9/11 Mastermind Designing Vacuum Cleaner and Reading Harry Potter, What is he REALLY up to?
9/11 terrorist mastermind is currently working on a vacuum cleaner and reading Harry Potter books inside prison.
According to a report from the Associated Press, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed asked his' jailers permission to embark on an unusual project: Would the spy agency allow Mohammed, who had earned his bachelor's in mechanical engineering, to design a vacuum cleaner?
According to the report, the agency officer in charge of the prison called CIA headquarters and a manager approved the request.
The CIA told Associated Press that its program methods were "designed to psychologically dislocate people" that were being interrogated. But when interrogations were done, it also the agency's responsibility to undo the psychological damage inflicted to the person.
From military record obtained by the Associated Press, Mr Mohammed was still sane and in good health.
What is he REALLY up to?
In a more detailed report from the Associated Press published by USA Today, it looked like that there is something to be inferred from Mr Mohammed's strange hobbies these days.
There are no obvious basis that he has ulterior motives in designing the vacuum cleaner, but his plans can be use to conceal secret information or trick his jailers just like the Cuban vacuum salesman character in Graham Greene's spy thriller "Our Man in Havana."
In the novel, the character deceived his British jailers that his vacuum designs were military installations.
The Associated Press was not able to obtain details of Mr Mohammed's strange project or whether the plans still exist until this very moment. Back in 2006, the secret CIA prison in Romania where Mr Mohammed was being held a prisoner was destroyed and Mr Mohammed was transferred to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base Prison where he remains at present. There was a possibility that he was not able to take with him his vacuum design plans.
Army Capt. Jason Wright, military lawyer for Mr Mohammed, refused to give details about his client's vacuum plans.
Mr Wright told the Associated Press that "It sounds ridiculous, but answering this question, or confirming or denying the very existence of a vacuum cleaner design, a Swiffer design, or even a design for a better hand towel would apparently expose the U.S. government and its citizens to exceptionally grave danger."
However, Mr Wright shared that his client often talked about "modern technological innovations and scientific wonders." According to the lawyer, Mr Mohammed is "exceptionally intelligent."
"If he had access to educational programs in Guantanamo Bay, such as distance learning programs, I am confident that in addition to furthering his Islamic studies, he could obtain a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and very likely patent inventions."
The CIA too, refused to discuss further Mr Mohammed's vacuum plans. Through a written statement, the agency said that if there were documents to back the vacuum plans then those were to be considered highly classified category of government files and that the agency has the full right to keep it from public's knowledge.
Reading Harry Potter Books
According to Mr Mohammed's former prison officials in Romania, he enjoyed the Harry Potter series.
However, for security reasons, after a prisoner finished a book, officials were required to check each and every page of the book just to be sure that the prisoners were not passing messages to their fellow inmates.
Prison officials admitted that during one occasion Mr Mohammed was caught hiding a message in a Harry Potter book, warning his prison mates to keep themselves from talking about Osama Bin Laden's courier.