Internet rumors aside, Atta held by Israel not hijacker

The suspected terrorist pilot that the FBI identified as Muhammad Atta was 33 and Egyptian.

"It's not the same person. It's obviously two different men with similar names," said a Justice Ministry spokeswoman.

Shortly after the Sept. 11 terror attack in New York, rumors began circulating that the suspected ringleader of the 19 suicide terrorists who hijacked the planes was linked with the Palestinians.

According to the reports, Atta had been imprisoned by Israel but was released under American pressure as a "political prisoner" as part of the Oslo accords. He then "thanked the U.S." by flying an airplane into Tower 1 of the World Trade Center.

According to a Jerusalem Post archival search, Mahmoud Abed Atta was linked with the Abu Nidal terrorist group. After the 1986 attack, he managed to flee to Venezuela but was deported to the United States. He also held U.S. citizenship and fought a three-year court battle to avoid extradition. He lost and then-Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger signed Atta's extradition warrant. He arrived here on Nov. 2, 1990.

Justice Ministry officials said Abed Atta was eventually freed after the Supreme Court ruled there were faults in the extradition process. His whereabouts today are unknown.