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U.S., Pakistani officials deny report of bin Laden capture
theRAN, Iran (AP) — Pentagon and Pakistani officials on Saturday denied an Iranian state radio report that Osama bin Laden was captured in Pakistan's border region with Afghanistan "a long time ago."
The claim came as Pakistan's army hunted terror suspects in a remote tribal region along the border, believed to be a possible hiding place for the al-Qaeda's leader.

The director of Iran radio's Pashtun language service, Asheq Hossein, said the report was based on two sources — one of whom later told The Associated Press he was misquoted.

The report said bin Laden had been in custody for a period of time, but that President Bush was withholding any announcement until closer to November elections.

"Osama bin Laden has been arrested a long time ago, but Bush is intending to use it for propaganda maneuvering in the presidential election," the radio report said.

Pakistani officials have denied knowing bin Laden's exact whereabouts, although there have been reports that military forces believe they know his general location and had him encircled.

The state radio report, quoting an unidentified source, said U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's visit to the region this week was in connection with bin Laden's arrest.

Larry Di Rita, the chief Pentagon spokesman who traveled with Rumsfeld this week to Afghanistan, denied the report. "I don't have any reason to think it's true," he said Saturday.

Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, also said he had no information to suggest bin Laden had been caught.

"Things are going well, and we believe we will eventually catch all the leaders of al-Qaeda, but I know nothing of that report," he said.

Pakistani Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed called the report "baseless." "We have neither arrested Osama nor we have any information about him," he told AP.

Pakistani Army spokesman Gen. Shaukat Sultan also said the report was not true. "That information is wrong," he said.

Speaking to AP in theran, the radio director identified one of the sources for the report as Shamim Shahed, whom was identified as editor of the English-language Pakistani newspaper The Nation. Hossein said Shahed told him Friday night that bin Laden was arrested "a long time ago."

But Shahed, who is The Nation's Peshawar bureau chief and not its editor, denied telling Iranian radio that bin Laden had been captured.

"I never said this," Shahed said in a telephone interview with AP's Islamabad bureau. "But I have for the last year been saying that he is not far away. He is within their (the Americans') reach, and they can declare him arrested any time."

"I have been misquoted. On this matter, we never talked, the last two months. I'm angry, because they've misquoted me," Shahed said in a separate interview with AP Radio.

Hossein said he had a second source for the report but declined to identify him other than as "a man with close links to intelligence services and Afghan tribal leaders."

The report was carried by Iran radio's external Pashtun service, which is designed for listeners in Afghanistan and Pakistan where the language is widely spoken.

Iran state radio's main news channel — the Farsi-language service for Iranian listeners — did not carry the bin Laden report, nor did Iran state television.

The Iranian news agency IRNA was first to report the capture of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. IRNA also carried the state radio report about bin Laden's capture and said it had contacted a radio announcer at the Pashtun service who confirmed the news.

I don't think he has been caught.  If he had been we would have known about it by now. 

He's been caught and we have in in custody here in the U. S. of A.

In fact, to keep him under the radar, so to speak, he's being held in my basement by Special Forces.  We wallpapered his cell with nude photos of Lynndie England as his eternal punishment and torture.  :P

I wouldn't put it past the Bushies to conceal Osama until the thrid week in October, especially if things don't go so good for them.  It also wouldn't surprise me if Osama was still on the CIA payroll!

I also have a theory that Pvt. Lynndie England is an illegitimate daughter of Lt. William Calley!

http://stuff.ubersite.com/108689071687656387/1/i_love_u_lyndi.JPG
England

http://www.nv.cc.va.us/home/nvsageh/Hist277/DanielFiles/Graphs/Calley.jpg
Calley

I wouldn't put it past the Bushies to conceal Osama until the thrid week in October, especially if things don't go so good for them.  It also wouldn't surprise me if Osama was still on the CIA payroll!

I also have a theory that Pvt. Lynndie England is an illegitimate daughter of Lt. William Calley!




Talk about an October surprise!!!  I wouldn';t put it past him either.

It was reported in my local paper today that it's not Osama, but a very high ranking Al Qaeda "official" who has been captured.  Can't remember if they said the name (and too lazy to go out and dig through the garbage to find the paper) or not, though :P


Ever notice that they keep catching these "high ranking" Quida operatives, but the organization keeps functioning?  What's that about?

Not to slam anyone but... There seems to be a lot of people who read  the news but  don't read the follow through, when most of the real news really happens on page 2 on day 2 .  I have a term for it , Page One Patriots(you heard it here first).  It's it not that I deeply delve into everything, but I do know that page one, day one headlines are usually misleading.

More news today about Osama. Certainly is odd.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=535&ncid=535&e=3&u=/ap/20040904/ap_on_re_as/pakistan_bin_laden_1

:)

What I can't understand is that Osama Bin Laden has been in ill health for quite some time. Is it really difficult for the US to find such a fragile man?

What I can't understand is that Osama Bin Laden has been in ill health for quite some time. Is it really difficult for the US to find such a fragile man?


Well let's look at a parallel.

Jimmy Hoffa has been DEAD for 29 years and they still have not found him either.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are huge places in which to hide out.

What I can't understand is that Osama Bin Laden has been in ill health for quite some time. Is it really difficult for the US to find such a fragile man?


He has quite a large back up system.  I am willing to bet that those hiding him are willing to die before they give him up.  I don't think he would go anywhere he could be recognized, either.  He probably relies to his network of helpers to get him what he needs like medicine.

Well let's look at a parallel.

Jimmy Hoffa has been DEAD for 29 years and they still have not found him either.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are huge places in which to hide out.


I don't know. It was almost 7 years from the time Eric Rudolph bombed the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta until he was finally caught and it was always known he was in a small area of western North Carolina. It took seven years but he was eventually caught.

Well let's look at a parallel.

Jimmy Hoffa has been DEAD for 29 years and they still have not found him either.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are huge places in which to hide out.


I don't know Jimmy Hoffa and why they haven't been able to find him after 29 years.

Regardless, I think if the US really wanted to find him, they would have by now.

I don't know Jimmy Hoffa and why they haven't been able to find him after 29 years.

Regardless, I think if the US really wanted to find him, they would have by now.


Jimmy Hoffa was the head of the Teamsters Union and had close ties with the Mafia.  He
disappeared after arranging a meeting with a mobster, hasn't been seen since.  His son
is now head of the Teamsters, and word is Jimmy was either taken away in a trash truck
or buried at Meadowlands, that is kinda like your Epson Downs.
Now the Bin Laden thing.  He's what, maybe 6'6, and on dialysis, many believe we have been
trying to find him, some think that the bush people know where he is but have been waiting for
a politically expedient time to arrest him, say right before the election.  I think if they wanted him
they wouldn't have gone to Iraq.  The money that was spent on that fiasco should have been
used to find Bin Laden, if they were really serious about finding him.

Jimmy Hoffa was the head of the Teamsters Union and had close ties with the Mafia.  He
disappeared after arranging a meeting with a mobster, hasn't been seen since.  His son
is now head of the Teamsters, and word is Jimmy was either taken away in a trash truck
or buried at Meadowlands, that is kinda like your Epson Downs.
Now the Bin Laden thing.  He's what, maybe 6'6, and on dialysis, many believe we have been
trying to find him, some think that the bush people know where he is but have been waiting for
a politically expedient time to arrest him, say right before the election.  I think if they wanted him
they wouldn't have gone to Iraq.  The money that was spent on that fiasco should have been
used to find Bin Laden, if they were really serious about finding him.


Ah thanks for the info, Danoota. That makes it a bit more clearer now.

As for your last paragraph, exactly.  :)

Osama Bin Who...?

I don't know. It was almost 7 years from the time Eric Rudolph bombed the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta until he was finally caught and it was always known he was in a small area of western North Carolina. It took seven years but he was eventually caught.




And as I recall he was caught purely out of his own stupidity, caught by a local beat cop who found him rummaging through somebody's dumpster.  :-\\

And as I recall he was caught purely out of his own stupidity, caught by a local beat cop who found him rummaging through somebody's dumpster.   :-\\

That's because Rudolph the Redneck Reindeer wasn't a real "survivalist," he was just another hillbilly wackjob who thought he had a mandate from God to bomb reproductive health clinics.  Nonetheless, to the the man's (dubious) credit he did elude capture for quite an impressive span.

And as I recall he was caught purely out of his own stupidity, caught by a local beat cop who found him rummaging through somebody's dumpster. :-\\


Now, wasn't there a guard they blamed for the bombing who was proved innocent?  Or am I just making this up?

Now, wasn't there a guard they blamed for the bombing who was proved innocent?  Or am I just making this up?


Yes, a guy by the name of Richard Jewell was the guard that was first accused.  He found the knapsack that the bomb was in before it went off and alerted the police.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution started the accusations by printing something saying that he'd planted the bomb and a bunch of other lies, which led the FBI to keep him as their #1 suspect. (at first)  He ended up suing the paper, but I never heard how the case came out.  It's sad what the media can do to an innocent person. 

That's because Rudolph the Redneck Reindeer wasn't a real "survivalist," he was just another hillbilly wackjob who thought he had a mandate from God to bomb reproductive health clinics.  Nonetheless, to the the man's (dubious) credit he did elude capture for quite an impressive span.


There was also evidence that some people in the town knew who he was and sympathised with
his cause.  A little aiding and abetting on his behalf.

  There are, of course, wild theories of Osama's secret capture and detention, which assume much about US and allied covert capabilities involving such a sensational event: Such an action would involve far too many people to keep quiet in an apparatus now seething with leaks in the wake of prison abuses, illegal detentions, etc. Putting OBL on ice would be far too complex an operation to have likely success, considering transition from combat and capture to international transportation, debriefing, and covert detention all in absolute secrecy. And then the political payoff would be stunted by sticky legal wickets if it were later decided to go public and hold a trial. Not only could many untoward anecdotes about past partnerships with the US be revealed, a capture kept in secret would provide Osama's legal defense with grist to chug on for years in almost any court. There is no net gain in keeping Osama locked away in secret. Neither is there advantage over presenting the villain in chains, in executing Osama in secret.

  So, we have no Osama in custody, and no Osama at large, running his mouth. That means no Osama.

 

  There are, of course, wild theories of Osama's secret capture and detention, which assume much about US and allied covert capabilities involving such a sensational event: Such an action would involve far too many people to keep quiet in an apparatus now seething with leaks in the wake of prison abuses, illegal detentions, etc. Putting OBL on ice would be far too complex an operation to have likely success, considering transition from combat and capture to international transportation, debriefing, and covert detention all in absolute secrecy. And then the political payoff would be stunted by sticky legal wickets if it were later decided to go public and hold a trial. Not only could many untoward anecdotes about past partnerships with the US be revealed, a capture kept in secret would provide Osama's legal defense with grist to chug on for years in almost any court. There is no net gain in keeping Osama locked away in secret. Neither is there advantage over presenting the villain in chains, in executing Osama in secret.

  So, we have no Osama in custody, and no Osama at large, running his mouth. That means no Osama.

 


None of this rules out knowing where he is and not acting on the intelligence

   Sure DnM, it is entirely possible that Osama has been whispering in the background the whole time, but specifically because of the way the administration dangles his name about I'm more and more convinced that he's dead.

   It seems to me--and this is admittedly speculative--that if anything substantive were to be going on, the administration would not be playing so close to the vest. There's a bluff afoot, and our man Arbusto is deeper in the hoopla than his eyebrows can afford. And while we cannot conclude by the mere presence of an obvious bluff that Osama is dead, the Bush façade becomes in combination with the lack of any definitive signal or sighting a convincing suggestion that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

   Personally, I would prefer Osama to be alive; I mislike severely the notion of this big a wag.

I don't know Jimmy Hoffa and why they haven't been able to find him after 29 years.

Regardless, I think if the US really wanted to find him, they would have by now.


Bobby, if you get the chance you should rent the movie "Hoffa".  It is pretty cool and tells the story of the infamous American labour leader and associate of The Mob.  Stars Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito.

Lots of infamous people who have had massive manhunts launched against them have survived for years undetected.  It took 16 years to catch up with Adolph Eichman, and Josef Mengele lived for 35 years and was never caught.  And THOSE guys were living out in the open.

Bobby, if you get the chance you should rent the movie "Hoffa".  It is pretty cool and tells the story of the infamous American labour leader and associate of The Mob.  Stars Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito.

Lots of infamous people who have had massive manhunts launched against them have survived for years undetected.  It took 16 years to catch up with Adolph Eichman, and Josef Mengele lived for 35 years and was never caught.  And THOSE guys were living out in the open.


I think I will take you up on your film suggestion, Lyricboy.  :)

Were Eichman and Mengele healthy (or at least mobile)? I can appreciate people have survived years undetected (the mystery of Lord Lucan for example) but Osama bin Laden is really ill. The US with all their army are looking for someone who, I presume, is rooted to the spot.

The whereabouts of Mengele and Eichman were not the big secret they are presumed to
be.  Eichmann was only brought to trial because Isrealis went to Argentina and kidnapped
him. He had many friends inside the government there and weren't disposed to turn him over.
There was a book and a movie. "The House on Garibaldi Street".

Yes, a guy by the name of Richard Jewell was the guard that was first accused. He found the knapsack that the bomb was in before it went off and alerted the police. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution started the accusations by printing something saying that he'd planted the bomb and a bunch of other lies, which led the FBI to keep him as their #1 suspect. (at first) He ended up suing the paper, but I never heard how the case came out. It's sad what the media can do to an innocent person.


Thanks, Koop. :)

I think I will take you up on your film suggestion, Lyricboy.  :)

Were Eichman and Mengele healthy (or at least mobile)? I can appreciate people have survived years undetected (the mystery of Lord Lucan for example) but Osama bin Laden is really ill. The US with all their army are looking for someone who, I presume, is rooted to the spot.



Eichman and Mengele were both in good health, and were supported by a network of well-financed sympathizers and some corrupt government officials (sumilar to ho wAl-Quaeda operates).

Eichman's location and capture was quite interesting.  He was initially identified by a former concentration camp survivor who was BLIND, but who recognized the scent of Eichman, in a chance meeting in a street cafe as I recall.  He tipped off the appropriate personnel in Mossad, who cased our Eichman's place and confirmed that it was him.

Eichman and Mengele were both in good health, and were supported by a network of well-financed sympathizers and some corrupt government officials (sumilar to ho wAl-Quaeda operates).

Eichman's location and capture was quite interesting.  He was initially identified by a former concentration camp survivor who was BLIND, but who recognized the scent of Eichman, in a chance meeting in a street cafe as I recall.  He tipped off the appropriate personnel in Mossad, who cased our Eichman's place and confirmed that it was him.


Thanks for the info, Lyricboy. That's a bit of bad luck for Eichman.

Thanks for the info, Lyricboy. That's a bit of bad luck for Eichman.


Sounds like a case of karma biting him in the butt to me.