newark, New Jersey, Logan in Boston, O'Hare in Chicago, and Dulles outside Washington. Two planes used in the September 11 terrorist attacks were hijacked from Logan and one plane each was hijacked from Dulles and Newark.

The audit revealed that several screeners had criminal backgrounds including a Seattle-Tacoma International Airport screener who had been convicted on charges of being a felon in possession of a handgun.

In Detroit, attorney Stephen Rabaut said Wednesday his client, Youseff Hmimssa, would waive his right to a detention hearing at this time, but could request one in the future.

Hmimssa was arrested in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on September 28 as part of a nationwide dragnet of people with possible links to the attacks or Osama bin Laden. Federal authorities say he has a number of aliases, including Michael Saisa, Edgardo Colon, Patrick Vuillaume, and "Jalai." However, U.S. Attorney Rick Covertino said last week the government was not positive of Hmimssa's identity or citizenship.

•  Summary   •  Update   •  Key questions   •  Who's who   •  Impact  CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

KEY QUESTIONS:

What are investigators learning of the financial contributions collected by terrorist organizations?

How will the expansion of law-enforcement powers affect Americans' civil liberties? Click here for more.

How long can suspects be held, and on what charges are they being held? Click here for more.

How are people identified as suspected terrorists communicating with each other? Click here for more.

How are law-enforcement authorities using technology such as encryption tools to hunt terrorists? Click here for more.

What groups are U.S. investigators focusing on, and what are their aims? Click here for more.

How would law-enforcement authorities go after financial assets of people identified as terrorists? Click here for more.

WHO'S WHO:

George W. Bush: U.S. president

Colin Powell: U.S. secretary of state Click here for more

Condoleezza Rice: National security adviser Click here for more

John Ashcroft: U.S. attorney general

Robert Mueller: FBI director Click here for more

George Tenet: CIA director. Click here for more

Osama bin Laden: U.S. authorities have named bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi exile living in Afghanistan, as the prime suspect in masterminding the September 11 attacks. Click here for more

IMPACT:

Information gained from the investigation could lead to fundamental changes in U.S. security and intelligence systems, as well as surveillance laws.