Touhey

Touhey says the younger man, Abdul Aziz al-Omari, could barely speak English.

CNN Transcript Jan 19, 2005 2005

GRIFFIN: Setting aside his gut reaction, Touhey issued the boarding passes.

CNN Transcript Jan 19, 2005 2005

Had there been any kind of alert, Touhey says, he would have acted on his nonpolitically - correct gut instinct.

CNN Transcript Jan 19, 2005 2005

On that September morning, hassling two men simply because they were Arabs would not have been politically correct, Touhey says.

CNN Transcript Jan 19, 2005 2005

Less than three hours later, Touhey was told by a co-worker that American flight 11 had crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center.

CNN Transcript Jan 19, 2005 2005

Touhey, who has now retired to rural Maine, says probably not.

CNN Transcript Jan 19, 2005 2005

Touhey says the two men turned in a huff and hurried to the gate.

CNN Transcript Jan 19, 2005 2005

GRIFFIN: Touhey went home after that and watched the dreadful events unfold on television.

CNN Transcript Jan 19, 2005 2005

But Atta told Touhey he wanted not only the border passes for the U.S.

CNN Transcript Jan 19, 2005 2005

And within hours, Touhey found himself viewing this videotape of the two Arab men he had ticketed, passing through security.

CNN Transcript Jan 19, 2005 2005