report: Bin Laden Held

UPI - Die Welt ^ | 22-Jan | UPI

[epluribus_2]

Here we go again...

BERLIN, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has been captured, Germany's Die Welt newspaper reported Thursday.

The newspaper, on its Web site, cited "unconfirmed reports" as the basis for its report.

Bin Laden is the Saudi dissident blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington that killed nearly 3,000 people. He was believed to be hiding along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Copyright 2004 by United Press International. All rights reserved

[Judith Anne]

Well, great minds and all that...;-D

The part about being able to get sensitive information declassified so they could use it politically got on my last nerve, and I doubt I'll forget.

He's a slimy stinking pawn of the Clinton machine, bound at the hip to the Pig In a Pant Suit, beholden to Daschle and as foul of heart as any man who ever sat a senate chair, putting the lives, morale and safety of our troops and their mission in Iraq in jeopardy for his own petty little disgusting machinations.

No, I am not hysterical. Just angry, and not likely to forget.

[camle]

moi??? I get blamed fer everything!

[hispanarepublicana]

Why do I feel like these are signals to sleeper cells? No, I'm not paranoid, and whoever says I am is out to get me.

[Former Proud Canadian]

This is becoming very interesting and a few points come to mind.

First off, IF he is in custody, any state would release him to the US. No one in the middle east, not even Iran, wants to protect this guy. It is simply not worth the cost, which could be all out war with the USA.

That said, there is great profit in not admitting that he is captured. Pump him for information, he will probably sing like a bird. It might be possible to roll up his entire network. They might hold him for a month before admitting it.

Lastly, there is no absolutely no advantage to admitting this right now. In the case of Sadam, it was important to trumpet his arrest as soon as it was confirmed. In this guy's case there is no political, strategic, or tactical advantage to be gained.

If the speculation ramps up on the usual sources: Isreali/Indian/European media, Debka, other "intelliegence" websites, it just might be true.

I guess 90/10 he is alive, 40/60 he is in custody as we speculate.

[timpad]

If you shave the beard and take off the hat, doesn't that look like Vladi Divac?

Binny is said to be unusually tall. Hmmm... </Sacremento Kings conspiracy>

[NonValueAdded]

That looks more like Sammy Davis bin Laden.

[alancarp]

Try these from yesterday's thread on this subject:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1062955/posts?page=6#6
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1062955/posts?page=4#4

[xzins]

If we have him and don't announce it immediately, it will be a terrible mistake and breach of trust with the American people that it is not announced after a reasonable period of time....I'd say a week or two. Otherwise, it would appear the release date would be used for political advantage.

I disagree about Iran. If they have him, then they can get away with holding him. Likewise, with Saudi Arabia, imho.

[Cultural Jihad]

Maybe we're close and this rumor has been started to get the roaches to scatter. Watch who freaks, phones, runs...

Could well be. Since the goal here is to survive as a nation rather than to rush the latest news of current events to the talking heads to chatter endlessly over and satisfy our itchy ears, we have to develop new skills for reading between the lines. Even so, I believe the leaders are well-aware of the roles which hope and despairing rumors play in the lives of civilians during this war. If they need a few weeks to interrogate the bastard infidel in secret, then so be it.

Hey, maybe we should develop our own remote viewing service. ;-)

[Naspino]

I hope he's given his rights according to the Geneva conventions and his rights as a citizen of the world. (please read above in Sally Struthers voice).

[Former Proud Canadian]

I have to get to work so I don't have time for a long debate, but I will address your points.

Yes, one to two weeks looks reasonable, they probably couldn't hold the secret much longer than that anyway.

Iran would release him to the US in a minute. They are playing nice and there is a lot of back channel diplomacy going on. They have a lot to gain by turning him over and nothing to lose, really. You might be right about the Saudi's, if they got him they might not turn him over, but they would end up executing him. At least that way they can save face.

[ASA Vet]

You're not the first over the last two years to suggest that.
All three are dead, but I've not seen anyone claiming Sammy isn't.

[angkor]

No one in the middle east, not even Iran, wants to protect this guy. It is simply not worth the cost, which could be all out war with the USA.

Yes, the example of the recalcitrant Taliban wasn't lost on anyone.

[areafiftyone]

Wasn't this a rumor yesterday and wasn't it confirmed that it wasn't true. Or am I going nutso? I can only pray that it is true but I truly doubt it.

[evets]

All your Bin Ladens are belong to us!

[lorrainer]

Die Welt isn't an insignificant German periodical.

Der Spiegel wasn't insignificant, either. Now, if they find his diaries....

[af_vet_rr]

I disagree about Iran. If they have him, then they can get away with holding him. Likewise, with Saudi Arabia, imho.

They would have to execute him quick if either country held him. Unlike Iraq, most of the major players in the UN support our efforts against Osama, and while they may not be militaristic in nature, there would still be reprecussions against anybody harboring him (probably economic in nature). Many in the UN are truly afraid of Osama and his followers, because the Al-Q are actively working in many countries against those governments.

Iran can't afford that at this point, and everything Saudi Arabia has done to show that they are our "friends" would be wiped out in a heartbeat. The American people seem to have bought the "Saudis are our friends and allies" thing, but that would go out the window.

[Poincare]

Bin Laden is the Saudi dissident blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington .....

Blamed????? No, B-L claims "credit" and is probably lying about everything. The Hamburg cell of suicide pilots probably kept their plans close to the chest.

[Quix]

We shall see if Kim Clement is right about him being captured before 16 Feb.

i.e. "within 35 days"

[Dr.Deth]

If you shave the beard and take off the hat, doesn't that look like Vladi Divac?

His face, it is very irritating.