Posted on 06/25/2004 12:21:10 AM PDT by Rodney Dangerfield
Bin Laden Family Evacuated Sept. 30, 2001
Two dozen members of Osama bin Laden's family were urgently evacuated from the United States in the first days following the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, according to the Saudi ambassador to Washington.
One of bin Laden's brothers frantically called the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington looking for protection, Prince Bandar bin Sultan told The New York Times. The brother was sent to a room in the Watergate Hotel and was told not to open the door.
Most of bin Laden's relatives were attending high school and college. The young members of the bin Laden family were driven or flown under FBI supervision to a secret place in Texas and then to Washington, The Times reported Sunday.
Many were terrified, fearing they would be lynched after hearing reports of violence against Muslims and Arab-Americans.
They left the country on a private charter plane when airports reopened three days after the attacks.
King Fahd, the ailing Saudi ruler, sent an urgent message to his embassy in Washington pointing out that there were "bin Laden children all over America" and ordered, "Take measures to protect the innocents," the ambassador said.
It's a tragedy," Prince Bandar told the Times. "The elders" of the students "came to see me, and one of them was a bright boy from Harvard who like the others had absolutely nothing to do with this and yet we had to tell him to go home and wait until the emotions calmed down. And he told me that he never really appreciated why the Japanese wanted a memorial or an apology for their treatment in World War II.
The student added, according to the prince, "I understand now that when you are innocent, in the face of emotion, nothing, not even common sense, can help argue your case."
Osama bin Laden is one of more than 50 children of a Yemeni-born migrant who made a vast fortune building roads and palaces in Saudi Arabia and his extended family spans the globe. Many have been educated in the United States and the family has donated millions of dollars to several American universities.
Bin Laden is estranged from his family and from Saudi Arabia, which revoked his citizenship in the early 1990s after he was caught smuggling weapons from Yemen.
Sept 30, 2001?
I don't consider it vomit at all. I consider it recognition that most of the family that the vomiters have been screeching about, how DARE we let them leave the country, were just innocent kids in high school and college.
Qwinn
Yes, I remember this. The Left is trying to portray some sinister connection between Bush and OBL's family, but it was different at the time.
There was no attempt to hide the fact that OBL's family was here and had extensive business contacts throughout the world including in the US. Most importantly, it was understood at the time that there was a clear separation from family and the terrorist.
I am waiting for any evidence that OBL's family is in any way participating in terrorism. They have to be the most watched family in the world.
Posting this for a few reasons:
1) Bin Laden and his family have been estranged for quite some time
and
2) There was nothing sinister behind flying OBL's family members out of the country in the days after 9-11
Michael Moore would have some people believe otherwise.
This is the truth, and it needs to be told.
Moore is getting away with lies.
And Richard Clarke, the left's darling, takes full responsibility for reviewing and making the decision to let the bin Laden family go. The left and Mickey Moore don't distinguish from Osama and the bin Laden family.
Muslim naming is odd; I wonder how many bin Laden's there are?
If the last name of Osama had been "Moore" or "Gore", there would have been no film. ;^)
Also better check that money trail...to the left it leads to Washington, to the right it goes to Islamic "Charities".
One or two of OBL's brothers (I suspect those who hightailed it to the Watergate) were leaders of the U.S. World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) which was hq'd Falls Church (where they also lived). WAMY is of course a Saudi Wahabbi creation.
Another was on the board of the Dar al Hijra mosque in Falls Church. Also Saudi Wahabbi.
Separately from the above, it's my suspicion that a lot of Muslims in Northern VA knew something was coming. I base this on the bizarre conversation I had with a Dulles Airport cabbie in June 2001. This Arabic guy picked me up from a high rise building in Northern VA. Then he ranted for the 10 minutes about the "very strong building" I'd just exited. It was wierd, and even at the time I recall thinking, "What's his fixation on the building? How does he know whether it's 'strong' or not? Why is he talking about this?" He had a very nervous/excited sort of demeanor while talking about the "very strong building" (which as it turns out was directly on the pathway of Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon 3 months later).
Again, it bizarre, leading me to believe this guy knew something was up, and it had to do with "strong buildings."
whoops... it was ordered by Richard Clark, who was the basis for Michael moore's movie...
Except that Michael Moore forgot to ask Richard who apporved this...
But we freepers know this.
Where do you come from?
Michael Isikoff does a nice job of rebutting a large part of Moore's "documentary" in this weeks Newswek.
Allah FUBAR!
Innocent kids go to elementary school. These were young men of military age
Bush-Hater Richard Clarke took FULL responsibility for the move.
Some of the 9/11 highjackers were university students.
These people should not have been allowed to leave without being examined for complicity in funding Osama bin Laden.
According to the posted article, some of the bin Ladens were flown to a secret location in Texas, before leaving the U.S.
Depends on the meaning of "fly" I suppose?
Except that Michael Moore forgot to ask Richard who apporved this...
Bears repeating. It DID happen. It just didn't happen because of George Bush.
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