Saudi Princes 'Linked' To Bin Laden

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 9-1-2003 | Davis Rennie

[blam]

Saudi princes 'linked' to bin Laden

By David Rennie in Washington
(Filed: 01/09/2003)

Strained Saudi-US relations were dealt another blow yesterday with the publication of allegations directly linking Osama bin Laden to leading Saudi princes.

Time magazine will today carry details from a new book alleging that Abu Zubaidah, the leading al-Qa'eda terrorist captured in Pakistan last year, was duped into revealing details of support from members of the Saudi royal family.

Why America Slept, by Gerald Posner, claims that Zubaidah resisted CIA interrogation, despite the use of "quick-on, quick-off" painkillers and truth drugs.

Posner describes how, in an attempt to frighten Zubaidah, he was moved to a fake Saudi interrogation chamber, manned by Arab-American special forces masquerading as Saudi police.

"His reaction was not fear, but utter relief," Posner writes. Zubaidah recited telephone numbers for one prince, informing the fake Saudis the prince would "tell you what to do".

The effect of Posner's claims may be largely diplomatic: there is no corroborating evidence for his claims, and the prince died of a heart attack, aged 43, last year.

Two other princes named in the book as al-Qa'eda paymasters also died within a week of Prince Ahmed.

[blam]

Timely deaths, no?

[StatesEnemy]

Why aren't we going after Saudi Arabia?
Why aren't we patrolling our borders?
Why aren't we banning the export of technology to China?

Because big $$$ is more important than actual security.

[Diogenesis]

[farmfriend]

Timely deaths, no?

That's just what I was thinking. Funny how those things come in 3s.

[nuconvert]

Gee, why does wahabi come to mind?

Is this supposed to be a revelation?

[Cicero]

It's one of the big unanswered questions. Will Bush do the right thing with the Saudis when the time comes, or won't he? No one can be sure--and of course he'd be an idiot to tip his hand until he plays his cards.

From the time of his campaign I've given Bush the benefit of the doubt, always realizing that you never can be absolutely sure what any politician can do. I'm hopeful that Bush will do the right thing with the Saudis in due course.

If that's his plan, then it would be typical of his masterly political style to let himself be dragged into doing into what he wants to do by the media and the public. That's the way he plays the game.

[Ciexyz]

Sobering photos. Lest we forget.

[vpintheak]

Bush won't have enough time to do anything about it even if he were to try. I seriously doubt if he would anyway. There is too much history of of undercover ops and such to ever think we would actually do anything about it. I am not saying that Iraq was all about oil, that is one of the most idiotic slogans I ever heard. But if you investigate US history in that area of the world, you will see that oil is too important to try to overthrow the Saudi Government.

[McGavin999]

We pretty much figured these princes were dirty when the news of their deaths were posted here. They were some mighty suspicious circumstances. At the time though, we couldn't figure out if they were the good guys or the bad guys, this article sort of answers that question.

The young prince who died in the desert of thirst (in his Mercedes) was really bizarre.

[McGavin999]

you will see that oil is too important to try to overthrow the Saudi Government.

Don't have to overthrow the government, just have to make sure that the good guys win. Yes, there are good guys in that family of 6,000 princes. There has long been a real struggle within the Saudi royal family over what direction the country should go.

[dogbyte12]

Why aren't we going after Saudi Arabia?

Because Haliburton and the Bush family would lose oil contracts?

We know pretty well that Osama was paid off by the Saudis to not go after them. We know that high level members of the Saudi elite are funding Osama. We know that 15 of the 19 were Saudis. We know that the Saudi Ambassador to the US's wife was helping fund them.

We also know that until we stabilize Iraq, and stop attacks on the pipelines, the Saudis have us by the cojones. The Bush clan and the Cheney/Halliburton crowd do realize this, and are acting "prudently", but it hasn't upset their morals enough to stop profiting off deals with these murdering Wahabi bastards.

Oops. There are (R)'s behind their names. I apologize. Nothing to see here, move along.

[blam]

"The young prince who died in the desert of thirst (in his Mercedes) was really bizarre."

Thats right...I remember those discussions.

[cyborg]

BUT THEY'RE OUR FRIENDS!!!!!!

[an amused spectator]

Because Haliburton and the Bush family would lose oil contracts?

In late April, U.S. troops began a significant pullout from American bases in Saudi Arabia — where the U.S. has had a presence for over 12 years. Ten thousand troops were stationed there at the height of the Iraq campaign; by the end of the summer, these troops will have moved to neighboring Qatar.

Iraq: It's The Saudis, Stupid. (to steal a line from one of our favorite presidents)

[Rollee]

All I need to know about islam I learned on September 11, 2001.

[an amused spectator]

If that's his plan, then it would be typical of his masterly political style to let himself be dragged into doing into what he wants to do by the media and the public. That's the way he plays the game.

In wargaming, if you can accomplish a move like withdrawing all your troops from a country like Saudi Arabia and positioning a couple of armored infantry divisions in a neighboring country like, say - Iraq, without your enemies really noticing, then you have the element of surprise. The anti-American left-wing media are cooperating beautifully by whining about a "quagmire".

I notice that the "quagmire" is drawing quite a few flies to the flypaper. ;-)

[river rat]

"....and the prince died of a heart attack, aged 43, last year.

Two other princes named in the book as al-Qa'eda paymasters also died within a week of Prince Ahmed."

Killed to silence, or to punish?

Saudi Arabia and Wahhabism is the enemy...Don't look away.

Semper Fi

[Mo1]

The effect of Posner's claims may be largely diplomatic: there is no corroborating evidence for his claims, and the prince died of a heart attack, aged 43, last year.

He has no proof to back up this claim he makes???

HELLO .. sometimes it helps to have some kind of proof