I suspect his "cooperation" began while still in Pakistan ...
Posted on 09/18/2002 12:46:40 AM PDT by HAL9000
WASHINGTON - Ramzi Binalshibh, the captured al-Qaida suspect who was turned over to U.S. authorities on Monday, is already cooperating with U.S. and British interrogators at an undisclosed location, according to a U.S. intelligence official.
The official, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity, said Binalshibh has told his captors that local al-Qaida leaders and cells have assumed greater autonomy to plan and carry out terrorist attacks since the terrorist group was forced out of its base in Afghanistan late last year. That information, the official said, is corroborated by other intelligence collected by U.S. and other agencies, suggesting that, on this point at least, Binalshibh is being truthful.
The official said interrogators are particularly interested in grilling Binalshibh about photographs of U.S. landmarks that were found on his laptop computer after he was captured in the Pakistani port city of Karachi last week. The official declined to identify any of the landmarks.
Intelligence officials are now "optimistic" that Binalshibh will continue to cooperate, saving them the trouble of putting him through an extended program to disorient him by denying him any information about his whereabouts, the time of day or anything happening in the world.
His cooperation, if it continues, could represent a major breakthrough in the effort to locate hidden al-Qaida cells and foil future terrorist attacks.
Binalshibh is considered a key catch by U.S. authorities because he has been directly linked to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Investigators say that Binalshibh, who is known as "the 20th hijacker," intended to join the 19 other Sept. 11 hijackers but failed to get a U.S. visa. He is accused of helping with logistics and financial arrangements for the operation.
Binalshibh could also help lead investigators to Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, one of Osama bin Laden's chief lieutenants and the alleged mastermind behind the Sept. 11 operation. Intelligence officials say Binalshibh served as Mohammed's aide.
The FBI, fearing that Mohammed is now working on other attacks, has put him on the list of most-wanted terrorists.
Investigators are also likely to press Binalshibh for information that could shed light on bin Laden's fate, al-Qaida finances, and the organization and operation of terrorist cells around the world. The Yemen native was tracked down shortly after the al Jazeera television network aired a taped interview in which Binalshibh taunted U.S. officials.
Pakistani authorities turned Binalshibh over to U.S. officials, along with four other suspected al-Qaida terrorists who were arrested in a series of raids in Karachi. At least one of the suspects has also been linked to the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Karachi early this year.
Four Islamic militants in Pakistan have been convicted for Pearl's murder, but prosecutors have always maintained that others were involved in the killing.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf promised continued cooperation at a news conference in Pakistan on Tuesday and boasted that the recent arrests "have broken the terrorist network" in his country.
Certainly, as far as al Qaeda is concerned, he's a "dead man walking". Hee hee heee!
In Allied custody, they wet themselves.
Mohammed must be real proud of his holy warriors.
These guys are pretty "disoriented" to start with. It would appear that their training didn't provide for keeping quiet.
Cowards would be too polite a term. Quickly caving has never been a respected trait, for captured warrior. In the end, I want them all executed, Nuremberg style.
I suspect his "cooperation" began while still in Pakistan ...
Yeah, I know I would make a face if I was involuntarily losing my finger and toenails.
Unbelievable (that a terrorist was actually denied a visa).
Tough against real soldiers-that's another.
We have yet to see an Islamic army that can meet the test.
NEXT?
"press" Binalshibh + declare Bin laden dead = Let's move on
Probably did not contribute to Hilldbeast's run for the Senate or the DemonRat party.
Remember one of the 1993 WTC bombers fled to Egypt and then begged to come back here for trial.
This is a man who was prepared to kill himself in the service of al-Qaeda.
He'll talk alright. He'll talk plenty. But 95% of it will be BS.
Al-Qa'eda had plans to be operating without him right now.
He figured out how to 'mess-up' his visa application five times so that he could miss the WTC planes, think about it, you don't put your leadership or 'brains' on a suicide plane. ...and furthermore, his 'showboating' on Al-Jazeera may have been what got him caught, that's his youth showing. He's to young to be a 'bigshot' in the organization. Don't expect to see anymore 'live' Al-Jazeera interviews, they'll all be videos from now on.
I expect he is out of contact with the 'senior' leadership because they are in hiding or are dead, they wouldn't have allowed the 'live' interview with Al-Jazeera. Find the millions ($$$) of Osama and you'll find the 'senior' leadership.
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