Video of Marines’ arrival at Marriott secured
Presence of undercover FBI/CIA agents, US Marines suspected
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
By Shakeel Anjum
ISLAMABAD: The intelligence agencies probing the Marriott blast suspect the presence of under cover FBI/CIA agents in the hotel a few days before it was reduced to rubble by the most horrific terrorist attack in the capital's history.
The authorities are trying to ascertain the reason for the terrorist attack at the Marriott, Islamabad and whether it has any connection with the stay of American Marines and CIA/FBI agents there.
While sharing the names of the two US marines, killed in the same attack, Roel Rodriguez and Mathew Vryany, the source disclosed that the video recording of the September 16 arrival of a dozen Marines along with a truckload of steel cases has already been secured.
The video proves that the steel cases were shifted inside the hotel without checking as has already been reported by The News.
The hotel record also shows that most of these Marines, suspected to be undercover CIA/FBI agents, had already left the hotel before the D-day. Two fresh Marines, again suspected as US spies, arrived in the hotel on the 19th of this month and left on the 20th several hours before the terrorist attack shook the whole world.
The source revealed that both the Marines stayed in the rooms at opposite directions of the building. "One stayed in room 444, located at the right corner of floor 4, while the second officer resided in room 340, located in the extreme left corner of floor 3", the sources said.
It is worth mentioning here that Ansar Abbasi, Editor Investigation The News, who broke the news, has raised the question of whether the hotel was used by the US spies. But the American authorities denied the report. While,
the owner of the hotel, Sadar-ud-Din Hashwani had denied that the hotel administration had been receiving threats from terrorist outfits not to provide space to the American spies.
The US embassy insisted the activity witnessed was a team of support personnel that often precede or accompany certain US officials. However, the government authorities probing the matter have already got most of the facts ascertained as mentioned in The News story.
The US embassy spokesperson, however, when asked if the US embassy had hired several rooms in the Marriott Hotel for years, said in his written reply that the US embassy has been a frequent customer of the Marriott Hotel for many years.
About the Marines and the steel cases which were reported to have been shifted to the hotel between the night of 16 and 17 September and whether these Marines and the suitcases were in the hotel on the day of the blast or evacuated before, he said, "A team of support personnel often and routinely precede and/or accompany certain US government officials. They often carry communication and office equipment required to support large delegations, such as high-level administration officials and members of the US Congress."
The US embassy spokesman had confirmed that the Marriott rooms, which were in use of the US officials, had the communication and office equipment, which were transported for use by Admiral Mullen.
Video of Marines arrival at Marriott secured
