Mohamed Atta footed the bill for himself and two young American girls on what an associate of the two girls later described as a non-stop 3-day drug-and booze-filled romp in Key West in February of 2001, the MadCowMorningNews has learned.
The story emerged with the news that Atta’s American girlfriend Amanda Keller, in addition to accompanying him to Key West, had also during that same month rented a safe house for him for a short time in nearby North Port FL.
"He didn't even care if the house had a bed, all he wanted was a desk," landlord Tony Laconia told local reporters.
On the day after the Sept 11 attack, FBI agents began combing the town of North Port just south of Venice looking for local residents Tony and Vonnie Laconca, who had rented a home to Mohamed Atta and Amanda Keller, they had discovered, in February of 2001.
Landlord Anthony Laconca told the FBI that Keller had dishwater-blond hair, was big-boned and freckled, and seemed to be very "enamored of Mohamed," according to a report in the local Sun-Herald newspaper containing never-before publicized details illuminating the terrorist conspiracy's stay in Florida.
After renting to the pair, the Laconcas later learned that a young female friend of Amanda's, a then-employee of Vonnie Laconca's cleaning firm, went with Atta and Amanda to Key West for a wild drug-and-booze-fueled party.
"They were gone for three days," Tony Laconca told local reporters. "They didn't sleep. It was a continuous party."
"'The boss' writes all the checks."
Laconca said Mohamed footed the entire bill, including alcohol, drugs, hotel, and buying new clothes for Keller and the unnamed female cleaning company employee.
Then Tony Laconca made an even-more amazing disclosure…
"While in Key West Atta introduced the girls to two men from Germany that they said were Mohamed's friends," he stated. "I thought it was strange at the time, because Mohamed didn't appear to be German."
Even more incredibly, Tony Laconca's then-wife Vonnie told authorities that she had learned that her former cleaning company employee got a phone call from Atta during the week before the Sept.11 attack.
Where are Amanda Keller and her unnamed friend today? Why haven't they come forward with their story to either inform the American public of what they know, or simply to cash in?
Who were the two German men with Mohamed Atta in Key West?
It strains credulity that Atta would have "accidentally" bumped into German friends in tiny and remote Key West.
"Anything we have to say we say on CNN."
The Sun-Herald reporter probably then asked some of the questions we would like to ask.
But the FBI in Tampa would neither confirm nor deny that agents were even interviewing people in North Port.
In an incredible statement by an FBI spokesperson identified only as "Pam," which exemplifies the total blackout on critical information which has prevailed from that day to this, Sun-Herald reporter Elaine Allen-Emrich was told, "We recommend that you check in with CNN for current information. Any press statements can be found on televised stations like CNN."
The discovery that Amanda Keller had a year-long ("enamored of Mohamed") relationship with the terrorist ringleader makes the willowy 22-year old lingerie model a potentially important witness in the upcoming independent investigation into the terrorist conspiracy which led to the Sept 11 attack.
Too bad she's missing.
"The Boss' writes all the checks: Pt 2."
It is clear that Keller, who settled into her new Venice apartment just two weeks before Atta moved in with her, for what neighbors said was a very stormy six-week stay, had a back-stage pass to the activities of the terrorist conspiracy, and a behind-the-scenes view of the terrorist ringleader known to the other cadre principals as "the boss" from the time he first hit the ground in Venice, in March of 2000, three months before the FBI’s chronology has him entering the U.S., to, at least, February 2001, almost a year later.
When Amanda rented their property in North Port, the Laconcas told authorities, she said she would translate for Mohamed, who spoke limited English.
Keller also told them she would be responsible for the rental, but it was Atta who wrote the check, and when Atta returned alone several weeks later to pick up his security deposit the couple was surprised to discover that his English was excellent.
Keller was arrested on a minor bad check charge a few weeks later, and Atta returned the favor by bailing her out of Sarasota’s South County Jail.
Interestingly, the Laconcas told authorities that Amanda Keller told them Atta was French-Canadian. This echoes what we have already heard, from Keller's next-door neighbor at the Sandpiper apartments, who stated she listened in amazement as Keller introduced Atta to her as being "from France."
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.
The discovery of Amanda Keller’s arrest and mug shot also quickly led us to conclude that we had earlier been in error in reporting that Atta’s girlfriend Amanda Keller was the same Amanda Keller who was also known to be a member in Clearwater, FL of the ‘Sea Org’ of the Church of Scientology.
A comparison of the Amanda Keller in the Florida mug shot with the picture available on the Internet of the Amanda Keller who belonged to the "Sea Org," shows clearly that they are not the same person.
The Amanda Keller we are looking for—Atta's squeeze—is another Amanda Keller.
Put another way, the Amanda Keller who consorted with Mohamed Atta in Florida—the girl in the mug shot taken at the Sarasota County Jail—is definitely not the Amanda Keller who belongs to Scientology's Sea Org.
We sincerely regret the mistaken identification and apologize to Ms. Keller as well as to the Church of Scientology’s Sea Org. (see Correction and Apology)
"Tell us more about your two German friends in Key West," we would love to be able to ask Mohamed Atta today, while simultaneously shining a bright light into his eyes.
Failing that, we would like to ask the same question of FBI Director Robert Mueller, while if at all possible shining a bright light into his eyes as well.
Sadly, however, we have all already heard the only answer our Government has so far been willing to give:
"Nothing to see here. Move along."
