Despite his comfortable origins, Atta was notorious for his frugality. And yet his bank and credit card records show repeated contributions to Islamic charities working in the Balkans, the mark of a devoted Muslim. In what appears to be a more noteworthy act of generosity to someone he barely knew, in 1995 Atta loaned a Turkish baker, Muharrem Acar, some $25,000 to help Acar open a bakery. Acar told the BKA that Atta didn't even ask for a promissory note when he made the loan. "I don't know why El-Amir had so much money," he said. "I did not want to know either. I heard later that his father was a lawyer. Maybe his family supplied him well."
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