Pentagon fuzzy on pre 9/11 Atta info

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. Pentagon claims it has found no evidence to back up claims there was military intelligence on a bomber a year before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., and two military officers have alleged a small military undercover program called "Able Danger" had identified suicide hijacker Mohammed Atta and three other hijackers as early as 1999, but that Defense Department lawyers prevented the information from being shared with the FBI.

While the Pentagon acknowledged Able Danger existed, it denied Weldon's claims, the New York Times said Tuesday.

"The Defense Department has not discovered any documentation that shows Mohamed Atta connected to al-Qaida prior to the attacks of Sept. 11," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.

Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, a member of the secret unit, has said he alerted the FBI in September 2000 about the information the group uncovered, but that three planned meetings he set up with bureau officials were blocked by military lawyers, concerned about the legality of sharing military intelligence with civilian agencies.