Social Security lapses helped hijackers
Published 9:00 pm Thursday, November 1, 2001
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — All 19 terrorist hijackers in the Sept. 11 attacks had Social Security numbers, and 13 obtained them legally, the government says.
The Social Security Administration’s inspector general told House members Thursday that the government needs to tighten the process it uses to issue the numbers.
"We have learned that the risks inherent in failing to adequately protect the integrity of the Social Security number may have serious consequences," said James Huse. He has been assisting the FBI and the Justice Department with the investigation.
The hijackers’ Social Security numbers "allowed them autonomy, to operate below the radar," he told the House Ways and Means subcommittee on Social Security. They could open bank accounts, get credit, obtain driver’s licenses and apply to flight schools.
One glaring problem is the need for independent verification of documents that are required to obtain a number, Huse said.
For example, there is no computer link between Social Security and the Immigration and Naturalization Service to check in a reasonable amount of time the validity of visa status or other immigration documents that noncitizens must submit with their applications.
"Having a secure system is critical to preventing future attacks," said Rep. Clay E. Shaw, R-Fla., the subcommittee chairman.
Huse noted that in the terrorist investigation, a man whose name appears on an FBI watch list was indicted in Arizona this week on charges that he lied on Social Security and Federal Aviation Administration forms.
Also, a man held by the British government on suspicion that he trained four of the hijackers had used the Social Security number of a New Jersey woman who has been dead for 10 years.
"The process we have — while well-intentioned — is certainly not as robust as it should be," Huse said.
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