On May 1, President Obama reported that Osama Bin Laden had been killed by
U.S. Navy SEALS in a house in Abbottabad, Pakistan. In the following we
present what we know, and do not know, about the killing of the alleged
mastermind of 9/11. In the interest of brevity, the presentation is in
outline form.
9/11: The Evidence Against Bin Laden
FBI Director Robert Mueller, in a speech at the Commonwealth Club on April
19, 2002, said: "In
our investigation, we have not uncovered a single piece of paper - either
here in the United States, or in the treasure trove of information that has
turned up in Afghanistan and elsewhere - that mentioned any aspect of the
September 11 plot."
In fact there are no Arab names on the partial list of
passengers on the 9/11 flights - released by the Associated Press on
September 17, 2001.
To this day, the FBI page states:
"Usama Bin Laden is wanted in connection with the August 7, 1998, bombings
of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi,
Kenya. These attacks killed over 200 people. In addition, Bin Laden is a
suspect in other terrorist attacks throughout the world."
In June 2006, when asked why there is no mention of 9/11 on the FBI's web
page, Rex Tomb, the FBI's Chief of Investigative Publicity, is reported to
have said,
"The reason why 9/11 is not mentioned on Usama Bin Laden's Most Wanted page
is because the FBI has no hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11."
On September 22, 2001, the Bush administration said that "it would release evidence that Saudi
fugitive Osama bin Laden masterminded the attacks Sept. 11 on the United
States, part of an effort to convince the world that a military response is
justified."
"I am absolutely convinced that the al-Qaida network, which he heads, was
responsible for this attack," Secretary of State Colin Powell said on NBC's
"Meet the Press."
Ten years on, we're still waiting for this evidence.
On March 29, 2006, on Fox News Radio, the Tony Snow Show, Vice
President Dick Cheney stated: "We've never made the case, or argued the case,
that somehow Osama Bin Laden was directly involved in 9/11. That evidence
has never been forthcoming."
Taliban Offered Bin Laden to U.S.
• The Taliban's ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Salam Zaeef, made the offer at
a news conference in Islamabad. Zaeef said the Taliban would detain bin
Laden and try him under Islamic law if the United States makes a formal
request and presents them with evidence. ("U.S. rejects Taliban offer
to try bin Laden," cnn.com, October 7, 2001)
Despite U.S. claims that 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi citizens,
on October 7, 2001, the U.S. launched its war on Afghanistan.
• The offer yesterday from Haji Abdul Kabir, the Taliban's deputy
prime minister, to surrender Mr bin Laden if America would halt its bombing
and provide evidence against the Saudi-born dissident was not new. (Andrew
Buncomb, "Bush rejects Taliban offer to
surrender bin Laden," Independent, October 15, 2001)
Prior Reports of Bin Laden's Death
• Usama bin Laden has died a peaceful death due to an untreated lung
complication, the Pakistan Observer reported, citing a Taliban leader who
allegedly attended the funeral of the Al Qaeda leader. . . .
About 30 close associates of bin Laden in Al Qaeda, including his most
trusted and personal bodyguards, his family members and some "Taliban
friends," attended the funeral rites. ("Report: Bin Laden
Already Dead," foxnews.com, December 26, 2001)
• . . . former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is telling reporters
that the Bush administration may already have captured Osama bin Laden and
will release the news just before next year's presidential election. ("Madeleine
Albright: Bush Planning Bin Laden October Surprise," newsmax.com,
December 17, 2003)
• Preeminent 9/11 author, Prof. David Ray Griffin, examined purported
messages from bin Laden since 2001 and found little evidence that they in
fact came from bin Laden himself. (David Ray Griffin, "Osama
Bin Laden: Dead or Alive?," Olive Branch Press, May 20, 2009)
• Angelo M. Codevilla, who teaches international relations at Boston
University, is a former U.S. intelligence officer who studied Soviet
disinformation techniques during the Cold War. He says a close examination
of all the alleged bin Laden tapes, including the videos, have convinced him
that Elvis Presley is more alive than Osama bin Laden. . . .
The last credible intercepts of bin Laden's voice were made by overhead
satellites in early December 2001 as he was escaping through the Tora Bora
mountain range . . .
Bin Laden was suffering from a kidney ailment, and some experts say he died
Dec. 13, 2001, four days after his escape from Tora Bora. Videos since then,
according to neutral experts, show bin Laden writing with his right hand,
but he is well known as left-handed. They also detect differences in the
shape of the nose, skin color and speech. (Arnaud de Borchgrave, "Man
or myth argument is alive and well online," Washington Times, July 26,
2010)
• The leaked documents also claim that Osama bin Laden, who was reported dead
three years ago by the late Pakistan candidate Benazir Bhutto on BBC, was
still alive, conveniently keeping the myth alive for the Obama
Administration War on Terror at a point when most Americans had forgotten
the original reason the Bush Administration allegedly invaded Afghanistan to
pursue the Saudi Bin Laden for the 9/11 attacks. (F. William Engdahl, "Something stinks
about Wikileaks," vheadline.com, August 11, 2010)
Report: OBL Assassinated in Abbottabad
• U.S. officials said the helicopter raid in Pakistan was carried out by CIA
paramilitaries together with the elite Navy SEAL Team Six. The U.S. team
took custody of bin Laden's remains, which American officials said were
being handled in accordance with Islamic tradition. . . .
In August, 2010, intelligence officials found what they suspected to be bin
Laden's residence in Abbottabad, Pakistan, an affluent area with lots of
retired military. ("Osama Bin Laden is Dead," CBS/AP, May 1, 2011)
• The release of a photograph purporting to show bin Laden's corpse - which
was later confirmed to be a fake - added to the confusion. ("Can
US Offer Final Proof Of Osama's Death?," yahoo.com, May 2, 2011)
• Sources confirmed to CBS News national security correspondent David
Martin that his body was released into the sea from a U.S. Navy vessel on
Monday, likely into the Indian Ocean.
Bin Laden was a Saudi national, but officials tell CBS News that the Kingdom
was unwilling to have his remains repatriated. ("Osama bin Laden's body buried at sea," CBS/AP, May 2, 2011)
• Islam does NOT require burial within 24 hours. Why not bury him in Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Guantanamo . . . or let the locals bury him?
• Four of the five people shot to death in the operation that killed
Osama bin Laden, including the al-Qaida leader himself, were unarmed and
never fired a shot, U.S. officials told NBC News on Wednesday - an account
that differs markedly from the Obama administration's original claims that
the Navy SEALs came under heavy small-arms fire in a prolonged firefight.
(Jim Miklaszewski, "Bin Laden 'firefight': Only one man was armed," msnbc.msn.com,
May 4, 2011)
Conclusion
• In 1976, President Ford issued Executive Order 11905 to clarify U.S.
foreign intelligence activities. The order was enacted in response to the
post-Watergate revelations that the CIA had staged multiple attempts on the
life of Cuban President Fidel Castro.
. . . Section 5(g), entitled "Prohibition on Assassination," states: "No employee of the United
States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, political
assassination." ("U.S. policy on assassinations," cnn.com, November 4, 2002)
• "China holds that the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity
of any country should be respected," said Jiang Yu, a spokeswoman for the
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, according to Xinhua news agency. ("China blasts US government for operation that killed
Osama," ibtimes.com, May 5, 2011)
About a year ago, I wrote: "We
suspect that when bin Laden is 'killed,' we'll just have to trust the folks
that lied us into war to confirm they got him."
Is Bin Laden dead? Yes. Was he killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan? Possibly.
Was he the 'mastermind' of 9/11? No.
Bin Laden's death is a distraction from more important issues: Why did President Bush launch the war on
Afghanistan? Why did President
Obama make it his war?
[Evidence now available from various sources, including recently
declassified U.S. State Department documents, shows that the Taliban
regime led by Mullah Mohammad Omar imposed strict isolation on Osama bin
Laden after 1998 to prevent him from carrying out any plots against the
United States.--Gareth Porter, "Taliban Regime
Pressed bin Laden on anti-US Terror," Inter Press Service, February
12, 2010]
[in all likelihood Osama Bin Laden died in December 2001. . . .
In the old days, Ben Laden's companions were branded as "freedom fighters". . . .
Today, they have returned to being "freedom fighters", as they identify the targets for
NATO's bombardments on Libyan soil or when they shoot at random into a crowd or at
police forces in Syria.--Thierry Meyssan, "Reflections on the official
announcement of the death of Osama Bin Laden," voltairenet.org, May 8, 2011
[In the wake of the US raid in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden, China
has "warned in unequivocal terms that any attack on Pakistan would be
construed as an attack on China", a media report claimed on Thursday.--"'China has asked US to respect Pak
sovereignty'," Press Trust Of India, May 19, 2011]
[Sources willing to testify in court, sources silenced because of phony
concerns for "national security," sources who have held positions of trust
and/or authority, tell me Osama bin Laden always worked for the CIA until
his death. Most confirm his death in December, 2001.--Gordon Duff, "Osama bin Laden, the Innocent Man: Closing the
Case," Veterans Today, June 15, 2011]
[CIA officials report that, even after 9/11, they were actively seeking a
kidney transplant for bin Laden to keep him alive. They confirmed that he
was actively being paid, had security clearances and was working on
assignments received on or after 9/11.
They also confirmed bin Laden had, because of health reasons, not been
living in Bahrain as thought but San Diego. While there, he visited the
White House and met with George H. W. Bush and other members of the Bush
family including George W. Bush.
Bin Laden felt betrayed when the President, a man he knew as a personal
friend, ordered his killing after 9/11, particularly since bin Laden was an
active CIA agent.--Gordon Duff, "Bush Knew Bin Laden Murdered in 2001,"
veteranstoday.com, February 5, 2012]
[The Associated Press asked for files about the raid in more than 20
separate requests, mostly submitted the day after bin Laden's death. The
Pentagon told the AP this month it could not locate any photographs or video
taken during the raid or showing bin Laden's body. It also said it could not
find any images of bin Laden's body on the Navy aircraft carrier where the
al-Qaida leader's body was taken.--Richard Lardner, "Pentagon says it has no records of bin Laden's death; CIA
hasn't answered open records request ," StarTribune, March 15, 2012]
[Shortly after the alleged assassination 30 members of the SEAL unit died
in a mysterious helicopter crash in Afghanistan, and now we learn that not
a single one of the thousands of sailors on the aircraft carrier, the USS
Carl Vinson, witnessed bin Laden's alleged burial at sea from that
ship.--Paul Craig Roberts, "The Osama bin Laden Myth," paulcraigroberts.org, November 26,
2012]
[Osama bin Laden had perhaps been dead for ten years of Marfan syndrome that
elongated his body, made him sickly and ruined his kidneys. He was
reportedly on dialysis in 2000.
The photo did not take place in the actual "situation room." The people in
the room were not watching the death of bin Laden, as the live feed - or
whatever it was - did not extend inside of bin Laden's compound.--"Esquire Portrait of bin Laden's Death Fails to
Convince," thedailybell.com, February 12, 2013]
[According to the former CIA agent, he personally knew Bin Laden's three Chechen
bodyguards, who had protected him until his death and witnessed his death on June 26,
2006.--"Osama Bin Laden Died of Natural Causes According to Former CIA
Agent," intellihub.com, May 6, 2013]
[The nation's top special operations commander ordered military files about the Navy
SEAL raid on Osama bin Laden's hideout to be purged from Defense Department computers
and sent to the CIA, where they could be more easily shielded from ever being made
public. . . .
The Defense Department told the AP in March 2012 it could not locate any photographs or
video taken during the raid or showing bin Laden's body. It also said it could not find
any images of bin Laden's body on the USS Carl Vinson, the aircraft carrier from which
he was buried at sea. The Pentagon also said it could not find any death certificate,
autopsy report or results of DNA identification tests for bin Laden, . . .
The Pentagon also refused to confirm or deny the existence of helicopter maintenance
logs and reports about the performance of military gear used in the raid. One of the
stealth helicopters that carried the SEALs in Pakistan crashed during the mission and
its wreckage was left behind.--Richard Lardner, "Secret move keeps bin
Laden records in the shadows," apnews.myway.com, July 8, 2013]
[. . . the death of Osama bin Laden. "Nothing's been done about that story, it's one big
lie, not one word of it is true," he says of the dramatic US Navy Seals raid in
2011.--Lisa O'Carroll, "Seymour Hersh on Obama, NSA and the 'pathetic' American
media'," theguardian.com, September 27, 2013]
[Osama bin Laden died in December 2001 of renal failure and other health problems,
. . . Bin Laden's obituary appeared in numerous foreign and Arabic press, and also on
Fox News.--Paul Craig Roberts, "Another Fake Bin Laden Story," paulcraigroberts.org, November 7, 2014]
[Hersh's story does prove that the US government is a liar, but it does not prove that a
SEAL team murdered Osama bin Laden.--Paul Craig Roberts, "Seymour Hersh Succumbs To Disinformation,"
paulcraigroberts.org, May 11, 2015]
[bin Laden had been a prisoner of the ISI at the Abbottabad compound since 2006; that
Kayani and Pasha knew of the raid in advance and had made sure that the two helicopters
delivering the Seals to Abbottabad could cross Pakistani airspace without triggering any
alarms; that the CIA did not learn of bin Laden's whereabouts by tracking his couriers,
as the White House has claimed since May 2011, but from a former senior Pakistani
intelligence officer who betrayed the secret in return for much of the $25 million
reward offered by the US, and that, while Obama did order the raid and the Seal team did
carry it out, many other aspects of the administration's account were false.--Seymour M.
Hersh, "The
Killing of Osama bin Laden," London Review of Books, May 21, 2015]
[Pakistan's civilian administration under then-President Asif Ali Zardari had persuaded
the military authorities to order the Pakistan Air Force and air defense systems to
stand down during the operation. Ambassador Haqqani's role in this saga ruffled the
feathers of Pakistan's military's top brass--Nauman Sadiq, "Raymond Davis, CIA, and the Hunt for Osama Bin
Laden," antiwar.com, February 16, 2019]
The Bin Laden Papers:
Examining the documents seized from the al Qaeda leader's compound, April 26, 2022