9/11 hijackers on US no-fly list

A US no-fly list used to try to prevent terror attacks includes the names of 14 of the long-dead 11 September hijackers, US news channel CBS reports.

Jailed former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein also features on the list, which has been seen by CBS's 60 Minutes programme.

The names of Bolivian president Evo Morales and Lebanon's parliamentary speaker, Nabih Berri, also appear.

A former FBI agent told the programme the list was assembled hastily.

The document lists 44,000 people banned from flying in the US, and was drawn up after the 2001 attacks on the US, the programme reports.

It includes names shared by thousands of people, such as Gary Smith, John Williams and Robert Johnson.

"They basically did a massive data dump"

Men with these names tell of being routinely detained and interrogated whilst trying to board flights in the US, in interviews in the CBS programme due to be aired on Sunday.

A former FBI agent, Jack Cloonan, told CBS that the list had been compiled quickly.

"When we heard the name list or no-fly list... the eyes rolled back in my head, because we knew what was going to happen," he said.

"They basically did a massive data dump and said: 'Okay, anybody that's got a nexus to terrorism, let's make sure they get on the list.'"

However, the names of the 11 British suspects recently accused of a plot to blow up airliners flying to the US were not included on the list.

Cathy Berrick, director of Homeland Security investigations for the General Accounting Office told CBS that this was due to concerns that the list could end up in the wrong hands.

"The government doesn't want that information outside the government," she said.

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