Posted on 07/01/2007 8:58:07 AM PDT by TrebleRebel
WASHINGTON — In the fall of 1992, Kanatjan Alibekov defected from Russia to the United States, bringing detailed, and chilling, descriptions of his role in making biological weapons for the former Soviet Union.
----------- Officials still value his seminal depictions of the Soviet program. But recent events have propelled questions about Alibek's reliability:
No biological weapon of mass destruction has been found in Iraq. His most sensational research findings, with U.S. colleagues, have not withstood peer review by scientific specialists. His promotion of nonprescription pills — sold in his name over the Internet and claiming to bolster the immune system — was ridiculed by some scientists. He resigned as executive director of a Virginia university's biodefense center 10 months ago while facing internal strife over his stewardship.
And, as Alibek raised fear of bioterrorism in the United States, he also has sought to profit from that fear.
By his count, Alibek has won about $28 million in federal grants or contracts for himself or entities that hired him.
The Los Angeles Times explored Alibek's public pronouncements, research and business activities as part of a series that will examine companies and government officials central to the U.S. war on terrorism -----------------------
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
And, no, Steve Hatfill did not go to the Greendale School, Worcester, Mass.
With respect to the code known to have been used in the stamp, here is an advertisement for “In The Hearts of Green Birds” sold by Al Qaeda’s website. In early Fall 2001, the Azzam.com website was mirrored by someone who lived 6 miles from the mailbox where the anthrax was mailed. He was indicted this Spring for income tax invasion. To the left of the advertisement, you’ll see the description of al-Hawali’s imprisonment. The imprisonment of al-Hawali and certain other scholars was the “Cover Theme” (which includes a related article on the torture of prisoners in Saudi prisons. GMU microbiology grad drafted a letter for al-Hawali and had it hand-delivered to every member of Congress on the first anniversary of the anthrax mailings.
The Virginia Paintball videos really liked this video and found it inspirational.
IANA’s Al-Timimi spoke in Australia, as did Dr. Dhafir. There was a good article describing Dr. Dhafir’s speech. I’ll have to keep reading to find one describing a speech given by Ali.
Hassoun, recently convicted in Florida, was listed as a distribution agent for this publication in the US.
The advertisement:
“In the Summer of 1996, Azzam Recordings released the first audio tape of its kind to be produced in English. The name of this tape was: ‘In the Hearts of Green Birds.’ It outlined some of the stories of these men. This tape was so successful, that it spread, by the Will of Allah, throughout many Muslim homes in the UK, North America and Australia. Due to popular demand, in the Summer of 1997, Azzam Recordings produced the sequel to this tape: ‘Under the Shades of Swords.’ We ask Allah to accept the Shuhadaa’ and shower His Mercy upon them. Ameen.”
http://web.archive.org/web/19990202154657/www.islam.org.au/articles/21/index.htm
[This advertisment appeared in the 21st issue of Nida’ul Islam
magazine (http://www.islam.org.au), December-January 1997- 1998]
Midhat Mursi not dead. Chemical engineer. Graduated Alexandria.
25 minutes ago
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/08/AR2007090801845_2.html
The target was a dinner celebrating the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. CIA officials had received intelligence that Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda’s deputy leader, had been invited to attend.
The missiles destroyed the houses and killed more than a dozen people. Zawahiri was not among them, but Pakistani officials soon said the fatalities included several other high-ranking al-Qaeda leaders.
Musharraf identified one of the dead as Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, an Egyptian who had overseen al-Qaeda’s research into chemical weapons and carried a $5 million U.S. government bounty on his head.
Musharraf and other Pakistani officials said those buried in the rubble also included Abu Obaidah al-Masri, a field commander for al-Qaeda in Afghanistan; and Zawahiri’s son-in-law, Abdul Rahman al-Maghribi.
U.S. and Pakistani officials now say that none of those al-Qaeda leaders perished in the strike and that only local villagers were killed. The $5 million reward for Umar’s capture remains on offer. Masri has continued to rise in the al-Qaeda structure, U.S. officials say, and six months after his supposed death was helping in the failed effort to put bombs aboard airliners flying from Britain. ...
At the time, Shah said, U.S. and Pakistani officials thought merely that the timing of the strike was slightly off and that they had barely missed Zawahiri. Now, he said, he thinks Zawahiri and the others were never there. “I just think the information was not correct,” he said.
From same new WP article -
“Words From ‘The Clouds’
. ...
Since 2000, al-Qaeda has run its own media production company, al-Sahab, which means “the clouds” in Arabic, an allusion to the misty mountain peaks of Afghanistan.”
______
In admitting that he had taken over supervising the development of anthrax for use against the US upon Atef’s death (in November 2001), KSM separately noted that “I was the Media Operations Director for Al-Sahab or ‘The Clouds,’ under Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri.
The flagship of American Media, Inc., National Enquirer, described the letter sent AMI as follows:
“It was a business-size sheet of stationery decorated with pink and blue clouds around the edges.”
QED
http://www.newstimeslive.com/news/story.php?id=1186570878&source=big_barker
“That’s one of the challenges of anthrax,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior analyst at the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “The spores are very resistant.”
The 2001 letters — while scary — did not involve weaponized anthrax, Nuzzo said.
“To weaponize it, you make it more lethal. It has to make people sicker, or stay in the air longer, so more people breath it in,” Nuzzo said,
_________
As Van Harp, former head of Amerithrax once said, in using the term “weaponization,” people should define the term. It has a specific two-prong definition, Van Harp said.
The anthrax, by any one’s definition, was processed in such a way that made it float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. With the Daschle and Leahy product being highly concentrated.
When people fail to notice a simple mistake made in a tense situation, it is NOT an "elaborate conspiracy." But, you know that, don't you?
Whose "elaborate conspiracy" is this report from today's Danbury News-Times part of?
This is one of the reasons many countries have considered anthrax as a weapon of bioterrorism. The spores can stay in the environment for a long time. And because it's not a communicable disease, it has the advantage of not starting a plague that could circle the globe and infect the people who started the attack.
"That's one of the challenges of anthrax," said Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior analyst at the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "The spores are very resistant."
The 2001 letters -- while scary -- did not involve weaponized anthrax, Nuzzo said.
"To weaponize it, you make it more lethal. It has to make people sicker, or stay in the air longer, so more people breath it in," Nuzzo said.
She seems to be confirming what FBI Scientist Douglas Beecher said about how the 2001 anthrax powders "were comprised simply of spores purified to different extents." That's enough to be very lethal.
Does this mean you are now going to just mindlessly quote AFIP again?
Sorry.
The official line from the Whitehouse is that silica was found. You can twist Ari Fleischer’s words in any perverse way you choose - but to any reasonable person this is what he states in his book. And he was the official Whitehouse spokesman. And he has NEVER retracted that.
Beecher’s article was highly likely altered by Meselson, to fir Meselson’s agenda.
Do I need to remind you YET AGAIN about Meselson’s track record? Or do you just like discussing his track record in public so much that you continually bring up his contribution to the 2001 anthrax attacks?
When it turned up on Padanaram Road in Danbury last week, it was a shock -- there hadn't been case of the disease in the entire state in nearly 40 years.
They seem to have totally forgotten about Ottilie Lundgren.
But it's another example of how you cannot totally rely upon what you read in the media. Even hard-working and well-meaning newspaper reporters who do a lot of research for an article can make simple mistakes.
With respect to a lay definition of “weaponization,” merely including a pathogen or poison that is harmful if inhaled might qualify as weaponization.
For example, consider the arsenic derivative and hydrazine sent by the Iraqi in 2003 to protest the detention of his detained friends as “weaponized”. Three weeks into the trial, a supporter had sent a letter with the substances saying “Set them free, bastards.”
The same modus operandi was demonstrated by the Al Hayat letter bombs and by the bacteria sent connected to the detention of OBL’s Sudan farm manager in Canada in 2001. Sending such letters with poison or letter bombs in retaliation for the detention of their brothers is known by the CIA and FBI to be the modus operandi of these militants.
“Belgium Detains Iraqi Man in Toxic Letters Case” (Gilles Castonguay, Reuters/Yahoo! News, 2003/06/05)
“Belgian police said Thursday they detained an Iraqi man after letters containing a nerve-gas ingredient were sent to the prime minister’s office, the U.S. and British embassies and a court trying al Qaeda suspects.
Police detained the 45-year-old Iraqi. Twenty people, including postal workers and police officers, had to go briefly to hospitals after being exposed to the chemicals in the 10 letters sent earlier in the week.
As another example, adamsite (phenarsasine) sent in 2004 sent in connection with some detained militants. A December 2004 open report on terrorism in the European Union noted that in July 2004, eight letters arrived at several official locations in Brussels that contained an ochre-coloured chemical substance that caused itchy eyes and breathing problems. Tests indicated that the substance was adamsite (phenarsasine). Some of the letters included “a threat letter written in (very poor) English, demanding that two recently convicted Islamic extremists are released within that month.”
The Hatfill Theory, within the Task Force, posited as a hypothesis that Dr. Hatfill knew of the Al Hayat letter bombs and was making it look like that incident. (The al Hayat letters targeted DC and NYC newspapers and people in symbolic positions relating to detention of militants)
It is worth noting that the islamists had already attacked the WTC. They chose to attack it again in a new and more dramatic fashion. They did the same with the targeting of the media and people relating to the detention of the militants.
KSM was behind both WTC 1993 and WTC 2001.
To solve Amerithrax, just find the parties responsible for the Al Hayat letter bombs.
We discussed this back in messages #285, #286 and #290. You are distorting facts again. That is NOT what he states in his book. What Ari Fleischer says on page 203 in his book "Taking The Heat" is this:
ABC's evening news was implying to millions of people that I would falsify information because the White House did not want to go after Saddam Hussein. I thought we were the administration that wanted to attack Iraq. If my statements were driven by the administration's alleged objectives in Iraq, I would have loved the ABC story. I wouldn't have denied it. I'd have let ABC blame Saddam for us.
My obligation was to tell the truth, and I provided it to ABC.
Later that night, I spoke to Jennings. I told him the story was wrong at its core. Our researchers, I said, had found no bentonite in the anthrax. He couldn't have been more polite and promised me he would look into it, and if ABC was wrong, they would correct it.
Over the next several days, I dug deep into the story. I spoke not only to officials at the NSC but to researchers themselves at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology [AFIP]. They told me the Daschle anthrax contained silicon and oxygen but not aluminum. Since bentonite contains aluminum, if there's no aluminum, they said, there's no bentonite. They also informed me that when U.N. inspectors had analyzed Iraqi's anthrax stocks in the nineties, the the bentonite in the Iraqi anthrax contained aluminum.
No aluminum, they concluded, no bentonite. No bentonite, it's not Iraq.
I contined to badger a variety of people at ABC to see if they were going to correct the story. Finally, on October 31, six days after the story aired, ABC backtracked.
At the end of a story about the anthrax attacks, Jennings asked Brian Ross one of those scripted questions which had a scripted answer. "Brian, what's the latest we know about the additive called bentonite in the anthrax which made it allegedly dangerous?"
"Well, Peter, today the White House said that despite initial test results which we reported suggesting the presence of a chemical called bentonite, a trademark of the Iraqi weapons program, a further chemical analysis has ruled that out," Ross said. "The White House says there are chemical additives in that anthrax, including one called silica. Now, that's not a trademark of any country's weapons program, but it is known to be used, Peter, by Iraq, Russia and the U.S. in making a
So, Ari Fleischer said the anthrax contained silicon and oxygen. Brian Ross said the White House said the anthrax contained silica.
Why is it so difficult for you to get that correct? Is it because you cannot help but distort the facts because it's the only way you can justify your conspiracy theory?
The reward for the Al Hayat letter bombs was $5 million.
The DOJ should issue a notice clarifying that the Amerithrax reward is also $5 million (under the Rewards for Justice program). Instead of $2 million from the USG and $500 k from the direct mailing group.
Rewards for Justice lb page in English -
Of these letter bombs, 13 were received at the offices of the Al Hayat ... A reward of up to $5 million is being offered for information leading to the ...
www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/index.cfm?page=lb
Fleischer WROTE IN HIS book the words ABC broadcast. In your perverted world that means, of course, that Fleischer meant EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE.
The OFFICIAL Whitehouse position is that silica was found. And Fleisher repeatedly says he spent days getting this confirmed by having PERSONAL TALKS with AFIP scientists - repeatdely saying that it was the MOST IMPRTANT question he had ever been asked by the media. He wanted to make sure there was NO MISUNDERSTANDING. He certainly gave abolutely zero room for misunderstanding in his book. Except, of course, to a conspiracy theory fanatic like Ed Lake.
In your effort to distort the facts, you ignore the fact that Fleischer was writing about TOTALLY INACCURATE STORIES broadcast by ABC.
repeatdely saying that it was the MOST IMPRTANT question he had ever been asked by the media.
You are distorting the facts again. What I recall Fleischer said was that the ABC reporting was "what I view as the most worrisome, inaccurate story of my time in the White House."
And Fleischer clearly shows how ABC was distorting and blatantly manufacturing FALSE news as he writes about what ABC did after Fleischer had badgered them for SIX DAYS. He says they broadcast "one of those scripted questions which had a scripted answer." And that "scripted answer" was full of bulls**t. Here a key example of the bulls**t ABC falsely reported:
"the White House said that despite initial test results which we reported suggesting the presence of a chemical called bentonite, a trademark of the Iraqi weapons program, a further chemical analysis has ruled that out."
Did AFIP do an initial test which said there was bentonite in the Daschle anthrax? Or was ABC just making that up?
Did AFIP have to do a "further chemical analysis" to determine that their inital report was bogus? Or was ABC just making that up?
When Brian Ross goes on to say, "The White House says there are chemical additives in that anthrax, including one called silica," is that something the White House really said or his ABC just making that up, too?
Since ABC was clearly just making stuff up, why should anyone believe that he was telling the truth about the White House saying there was silica in the anthrax when Fleischer makes a POINT out of stating very clearly that AFIP told him the Daschle anthrax contained silicon and oxygen?
Even before anyone had analyzed the anthrax powder, Matsumoto wrote a story for ABC titled "Anthrax Suggests Government Expertise." So, he clearly had an agenda.
Ten days later, Matsumoto co-authored an ABC story titled "Troubling Anthrax Additive Found." In that story was the FALSE information about bentonite. The story begins this way:
Despite a last-minute denial from the White House, sources tell ABCNEWS the anthrax in the tainted letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle was laced with bentonite. The potent additive is known to have been used by only one country in producing biochemical weapons — Iraq.
When the facts showed that there was NO bentonite in the Daschle anthrax because tests showed there was no aluminum, Matsumoto then wrote a new story for ABC on November 1, 2001, in which he reported that there was such a thing as "aluminum free bentonite." That story was titled, "Additive Search Requires More Study."
It should be easy to understand why Ari Fleischer said that ABC reporting was "what I view as the most worrisome, inaccurate story of my time in the White House."
Ari carefully interviewed the AFIP scientists. He wanted to make sure there was no room for error. And he clearly communicates in his book that AFIP told him silica was an additive.
At least he clearly communicates this to the entire world - with the exception of conspiracy fanatacist Ed Lake.
Just more of your FALSE information. Here is what Fleischer wrote:
"I spoke not only to officials at the NSC but to researchers themselves at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology [AFIP]. They told me the Daschle anthrax contained silicon and oxygen "
Blatantly lying about what he wrote won't convince anyone. Everyone can see you are just making stuff up while I'm doing actual quotes.
Are you so desperate to get people to believe your conspriacy theory that you'll LIE to try to convince them?
Re anthrax allegation -
Gitmo Panels Struggle to Assess Facts
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hQMf7Mv0_QHqm2Q8RB7cUp-Gz6RA
By ANDREW O. SELSKY and BEN FOX – 2 hours ago
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — After years of indefinite confinement, many detainees at Guantanamo Bay say they feel they may never receive justice, according to transcripts of hearings obtained by The Associated Press.
***
The transcripts also underscore that the U.S. allegations against the men are often as difficult to substantiate as they are for the detainees to refute.
Sometimes the allegations alarmed even the panels of military officers charged with determining whether a detainee should be freed.
Rahmatullah Sangaryar stood accused of “planning biological and poison attacks on United States and coalition forces in Kandahar, Afghanistan” and of possessing anthrax powder and a liquid poison.
The Afghan detainee said he was captured only with muddy clothes, possessed no anthrax and never planned such an attack. The officer in charge of the panel seemed to grope for a response.
“Do you know of anyone who would accuse you of such an act? This is so serious,” the unidentified officer exclaimed. “I am trying to understand why it is here in front of me, this allegation against you.”
http://www.anthraxandalqaeda.com
Gitmo Panels Struggle to Assess Facts,” Associated Press, September 9, 2007
Rahmatullah Sangaryar stood accused of “planning biological and poison attacks on United States and coalition forces in Kandahar, Afghanistan” and of possessing anthrax powder and a liquid poison.
Where is AP getting the transcript? The transcripts seem to be released as sets. This perhaps is from Set 9. But I haven’t had the patience or facility to locate the exchange if it is available at the CRST website.
Perhaps it this the Kabul commander Rahmatullah Sangaryar who stands accused as described below. I’m not sure how the timeline is to be reconciled with not finding extremely virulent anthrax in Kandahar until Fall 2003 after Hambali’s interrogation in Jordan. It squares nicely with the Taliban interest in the vaccine lab.
* When the detainee was very young he joined the Mujahadeen to fight the Soviet Union.
* The detainee is trained in the use of hand grenades, rocket propelled grenades, the AK-47 and the Sakil machine gun.
* The detainee met with Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Supreme Leader of the Taliban, on only one occasion in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
* The detainee was identified as being assigned to a 40-man team of fighters.
* The 40-man team was funded primarily by Pakistani and Syrian Non-Government Organizations with some times [sic] to al Qaida.
* The detainee was reported as being named the new Director of Hezb-E-Islami Gulbuddin [sic] cell operations in Kandahar, Afghanistan. [redacted from memo but clear on transcript]
* The detainee commanded over 500 Taliban soldiers in Kabul.
* The detainee fought the Northern Alliance and the Taliban as the Supreme Commander in Kabul.
* The detainee survived approximately 18 bullet wounds that apparently occurred during the Russian Jihad and during his time as a Taliban Commander.
* The detainee was told he would be turned over to the United States to provide information about enemies of the Afghanistan Government.
* The detainee has a strong desire to return home to family and find work as a laborer.
* The detainee believes he is being treated fairly and holds no grudge against any Americans.
* The detainee believes he was handed over to the United States Government to provide intelligence information and not for suspicion of being a terrorist.
* The detainee claimed he is not against United States Forces and he supports the new Afghanistan Government.
* The detainee reported a Taliban recruitment request to the legitimate regional governor as he was instructed.
* The detainee claimed to have fought the Taliban when the Taliban threatened Kabul’s interests.
* The detainee collected weapons from his tribesmen and turned over six small cars, one truck, two mounted anti-aircraft weapons, 39 Kalashnikovs, two RPG-7s, four PKs, two 82 series machine guns and six handheld radios to the regional Governor.
* When the United States captured Kabul, the detainee dissolved his forces and turned over his weapons and communication equipment to the new Afghanistan Government.
* The detainee refused a Taliban request and dissolved his forces.
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