WASHINGTON – The elaborate Sept. 11 conspiracy was run on a shoestring budget and cost Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network about $303,000 to orchestrate, according to new figures released by the FBI.
The data shows how the well-disciplined terrorists carefully managed their money as they burrowed themselves into the United States without rousing suspicion.
“They were operating in a very normal way. They didn’t stand out,” said FBI counterterrorism Special Agent Steven Garfinkle.
The investigation of the hijackers’ finances revealed the 19 bin Laden agents received $303,481.63 in deposits in several accounts at a Florida bank, Garfinkle said.
The hijackers spent $45,500 on airline tickets, $39,000 on flight-school tuition and $6,100 on cars. Checks written to individuals accounted for $36,000 of the terror fund while $128,000 was withdrawn from various ATM machines, usually in small amounts.