8/14/2019 T5 B70 Dan Grossi Fdr- Entire Contents- 5-24-04 MFR-
Dan Grossi- Notes- Saudi Tampa-Lexington Flight
1/6
MFR for Dan Grossi May 24, 2004Walt HempelAtty Cohen came on the
telephone.TE asked Grossi to tell us about what happened on the day
of the flight.Grossi asked if the telephone call was being
recorded. TE stated that it was not but that ifGrossi felt more
comfortable that a recorder was available.Atty Cohen asked if there
we had a stenographer. TE said we did not.
Grossi said that on 9/13/01, three Saudis were being given
security by off duty TampaPolice Officers. Grossi does not recall
their names but that he has a business card for oneof them that
Manny Ramirez was given. He thinks they were students at the
Universityof Tampa. Tampa PD Chief Brian Holder had made a decision
that no on duty officerswere to provide security.A Lt. in
Lexington, Kentucky had called Tampa PD requesting that Tampa PD
assist ingetting the three Saudi students to Lexington,
Kentucky.Sgt. John Salomon of the Tampa PD handled the
arrangements. He contacted DanGrossi about 2:OOPM. Grossi said he
is a retired homicide and internal affairs detectiveand had a
private investigations agency. Sgt. Salomon told Grossi that the
three studentswere going to fly to Lexington on a private aircraft.
Grossi says that he was told to go tothe Raytheon hanger at the
Tampa Airport. Sgt. Salomon said that two security officerswere
required. Grossi asked how they were going to fly when the airspace
was closed.Salomon said that it had been cleared by higher
authority or the White House.Grossie called Manny Ramirez a retired
FBI agent to ask him to go on the trip.Grossi went to the Tampa
International Airport. He arrived at the Raytheon hanger andthat
there was a small blue jet on the ramp. The Raytheon receptionist
introduced themto the pilot who was in uniform. He was about 35
years old. There was also anotherpilot, about the same age, on the
plane. The pilot said that they were from Ft. Lauderdale.Grossi did
not see any markings on the plane.| [w.as at the ramp with the
three Saudis. I tvas handling the threeSaudis. | Ipiaidflterncash
for their services and cash fo r the off duty Tampa Policeofficers.
(Grossi said that the Tampa PD extra duty office has. records of
this.)About 4:30 PM they took off from Tanipa .and flew to
Lexington Blue Grass Airport.The flight was less then two hours. He
thinks ;:tfa :Lear had 8 or. 10 seats. It was veryplush with
leather seats. "" ::::::::::^=,.
"""9/11 Personal Privacy
fir
8/14/2019 T5 B70 Dan Grossi Fdr- Entire Contents- 5-24-04 MFR-
Dan Grossi- Notes- Saudi Tampa-Lexington Flight
2/6
During the flight Grossi spoke with one o f the Saudi students
who said that his uncle orfather knew George Bush, the father, from
the first Gulf War. He said that the WhiteHouse cleared the flight
as a favor.Grossi said that w hen they arrived in Lexington, the
Lear je t parked close to a "short"747 aircraft that had Arabic
writing on the tail. They got off the plane. He did not recallbeing
met by anyone from the airport staff. There was a Lincoln Town car
parked on theother side of the fence. Grossi spoke to the driver
and asked him if he had had any lawenforcement experience. The
driver said that he had not but that he m et the Saudis abouteight
years ago in when he was a lim o driver in Pittsburg. The students
left in the l imo.The Lear jet w as refueled. Grossi said that the
term inal at Blue Grass was very sm allwith m aybe 20 chairs. He
went in and used the bathroom. H e never m et the Lt. from
theLexington PD. Twenty to thirty minutes later he got back on the
plane and flew back toTam pa. They landed in Tam pa about 8:30PM or
9:00 PM. He then drove hom e. On theway out of the airport, he
thought he heard or saw the Lear departing.Grossi was asked if
there was any other air traffic at Tampa when they took off or
whenthey returned . Grossi said that he didn't rem em ber seeing
any. He was asked if theterm inal was open at Tam pa. He said that
he didn't think so but that he went to thegeneral aviation area and
did not go through the main terminal.Grossi was asked if the
Lexington Blue G rass Airport had any air traffic. He said that
hedidn't think so but that Blue Grass was very small.A few days
after the flight he was called by a reporter from the Tam pa
Tribune. Hediscussed the flight and the reporter wrote an
article.Grossi said that about two years after 9-11, Craig Unger of
Vanity Fair called and spoketo him about the flight.Sometime after
that flight, he was called by som eone representing Michael Moore.
Theysaid that they wanted to m ake a m ovie about the Saudi
flights. He said that he didn'twant to be in a m ovie but that he
would talk to them . A fem ale from Moore's officecame down to
Tampa to talk to him. He thought her name m ay have been M
ichelle.Grossi said that he was disturbed by the FB I m aking a
statement that the three studentshad been driven to Lexington. He
said that he thought the FBI agent who made thestatement w as not
from Tam pa as he did not know him and that he had worked w ith
theFBI on m any occasions. Grossi stated again that he did fly to
Lexington on the jet.Grossi said that it was his understanding that
the airspace was closed but that he knewthat it was "opening
up".
8/14/2019 T5 B70 Dan Grossi Fdr- Entire Contents- 5-24-04 MFR-
Dan Grossi- Notes- Saudi Tampa-Lexington Flight
3/6
Gross! said that he wou ld contact Manny Ram irez and give him
the telephone nu mb er forTom Eldridge.Atty. Cohen said that he
could be contacted if the 9-11 commission wanted
moreinformation.Cohen asked how the interview material was going to
be used? TE stated that it mayappear in the final report or in a
supplement.Cohen asked about a M otorola law suit over the radios
in NYC . He asked for a contacton the commission. TE provided him w
ith a telephone number for John Farmer in N YC.Cohen asked if
Farmer was a Dem ocrat or Repub lican. TE said that he was
independent.
8/14/2019 T5 B70 Dan Grossi Fdr- Entire Contents- 5-24-04 MFR-
Dan Grossi- Notes- Saudi Tampa-Lexington Flight
4/6
9/11 Law Enforcement Privacy
8/14/2019 T5 B70 Dan Grossi Fdr- Entire Contents- 5-24-04 MFR-
Dan Grossi- Notes- Saudi Tampa-Lexington Flight
5/6
9/11 Personal Privacy
8/14/2019 T5 B70 Dan Grossi Fdr- Entire Contents- 5-24-04 MFR-
Dan Grossi- Notes- Saudi Tampa-Lexington Flight
