Reply #17: I've read several books on Atta and Company...

[Dunvegan]

...I can't get to all my books until a little later.

I'll spend some time this evening gathering the information I've read that has been published on his observed habits and known patterns of behaviour.

There's a lot of different "chatter" out there about the hijackers, especially Atta. The "party-guy" stories don't actually fit, nor are they well sourced.

His European roommates in college in Germany tell a different tale about his religious orthodoxy being difficult to live with. Others also attest to Atta's strictness of affect.

Suffice it to say that "Welcome to Terrorland" is not the best source of hard intel on the 911 group. It is sensational, but doesn't jibe well with the rest of what we know about Atta, and may not be the best reference regarding Atta and his life.

You basically just have Amanda Keller's word about some rather bizarre behaviour...she tells a story that has Atta cartooned as the sterotypical "wild and crazy guy" who constantly drew attention to himself in loud silly ways, a person described by her as totally embarrasing to be around 24/7, always drunk, perputally drugged, and utterly out-of-control.

And, she even adds the little over the top coup de grace, that Atta's favorite food was pork...which seems like a nearly purposful "See? He's no religious fanatic" touch to the tale...all a 180 degree flip of a fable in contrast to what his life was like before he went underground as a terrorist operative.

Amanda, the self-styled "lingerie-model" (or stripper, or restaurant manager, depending who's ID'ing her) is the only one who describes Atta this way. And, she can say what she wants since the hijacker himself is not around to contradict her on her tabloid-esque stories.