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Flight Instructor Flunked Suspected Terrorists

Garza: 'They Were Completely Clueless'

POSTED: 5:23 pm PDT September 18, 2001
UPDATED: 6:41 am PDT September 19, 2001

More San Diegans are coming forward to tell what they know of three suspected terrorists involved in last Tuesday's attack.

Video

Two of the three suspected terrorists attempted to get their pilots license in San Diego at Montgomery Field.

Rick Garza (pictured, left) used to teach Khalid Al-Midhar and Nawaq Alhamzi, 10News reported.

At the time, Garza thought they were just a couple of nice young men from the Middle East -- nice and not too bright, he told 10News.

"They were completely clueless," Garza said. "They just knew they wanted flight training."

According to Garza, the men were willing to pay just the minimum -- $3,000 for a pilot’s license, and they wanted to fly Boeing jets.

Cessna 172

Garza said that after giving the men a half-dozen lessons in a Cessna 172 (pictured, left), he flunked them, telling them they needed to learn English.

"I don't know what other training they went through after me, but they didn't even have even the basic navigation skills," Garza said.

According to 10News, The suspected terrorists took the lessons in April and May of 2000, around the same time they went to Marv Golden's Pilot Supply Store.

Golden said that the men bought introductory training manuals. FBI agents showed up at the store last Sunday, asking to see the credit card receipts. Also on Sunday, INS agents at the border arrested a Middle Eastern man for allegedly aiding the terrorists, 10News reported.

Published reports say that investigators used bank records to trace the San Diego man. One of the terrorists reportedly had a savings account at a Bank of America branch in Lemon Grove.

According to 10News, the FBI and INS won't confirm or deny reports of the arrest. Officially, every government agency involved is deferring to the FBI.

And so far, agents have preferred to keep pictures and information on the San Diego suspects to themselves.


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