1996 : (SUDAN OFFERS TO TURN OVER BIN LADEN) the Sudanese offered to turn over Osama himself, and two days after the Tanzanian and Kenyan embassy bombings, Sudanese authorities detained two bin Laden operatives thought to be complicit in the attacks. FBI Director Louis Freeh wanted them extradited. Maddy Albright nixed the deal.
1996 : (IRAQ : AMERICAN STUDENT SAM JASON IS TORTURED & INTERROGATED IN BAGHDAD AFTER BEING ACCUSED OF BEING A US SPY; HE IS GIVEN A SENTENCE OF 28 YEARS) ... Al Hakmiyah (Judgment) Centre in eastern Baghdad — where he'd been originally and viciously interrogated in 1996, accused of being a U.S. spy. "Nine years I spent in jail for saying three banned words — that Saddam would go either by negotiation, bribe or force. I didn't know they had bugged my office. Nine years for three words. They tortured me, they beat me, they used electrodes on my lips, ears, and other parts, and they burned me with cigarettes until I finally said what they wanted to hear."
Fainting from the ordeal, Jason woke up to see a coffin in the corner. That was one of the little games prison officials would use on their terrified wards — forcing them to occasionally lie in coffins, as if in preparation for their own burial.
"When I was sentenced, I appeared in front of three judges in civilian clothes. One told me I had been sentenced to death. Another walked over with a pistol, put it to my head and fired. It was a blank bullet. He laughed and said: `Did you think we were going to kill you and let you rest? No, we are going to torture you to death. Death is a rest and we are not going to give you that privilege.'" Jason's sentence was 28 years. - "Abu Gharib Prison: Nowhere in Iraq was butchery more rife," ROSIE DIMANNO, Toronto Star, Apr. 13, 2003
(* My note: He would not be released until freed 9 years later in April 2003 during the US invasion of Iraq.)
1996 : (LINDA HUANG, DEMOCRAT CAMPAIGN DONOR, ARRESTED FOR GUN SMUGGLING) Linda Huang got her self arrested in 1996, along with several others, for trying to smuggle 2,000 AK-47s into the country so that L.A’s street gangs could have some new toys to play with. Dear Linda was also part of a drug smuggling ring that had been organised by Beijing. - "The Democrats’ drug running links," by Gerard Jackson , The New Australian News with Commentary, Friday 1 June 2001
1996 : (RUSSIA, DIRTY BOMB LEFT BY CHECHEN TERRORISTS) Chechen rebels left a device in Izmailovo park in Moscow in 1996 to prove they could detonate a dirty bomb if they wanted to," said Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for the International Atomic Energy Authority. The Moscow device was a deadly mixture of caesium-137, one of the by-products of nuclear fission, strapped to sticks of dynamite.
1996 : (GENERAL PRIMAKOV, ONCE OVER IRAQ'S WMD PROGRAMS IN THE 1970s AND LATER PROMOTED TO SOVIET FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE, IS PROMOTED TO BE RUSSIA'S MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS) In the late 1970s, [Soviet] Gen. Yevgeny Primakov ran Saddam's weapons programs. After that, as you may recall, he was promoted to head of the Soviet foreign intelligence service in 1990, to Russia's minister of foreign affairs in 1996, and in 1998, to prime minister. What you may not know is that Primakov hates Israel and has always championed Arab radicalism. He was a personal friend of Saddam's and has repeatedly visited Baghdad after 1991, quietly helping Saddam play his game of hide-and-seek. - "Russian Collusion in Iraq," By Ion Mihai Pacepa, Washington Times , August 22, 2003
1996 : (UGANDA : ALLIED DEMOCRATIC FORCES MERGE; ADF LINKED TO BIN LADEN IN SUDAN) - The ADF emerged in 1996, when it launched a rebellion against President Yoweri Museveni's government. In December 2001, the movement was placed on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations. Throughout its campaign, the ADF has been provided with weapons and funding by the Islamist government in Sudan, one of several states Washington accuses of sponsoring terrorism. The key figure behind the ADF is widely acknowledged to be a fundamentalist Islamic cleric, Sheikh Jamil Makulu. According to the Ugandan government and Western intelligence sources, Sheikh Makulu became friendly with Osama bin Laden when the al-Qaida chief was living in Khartoum, Sudan.- "Papers connect Iraqi spies to African terrorist group," BY PHILIP SMUCKER AND ADRIAN BLOMFIELD, Chicago Sun-Times, April 18, 2003
1996 : (SENATOR JOHN KERRY MEETS LIU CHAOYING, VP OF A SUBSIDIARY OF CHINA'S GOVERNMENT OWNED CHINA AEROSPACE CORP & DAUGHTER OF A CHINESE MILITARY OFFICIAL, TRADES FAVORS FOR CASH, PLUS CHINA GETS MISSILE TECHNOLOGY) In 1996 Kerry met with Liu Chaoying, the daughter of a powerful Chinese military official who also doubled as vice president of a subsidiary of the state-owned China Aerospace Corp. Before the meeting, held in Kerry's Senate office, Liu's sponsor, Johnny Chung, made clear she was interested in getting her company listed on the U.S. Stock Exchange. The Democratic presidential front-runner was only too happy to oblige and ordered his aides to contact the Securities and Exchange Commission. "The next day," reports Newsweek, "Liu and Chung were ushered into a private briefing with a senior SEC official." Within weeks, Chung returned the favor, staging a Kerry fund raiser at a Beverly Hills hotel that raked in $10,000 for the senator's re-election campaign. Bank records would later show that Kerry's Chinese campaign cash came from $300,000 in overseas wire transfers sent to Chung on orders from the chief of Chinese military intelligence, Newsweek reports. The money was routed through a Hong Kong bank account controlled by Liu, whose company later benefited from waivers granted by the Clinton administration to the U.S. aerospace giant Loral Corp. As Liu and Chung were lining the pockets of the Democratic Party's political elite, Loral handed over top-secret missile guidance technology to Liu's firm. Liu's China Aerospace used the information to perfect Beijing's fleet of intercontinental ballistic missiles, which before the 1990s could not strike the U.S. By the end of the decade, however, China's ICBMs could reach the entire continental United States with pinpoint accuracy, thanks in part to the senator who says now he can be trusted with America's national security.
Chung later testified that before Liu wired him the cash to contribute to prominent Democrats, the chief of Chinese intelligence personally told him: "We like your president. We want to see him re-elected." Apparently, Beijing felt the same way about Sen. John Kerry.- "Kerry Took Cash From Chinese Military Intelligence," by Carl Limbacher, NewsMax, Monday, Feb. 2, 2004
1996 : (CLINTON ADMINISTRATION ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO PROPOSES FEDERAL TAKEOVER OF COMPUTER SECURITY INDUSTRY : BAN DOMESTIC USE OF ENCRYPTION TECHNOLOGY) Even though Hubbell was gone, the access-to-your-computer idea did not die. According to the 1996 report to V.P. Gore by then CIA Director Deutch, Ms. Reno proposed an all out Federal take-over of the computer security industry. The Justice Department, proposed "legislation that would ... ban the import and domestic manufacture, sale or distribution of encryption that does not have key recovery. Janet Reno and Louis Freeh are deeply concerned about the spread of encryption. Pervasive use of encryption destroys the effectiveness of wiretapping, which supplies much of the evidence used by FBI and Justice. They support tight controls, for domestic use." If Al Gore had become President, it is certain that the mandatory government phone and computer bug legislation would have become reality along with another term for Louis Freeh as FBI director. As it is, the follow-on to Clipper authorized by the Freeh led FBI is called Carnivore. Carnivore is simply a system to monitor the keystrokes on a target computer, and it is similar in construction to many virus programs that circulate on the Internet. The Carnivore system is so imperfect that it gathers unneeded, and sometimes, unwarranted information that must be screened out. - "Secret Documents: Hubbell Wanted Federal Access to Phones, " by Charles R. Smith, NewsMax , 8/29/02
1996 : (VA JIHAD NETWORK/PAINTBALL CELL : AATIQUE COMES TO THE US TO STUDY ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING) [Mohammed] Aatique had come to the United States in 1996 to study electrical engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and quickly found work in the wireless-communication industry, at Qualcomm Inc. in San Diego, and AT&T and U.S. Wireless in Virginia. "In those days, the wireless industry was so hot that students were leaving campus and getting jobs within a week of the time they defended" their thesis, said Brian Woerner, his adviser at Virginia Tech. U.S. Wireless went bankrupt, and Aatique went to work for TruePosition Inc., a King of Prussia developer of cellphone tracking technology for 9-1-1 emergency calls - the subject of his graduate research. Officials at TruePosition would not comment. And neighbors knew little of Aatique, his wife and two young children, who kept to themselves. - "Tracing the case of 'Virginia jihad' , Terror charges link Montco to Kashmir" by Jennifer Lin, Mark Fazlollah, Maria Panaritis and Jeff Shields, Philadelphia Enquirer, Fri, Jul. 25, 2003
1996 early : (BELGIUM DISCOVER A 'SUPERMORTAR' ABOARD THE IRANIAN SHIP 'KOLAHDOOZ') - "Patterns of Global Terrorism 1997 : Overview of State-Sponsored Terrorism ," http://www.usembassy-israel.org.il/publish/terrorism97/sponsored.html.
1996 : (EMAD ATTI, FATHER OF THE IRAQI CHEMICAL WEAPONS PROGRAM, VISITED A SUDANESE CHEMICAL PLANT FOR ITS GRAND OPENING) The NYT, Aug 26, [of 98] explained, "UN weapons inspectors who were charged after the 1991 Persian Gulf War with dismantling Iraq's chemical arms program have for months believed that the Iraqi government might have transferred some of its research and production capacity to Sudan.
Their interest, however, focused not on the plant that was attacked [by the US], but on a smaller more heavily fortified facility in Khartoum. . . Other indications of Iraq's involvement include the presence of Iraqi officials at the plant for its 'grand opening' in 1996, the US official said. One of the Iraqis believed to have visited the plant was Emad Atti, described as the father of the Iraqi chemical arms program."
As one reader, a former USG official, remarked, "It raises some serious questions about the dissembling of the administration, like did we forget to tell John Q. Public that Iraqi chemical weapons officials visited a chemical weapons plant while we were saying Saddam was in his box?" Another reader, also a former USG official, asked how long has the administration known about Iraqi cw activity in Sudan and what has it done about it? - "More Criticism; Sudan and Iraq," By Laurie Mylroie , Iraq News, SEPTEMBER 2, 1998
1996 : (IRAQ : HAIDAR FARM CHEMICAL WEAPONS FACILITY) Iraq was known since 1996 to have been working on new chemical warheads at a facility known as Haidar Farm, where inspectors had discovered caches of documents and other evidence of prohibited programs with which to confront the Iraqi regime. Videotapes from Haidar showed "personnel conducting tests of a cluster bomb that appears to utilize submunitions based, in part, on 122-mm warhead components."As early as 1988, Iraq subsequently admitted to the United Nations, it had experimented on converting short-range "Frog" rockets with a cluster warhead using aluminum shells and some components from another rocket, the Ababil 50. However, Iraq said that it had done nothing but produce drawings and that no prototypes were built. When the evidence of these programs from Haidar Farm was analyzed in 1997, intelligence agencies supporting the U.N. weapons inspectors said materials found there included "all the necessary files and specifications to build" an unconventional, probably chemical, warhead for the Frogs. - "A new type of rocket found in Iraq : Inspectors say chemicals could cover wide area," By JOHN H. CUSHMAN JR. WITH STEVEN R. WEISMAN, THE NEW YORK TIMES, Monday, March 10, 2003
1996 : (HWANG JANG-YOP DEFECTS; HIS INFO LEADS TO DISCOVERY OF KUMCHANGI COMPLEX; HE ALSO REVEALS N KOREAN CHEMICAL & BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS PROGRAM) Other reports from North Korea indicate that Pyongyang's drive to acquire nuclear weapons has been long-standing. Hwang Jang-yop, the highest ranking North Korean official to defect from the communist regime, disclosed in 1996 that North Korea had several nuclear weapons and had planned to conduct an underground test — the last stage in a fully developed nuclear-weapons program. The test was put off, however, Mr. Hwang said. Mr. Hwang's revelations led to the discovery of the Kumchangni underground complex. Mr. Hwang, who has been blocked from visiting the United States by the government of South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, which has sought closer ties with Pyongyang, also revealed new information about North Korea's huge chemical- and biological-weapons arsenal. He described North Korea's chemical-weapons program as consisting of "high grade" deadly poisons, including nerve agents, blistering agents and blood agents. - "U.S. saw North Korea's work to enrich fuel for nukes" by Bill Gertz, The Washington Times, October 18, 2002
1996 : (AIRLINE SAFETY COMMISSION) The 1996 Clinton-Gore airline safety commission set the stage for 9-11.
1996 : (CHINA W-88 CASE; SUSPECT IS IDENTIFIED- ALSO, NOTE : CLINTON ADMIN TURNED DOWN FOUR REQUESTS FOR WIRETAPS ON SUSPECT) Suspect in W-88 investigation was identified. He was allowed, in spite of the risk to US security, to stay on the job relating to US weapons research and development until 1999 when news reports of security breaches surfaced. In the W-88 investigation, the Clinton administration turned down four requests for wiretaps on this suspect.
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JANUARY 1996 : (CIA WITHDRAWS MORE THAN 100 INTELLIGENCE REPORTS ON SUDAN AFTER 'CONCLUDING THEIR SOURCE WAS A FABRICATOR'; ASSETS PULLED OUT OF SUDAN AS WELL, LEAVING US BLIND) The C.I.A. formally withdraws more than 100 of its intelligence reports on Sudan after concluding that their source was a fabricator. The reports, many of which dealt with terrorist threats against Americans in Sudan, were withdrawn within weeks of decisions to pull U.S. diplomats and spies out of Sudan because of the dangerous political conditions there. The absence of U.S. personnel has made assembling a clear picture of Sudan all the more difficult. In their absence, the United States has had to rely increasingly on exiles, opposition groups and governments of nearby countries for its information. - "Decision to Strike Factory in Sudan Based Partly on Surmise," By TIM WEINER and JAMES RISEN, NY Times, September 21, 1998
JANUARY 1996 : (CUBAN DRUG SMUGGLER & CLINTON/DNC DONOR CABRERA IS ARRESTED; OFFER TO LINK CUBAN LEADER CASTRO TO DRUG SMUGGLING IS DENIED BY RENO JUSTICE DEPT) A few weeks after his White House Christmas party, Cabrera was arrested in Florida for drug smuggling. After pleading guilty late last year, Cabrera is now serving a 19 year prison sentence. Cabrera tried to get a lighter sentence by offering to connect Castro to drug smuggling. Unsurprisingly, Janet Reno's Justice Department refused to investigate his allegations. According to The Times, "Stephen J. Bronis (Cabrera's lawyer) said prosecutors began an inquiry into those assertions, but dropped the investigation. 'It was pure politics, and it stinks,' Bronis said." *
* See also : Cabrera was arrested in January 1996, a month after the White House party [he attended] by undercover detectives who confiscated cocaine, $50,000 in cash, several boxes of illegal Cuban cigars, and photos of Cabrera with Cuban President Fidel Castro. He was indicted in 1983 by a federal grand jury in Miami on racketeering and drug charges and charged in 1988 with managing a continuing narcotics operation. In both cases, he pleades guilty to lesser charges- conspiracy to bribe a witness and income-tax evasion. According to Federal election records, Cabrera gave money to the DNC on November 9, 1995, and was invited a month later to a political fundraiser attended by Mr. Gore in Miami and a pre-Christmas event at the White House. .- "Elian's flight Arranger Linked to Hillary," by Jerry Seper, The Washington Times, June 30, 2000
JANUARY 1996 : (SECDEF PERRY'S ASSOCIATES ARE ACCUSED OF USING THEIR INFLUENCE TO EASE TECH TRANSFERS TO CHINESE PLA FIRM) Report in Far Eastern Economic Review reveals potential conflict of interest as persons closely associated with Secretary of Defense William Perry are accused of using their influence to allow for transfer of advanced telecommunications equipment to Galaxy New Technologies, a Chinese firm associated with the People's Liberation Army. - "U.S.-China Techonology Transfer: Annotated Timeline 1980-January 1998," by Bates Gill, GlobalBeat, NYU.edu, June 22, 1998
JANUARY 1996 : (IRAN TESTS NEW CHINESE SHIP-TO-SHIP MISSILE) Reports from Pentagon state that Iran tested a new Chinese ship-to-ship cruise missile, the C-802. Under U.S. law, the transfer could trigger sanctions against persons or countries that ship advanced weapons, including cruise missiles, to Iran. - "U.S.-China Techonology Transfer: Annotated Timeline 1980-January 1998," by Bates Gill, GlobalBeat, NYU.edu, June 22, 1998
JANUARY 22, 1996 : (HUANG LEAVES COMMERCE DEPARTMENT- BUT KEEP SSECURITY CLEARANCE FOR ANOTHER YEAR) John Huang spent his last day on the Commerce payroll, turned in his Commerce ID, keys, and passcard. Huang kept top secret security clearance for 1 year after leaving Commerce. (John Huang had been working at the DNC since December 5, 1995)
JANUARY 27, 1996 : (NIGER : MAINASSARA SEIZES POWER) [Ibrahim Bare] Mainassara seized power Jan. 27, 1996, ousting the country's first democratically elected government after a political standoff between its civilian president and prime minister had paralyzed Niger's government for more than a year. Mainassara placed President Mahamane Ousmane under house arrest but released him three months later. - "1999 year in review," CNN