Atta met TWICE with Iraqi intelligence [Saddam, you're next]

CNN ^ | Friday, October 12, 2001

[JohnHuang2]

WASHINGTON (CNN) --U.S. officials revealed Thursday that Mohammed Atta -- one of the suspected suicide hijackers -- had two meetings, not one, with Iraqi intelligence officers in Prague, Czech Republic.

The first meeting was in June 2000 and the second one was in April 2001, sources said. In both cases Atta met in Prague with Iraqi intelligence officers operating under cover as diplomats.

[Justin Raimondo]

That should put to rest the "revisionist" thesis that the Iraqis, and not Bin Laden, were responsible for 9/11. Not that the "invade the Middle East and 'colonize' it" crowd needs any evidence, or connection to the 9/11 atrocity, to start World War III....

[Clinton's a rapist]

Surprise!

[John W]

"They are smarter than that."

Other than the leader appears,againt all odds,to still be breathing,how could anyone say Iraqi statecraft bears any resemblane to smart?

[El Gato]

I don't see that it puts anything to rest. Assuming the story is correct the FACT is that Atta met with Iraqi intelligence. What they talked about, or which direction the information and or orders flowed, is speculation. They certainly weren't discussing football scores or anything else benign. While this is speculation, it's a pretty bet that whatever they were talking about was nothing good, especially not for the US, Israel, and/or the Saudi government. They, the Iraqis, has to know who he was and who he worked for, and likely as not they were discussing items of mutual interest. As the President said, a country or more properly it's leaders, are against terrorist acts aimed at innocents, or they are with them. Saddam and his government are with them.

[traditionalist]

If I could see a motive, this evidence would make me very suspicious. But I simply don't see a motive. What does Saddam have to gain from sponsoring a terrorist attack? Right now he's sitting pretty. He's more firmly in power than he has ever been. He's got no reason to provoke a US attack that would unseat him, as we surely would do if he were behind the attack. Saddam may be evil, but he's not stupid or irrational. He's very cunning and Machiavelian.

[traditionalist]

Assuming the story is correct the FACT is that Atta met with Iraqi intelligence. What they talked about, or which direction the information and or orders flowed, is speculation

Inteligence officers meet with others for many reasons. Perhaps Atta was providing them with information.

[Clinton's a rapist]

What does Saddam have to gain from sponsoring a terrorist attack?

What did he have to gain from lobbing ballistic missiles at Tel Aviv, or setting fire to all the oilfields of Kuwait?

[Clinton's a rapist]

Inteligence officers meet with others for many reasons. Perhaps Atta was providing them with information.

Uh, I think in April 2001 Atta had a few other things on his mind. The level of denial and wishful-thinking on this forum is incredible.

[WestPoint90]

Will you please wake up from your slumber. It has nothing to do with gain, it has everything to do with holy war and doing anything to kill the Great Satan. Any american death is a success to these idiots. It is about success and establishing themselves in the eyes of the rest of the jihad towel head world.

[habs4ever]

Are you for real? Just what in this piece convinced you that there is NO WAY that Iraq could be involved? What is put to rest, huh? Where did Atta get his intelligence, or understanding of newtworks,covert activity, etc? Did he get this off a Sally Struthers info-mercial, take a night course at the Learning Annex? Or was this agent such a long lost relative? If so, why didn't he meet him in Hamburg?

Get your head of the sand...

[traditionalist]

What did he have to gain from lobbing ballistic missiles at Tel Aviv, or setting fire to all the oilfields of Kuwait?

By lobbing missiles on Tel Aviv he was hoping to break up the US-lead coalition by bringing Israel into the fight. Saudi Arabia would have had a difficult time allowing us to use their bases if we were fighting on the same side a Israel. Syria probably would have turned on us. It might even have gotten Iran to help him.

In Kuwait he was practicing a scorched earth policy in the hopes that it would slow us down and make our military maneuvers there more difficult. If you study military history, you will see that it is a has been a commonly tactic since ancient times.

[traditionalist]

Will you please wake up from your slumber. It has nothing to do with gain, it has everything to do with holy war and doing anything to kill the Great Satan.

Will you please read a little about Middle Eastern politics and culture before you shoot your mouth off like this again? Saddam is not a muslim fanatic. He's a Ba'athist secularist. He has no interst in holy wars. If you knew anything about his history, you would know that he is a brutal, cynical, Machiavellian dictator. Everything he does or has done is aimed at increasing his hold on power. Right now his hold on power is at its zenith.

Any american death is a success to these idiots. It is about success and establishing themselves in the eyes of the rest of the jihad towel head world.

For people like Bin Laden, yes. Not for people like Saddam. Anti-American Arabs are not a monolith. You have a lot of reading to do.

[headsonpikes]

Just when many thought you could sink no lower, you proved them wrong!

You really are just an apologist for Saddam, aren't you?

[traditionalist]

Uh, I think in April 2001 Atta had a few other things on his mind. The level of denial and wishful-thinking on this forum is incredible.

The level of presumption on this forum is incredible.

[habs4ever]

Saddam isn't stupid or irrational? He most certainly is, witness the Gulf War.He maybe bloodthirsty, evil and cunning, but he is stupid.You are judging him by your own standards of intelligence.Applying the ruthless cunning needed to kill internal enemies isn't the same thing when he decides to bite off a chunk of the Mid East and step into a whole other weight class.Evil dictators have been known throughout history to do some very irrational things that are harmful to their own best interests.Its called...human nature.

[traditionalist]

Saddam isn't stupid or irrational? He most certainly is, witness the Gulf War.

Invading Kuwait was a mistake for him, but I don't think it was stupid or irrational given his knowledge at the time. Our Ambasador to Iraq had told him that the US would not likely respond to an invasion of Kuwait. This information turned out to be wrong, but he could not have known it at the time.

Evil dictators have been known throughout history to do some very irrational things that are harmful to their own best interests.Its called...human nature.

Everyone makes mistakes. And everyone is irrational from time to time. Those dicators who do hugely irrational things as far as their hold on power is concerned usually do not last very long. Hussein's history does not show him to be one of these dictators. He's been in power 22 years in one of the most volotile countries in the world. Of course he's made mistakes, but doing something like this is out of character.

Think about it for a second. It is obvious to Saddam as well as us that if we found out he was invovled in the 9-11 attack, we would topple his regime with nearly 100% certainty. Given his history, Saddam would never do anything that would be sure to make him lose power. Quite the opposite. Everything he does is to ensure that he keeps power. He has risked losing power before, but he only takes risks if he stands a good chance of gaining. No, no, no. Saddam is not stupid or irrational.

[habs4ever]

How he could have thought he'd be allowed to have his army on the Saudi border and not face the wrath of the US, shows a deluded despot out of tune with geopolitical reality.He maybe an ace at killing his opponents and ruling with an iron fist, but most madmen are.If he could have surrogates strike at the US and other western targets with impunity to his regime, why wouldn't he? I'm afraid you are thinking in a manner that is all too common in the intelligence services, namely that the rational and unthinkable is the only course for most nations.Hitler would never have started Operation Barbarossa too, nor would Stalin have discounted all the warning signs, if leaders don't suspend disbelief.You give Saddam way too much credit to once again behave in a way that you think he is rational and in his best interests.

[Clinton's a rapist]

So he shares with Adolf Hitler a penchant for apocalyptic miscalculation. I am so reassured.

[Lady GOP]

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