Posted on 05/27/2002 12:22:53 PM PDT by kattracks
An al Qaeda conspirator who was involved in a plot investigators now say was an early blueprint for the 9-11 attacks had also claimed credit for the Oklahoma City bombing seven years ago, according to an FBI 302 witness statement revealed by Insight Magazine on Monday.
Immediately after the 1995 blast was reported, Abdul Hakim Murad, who was about to stand trial in New York for his involvement in a Philippine al Qaeda plot to fly hijacked airliners into targets like the World Trade Center and Pentagon, told a prison guard that "the Liberation Army was responsible for the (Oklahoma) bombing," according to the FBI document.
A Philippine police case file obtained by Insight investigative reporter Kenneth Timmerman states that the "Liberation Army" was a fictitious organization used as a code by Murad's partner, Ramzi Yousef and other al Qaeda members "whenever they are making announcements" of responsibility for terrorist attacks.
In 1993, Yousef masterminded the first attempt by Islamic terrorists to take down World Trade Center.
Timmerman reports:
"A scant two weeks after his arrival in the United States, Murad was listening to the radio when a news report came on the air announcing that the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City had been bombed. Lt. Philip Rojas, a prison guard, asked Murad what he thought and found his response so startling that he informed his superiors. They, in turn, called the FBI.
"Special Agents Francis J. Pellegrino and Brian G. Parr arrived later that morning, within hours after the Oklahoma City blast. 'Murad responded to the guard's question by stating that the Liberation Army was responsible for the bombing,' they reported in a witness report (No. 302). 'A short time later, Murad passed a note to the guard, again claiming that the Liberation Army was responsible for the bombing in Oklahoma City.'"
If accurate, the Insight report could shed new light on possible involvement by Osama bin Laden in the worst terrorist attack on the U.S. prior to 9-11, for which anti-government militant Timothy McVeigh was executed last year.
While no one doubts McVeigh's involvement in the Oklahoma bombing, accounts unearthed by former NBC reporter Jayna Davis, who covered the bombing for the network, suggest a wider conspiracy with al Qaeda ties. (See: McVeigh Cites Osama Bin Laden in Letter to Fox News)
In his book "Others Unknown," McVeigh's lawyer Stephen Jones says that he attempted to probe a possible connection between the Oklahoma bombing and the Philippine al Qaeda cell.
But police in Manilla, who were initially eager to cooperate with his investigation, were ordered to drop the inquiry by Clinton FBI. (See: McVeigh's Trial Att'y Alleges FBI Blocked Conspiracy Probe)
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Maybe terrorism wasn't involved, but Keating was desperate to avoid any mention of it, so he just made something up out of thin air to support his allegation.
Remember, this is the guy who went out of his way to suppress witness testimony in the OKC bombing that cast doubts on the McVeigh-Nichols only theories. Andreas Strassmier and Carol Howe are only a couple who come to mind. There were many others whose testimony Keating was successful in suppressing.
Frank Keating is probably the most dishonest and morally corrupt governor in America today.
Mrs Kus
What makes this particular conspiracy theory so hard for me to swallow is the issue of why, why, WHY would McVeigh and Nichols - assuming they were what I am assuming they were - would get mixed up with Islamic terrorists.
Ostensibly, McVeigh and Nichols, and their cohorts, were intent on avenging Waco, and sending a "Don't Tread On Me" message to Uncle Bug-Breath. From that satandpoint, involving foreign nationals - and in particular, Islamic terrorists - in their little "plot" would have been just about the dumbest thing they could do.
Moreover, from all I've read, for what would they have needed help from a bunch of camel-jockeys? They seemed perfectly capable of pulling off the bombing by themselves (with a little help from the "others unnamed" ; who needs Abdul and Mohammed, who stand out like a sore thumb in an operation like that, involved in any way?
It just doesn't make sense to me... but maybe I'm missing something...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.