Coughlin 's information came from a secret intelligence memorandum , purportedly handwritten during Saddam Hussein 's final days in power and discovered later by the newly formed Iraqi Interim Government , which summarized an operational relationship between Mohamed Atta , a known associate of al-Qaeda and one of the hijackers in the September 11 attacks , and the Iraqi Intelligence Service ( IIS ) . The letter was signed by General Tahir Jalil Habbush al-Tikriti , chief of IIS , and directed to the President of Iraq . Coughlin said that he had received this document from a " senior member of the Iraqi interim government " , though this person " declined to reveal where and how they obtained it . " Habbush 's July 1 , 2001 , letter is labeled " Intelligence Items " and is addressed : " To the President of the Ba'ath Revolution Party and President of the Republic , may God protect you . " It continues : Ayad Allawi , interim Prime Minister of Iraq , was quoted in the original report , offering personal assurance over the document 's authenticity : " We are uncovering evidence all the time of Saddam 's involvement with al-Qaeda . ... But this is the most compelling piece of evidence that we have found so far . It shows that not only did Saddam have contacts with al-Qaeda , he had contact with those responsible for the September 11 attacks . " The story was quickly picked up and repeated by several conservative columnists in the US , including syndicated columnist Deroy Murdock and William Safire . Safire talked about the document in an op-ed for the '' New York Times '' , claiming Saddam had attempted to cover-up his links to 9/11 by assassinating Abu Nidal , who the letter claims was with Mohammed Atta in Iraq
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Habbush letter