Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Bin Laden's No. 2 'Captured in Iran'
Guardian U.K. ^ | 2/18/2002 | Rory McCarthy and Luke Harding

Posted on 02/17/2002 9:08:45 PM PST by ex-Texan

Bin Laden's No 2 'captured in Iran'

Rory McCarthy in Islamabad and Luke Harding in Kabul

Osama bin Laden's most senior lieutenant, the Egyptian militant Ayman al-Zawahiri, has been captured and jailed in Tehran, a leading Iranian newspaper reported yesterday. Zawahiri, the founder of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, was arrested several days ago and has been imprisoned in the city's Evin jail, where political prisoners are usually held, the Hayat-e-Nou newspaper said.

If the report is correct, the arrest is the most serious strike at the heart of Bin Laden's al-Qaida network since the World Trade Centre attacks, and a diplomatic coup for Tehran.

The FBI has Zawahiri on its most-wanted list in connection with the August 1998 bombings of two US embassies in east Africa in which 224 people were killed. It has offered a $25m reward for information leading to his capture.

The Farsi-language paper gave few details yesterday about the arrest and no indication of the source of its information. The paper is regarded as reliable and is run by Hadi Khamenei, a leading legislator and the brother of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

But Iran's foreign ministry said last night. "The news that has been published in the Hayat-e-Nou newspaper is not true. We deny it," Hamid Reza Asefi, a foreign ministry spokesman, said.

In Kabul the interim government said many al-Qaida and Taliban fighters had crossed into Iran but it had no information on Zawahiri. "We are not aware that a person of al-Zawahiri's stature has been arrested," foreign ministry spokesman Omar Samad said.

Zawahiri, 50, who wears thick spectacles and a long, dark beard, is regarded as Bin Laden's closest ally. He has been living with him in Afghanistan for several years and often served as his personal doctor. In an interview in June last year, Bin Laden said he had merged Zawahiri's Islamic Jihad with al-Qaida.

In December, Afghan commanders involved in the attacks on Tora Bora in eastern Afghanistan said they believed Zawahiri had recently been at the camp. His wife and three daughters were later reported to have died in a US bombing raid, although it was thought Zawahiri was not with them at the time.

Washington has criticised Tehran for allowing al-Qaida and Taliban fighters to slip across its border and Iran was named by George Bush as one of three "axis of evil" countries.

Email luke.harding@mantraonline.com


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: terrorwar
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 121-130 next last
To: dead
I’m sure you are aware that there is a power-struggle within Iran between the younger generation, who craves a democratic and free society, and the older, religious leaders, who still hold most of the power and favor a strict fundamentalism. It is those leaders, with their not-so-secret financial and logistical support for terrorism, that Bush was referring to.

May I add credibility to your argument sir? I heard this interesting tidbit on the local Talk Radio station (WLS in Chicago) this morning:

60% of Iran's population is 25 years old or younger. That means the majority of Iranians have no memory of the hostage crisis, or the Ayatollah Khomeni.

The 25 and younger population of Iran is very westernized, with internet and satellite dish TV. They see what's waiting for them "out there" in the rest of the world, and want it.

There is a huge struggle between Iran's non-elected "religious leadership" and the more moderate elected Government of Iran. Time will tell which one wins.

Regards,

61 posted on 02/18/2002 7:25:04 AM PST by usconservative
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]

To: truthandlife
All of those idiot Democrats who have said it was a mistake to label these countries the Axis of Evil have egg on their face right now.

A few democrats and a few republicans did not approve of Bushes "evil" speech. But most Americans, regardless of party, understand the issues and support Bush's handling of the war. It's time to drop some of the conservative PC slogans and get behind the idea that Bush is leading an American war effort, not a republican war effort.

62 posted on 02/18/2002 7:27:20 AM PST by powderhorn
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 56 | View Replies]

To: usconservative
You are right. I remember reading a few months back that the government was banning satellite dishes and were actively going around to residences to remove them. They don't like anything but them to influence the younger generation.
63 posted on 02/18/2002 7:34:17 AM PST by shattered
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 61 | View Replies]

To: mvonfr
Here's one possibility: They did get him, but they want $$$$something$$$$ in return for admitting that they have him. Perhaps they want to sell him to the highest bidder.
64 posted on 02/18/2002 7:34:23 AM PST by powderhorn
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: Nogbad
Iran probably hates him as much as we do. He would love to cast Iran into the same chaos that existed in Afghanistan. Poverty and social disintigration is the coin of his relm. Iran knows this and that is why they would fear and hate him. If they are holding him they might hide him from us, but they would not "protect" him.
65 posted on 02/18/2002 7:44:17 AM PST by powderhorn
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: usconservative
There is a huge struggle between Iran's non-elected "religious leadership" and the more moderate elected Government of Iran. Time will tell which one wins.

More news on that front today, from the Sydney Morning Herald:

Iranian courts branded a tool to silence reformers

It will be a long (and possibly bloody) battle for control of Iran, but the reformers have the numbers. They also have the expatriats (in the US and UK) with all the money.

66 posted on 02/18/2002 7:45:36 AM PST by dead
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 61 | View Replies]

To: powderhorn
Here's one possibility: They did get him, but they want $$$$something$$$$ in return for admitting that they have him. Perhaps they want to sell him to the highest bidder.

If they got him, we will give them $25 million dollars. That’s the price we put on his head.

I don’t believe we’ll get into a bidding war over him. A shooting war is a distinct possiblity, but not a bidding war.

67 posted on 02/18/2002 7:49:32 AM PST by dead
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 64 | View Replies]

To: dead
If they got him, we will give them $25 million dollars. That’s the price we put on his head.

$25 million is a lot for an individual or a small group, but Iran probably spends that much on one small anti-US rally. I think they want more.

But I do agree with you, there's no point in getting into a bidding war when all we really need to do is find out where they are hiding him and put him out of his misery. If we knew where he was being held, we could probably put together a successful operation to eliminate him for even LESS than $25 million.

68 posted on 02/18/2002 8:06:10 AM PST by powderhorn
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: mvonfr
I agree 100%.
69 posted on 02/18/2002 8:23:51 AM PST by TheDon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Excuse_My_Bellicosity
If true Iran would most likely return him to Egypt. Hopefully, the Egyptians would show some gratitude for their receipt of our foreign aid and hand him over.
70 posted on 02/18/2002 8:29:27 AM PST by Righty1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: dead

Obviously, Bush’s inclusion of the country in his “axis of evil” was his attempt to bolster the “good guys” in Iran’s internal power struggle.

First, your assessment of Iran is simplistic, and smacks of a CNN sound-bite report. As to the above, even if what you said was true, American intervention in the internal power struggles in Iran -- particularly when these so-called "moderates" seem to be on the upswing -- is ill-advised at best, as it provides a convenient bludgeon for the non-moderates to attack the moderates with: they are tools of the Americans. Either way you slice it, it was a collossally stupid move to spew out the Weakly Standard jingoisms and call it a foreign policy statement.

71 posted on 02/18/2002 8:53:08 AM PST by Zviadist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]

To: Grig
Didn't we recently give Iran info about Al-Qaeda we know who were escaping over the Iranian border?? We now have this newspaper print this story about Al-Zawarhi's "capture"....hmmmmmm...we know there are two factions inside Iran...could we have informed the one faction of this "tidbit" and we sit back and watch them tripping over themselves to help us..

I think Iran is more unstable than we think...

72 posted on 02/18/2002 8:57:40 AM PST by Dog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]

To: Zviadist
"(Truth is, they have been cooperating all along with the war on terror. The evidence is overwhelming. The public mood was initially suggested by the thousands of Iranians who turned out in the streets afte 9/11 to demonstrate AGAINST those who attacked us. But Americans seem to have a bad memory or bad reasoning ability.)"

Done out of fear not sympathy.

73 posted on 02/18/2002 9:17:26 AM PST by kinghorse
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: mvonfr
Give that man a cigar! :)

First Yemin starts cracking down on terrorists, then the Philipeans welcome our troops with open arms to start cracking some terrorist heads, and even Somalia is eager to cooperate in getting rid of the terrorists plaguing their embattled country.

With all of the saber rattling of Iran, Iraq and N. Korea, deep down they know that we are serious this time, and they can either get their house in order or we will do it for them (and not be very careful in how we do it.)

Note for future reference: When the left bleats on about something, you know they are scared; that you are on the right track and should press ahead harder.

At least someone in DC is acting like they have a pair. :)

74 posted on 02/18/2002 9:21:59 AM PST by anymouse
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: anymouse
I did a little searching on google this is a reformist newspaper in Iran..

the reformist Hayat-e-Nou reported

I bet you this story is true...

75 posted on 02/18/2002 9:26:20 AM PST by Dog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 74 | View Replies]

To: Zviadist
What meaning of a preemptive move don't you understand. People like you don't seem to grasp this Matter and understand the importance of the United States in a free world.

Are you posting somewhere within Lebanon, Syria, or even the Elite of Saudi Arabia getting its rocks off seeing all this go down?

76 posted on 02/18/2002 9:26:56 AM PST by Helms
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

Comment #77 Removed by Moderator

To: Zviadist
First, your assessment of Iran is simplistic

Yet it was monumentally more nuanced than yours.

Either way you slice it, it was a collossally stupid move to spew out the Weakly Standard jingoisms and call it a foreign policy statement.

Yet it appears to be producing results, your angry and wrongheaded wailings not withstanding.

Contrary to your pacifist dogma, sometimes a little saber rattling is called for.

78 posted on 02/18/2002 9:47:44 AM PST by dead
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 71 | View Replies]

To: Excuse_My_Bellicosity
I'll believe it when I see him on TV being led into Camp X-Ray or an American jail.

Ditto that. I'll believe it when I see him dancing at the end of a rope or having a date with Monsieur de Paris.

79 posted on 02/18/2002 10:03:49 AM PST by stboz
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Helms

What meaning of a preemptive move don't you understand.

So you think a successful foreign policy is one where the United States bombs any country it thinks might be some kind of threat at some point in the future? You think this is what foreign policy is about? The I.Q. level demonstrated in your posts is truly frightening. I am certain you have never even been out of the US, and that all those foreigners are just terrifying and dangerous. So the US should just kill them all. Not even NAZI Germany pursued such a policy.

80 posted on 02/18/2002 10:08:54 AM PST by Zviadist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 121-130 next last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson