They believed he could be preparing for a terrorist attack and wanted permission to search his belongings. But FBI headquarters in Washington did not agree with the Minneapolis team. Days before the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, FBI agents in Minneapolis raised serious concerns about Zacarias Moussaoui, a French national who was in US custody.
That wording was later changed to say that Moussaoui and his roommate had trained together in defensive tactics. Another part was that the original wording indicated that Moussaoui’s roommate may have heard him discuss such a plan. These details led the Minneapolis agents to believe that the flight training could be connected to a planned terrorist attack. His belongings, including a computer and personal papers, were seized. They also warned that he was extremely dangerous and capable of following a plan for months or even years. The Minneapolis agents believed this information strengthened their case. But FBI headquarters continued to question whether the man being held in Minnesota was the same Moussaoui mentioned in the French intelligence.
Because of problems with his immigration status, according to the Department of Justice, moussaoui was eventually detained by immigration authorities.
As the field office tried to obtain a warrant, officials at headquarters questioned the strength of the evidence, changed parts of the Minneapolis report and finally decided that there was not enough legal basis to obtain a surveillance warrant, according to reports cited by Newsweek . An earlier version said Moussaoui was “preparing himself to fight. The revised version said Moussaoui “may” have had such a plan and that his roommate was not certain. The French intelligence said he had links to people involved with Chechen extremists and described him as a radical fundamentalist. French authorities said he had travelled to countries including Kuwait, Turkey and Afghanistan.
