CNN claims OBL directly acknowledges involvement in 9-11

[Sterling]

http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/12/13/ret.bin.laden.quotes/

"We calculated in advance the number of casualties from the
enemy, who would be killed based on the position of the
tower. We calculated that the floors that would be hit would
be three or four floors. I was the most optimistic of them all
(inaudible) due to my experience in this field, I was thinking
that the fire from the gas in the plane would melt the iron
structure of the building and collapse the area where the
plane hit and all the floors above it only. This is all that we had hoped for."


snip





"We were at (inaudible) when the event took place. We had
notification since the previous Thursday that the event would
take place that day. We had finished our work that day and
had the radio on. It was 5:30 p.m. our time. I was sitting
with Dr. Ahmad Abu-al-(Khair). Immediately, we heard the
news that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. We turned
the radio station to the news from Washington. The news
continued and no mention of the attack until the end. At the end of the newscast,
they reported that a plane just hit the World Trade Center.... After a little while,
they announced that another plane had hit the World Trade Center. The brothers
who heard the news were overjoyed by it."

[wndycty]

1. Wow. . .

. . .do you think they know that the Union won the Civil War?

[MacCovern]

4. Here in Atlanta, I'm not sure!

CNN might have a different take on the Civil War.

[newyawker99]

32. Hi MacCovern!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[JPace]

8. Is this some kind of joke?

Osama Been Forgotten talking about the details
is hardly surprising. Wasn't this talk on a film
they showed on t.v. taken just before his disappearence?
Old news if news at all.

[radwriter0555]

35. This translation is disputed by a number of translators actually..

and at one point, bin laden specifically says he was NOT involved in the planning and execution of 9.11, but knew about it.

bush knew too.

[MacCovern]

2. Yes, OBL is the guy, no doubt about it

It seems rather elementary to me, to the point where I think even a penguin could figure it out.

Osama Bin Laden is the mastermind behind the 9-11 attacks. Although he might not have been the "operational" key figure for 9-11, I think most DUers know OBL is THE GUY.

[Pastiche423]

10. Was your post sarcastic?

[MacCovern]

14. not sarcastic, there is no doubt about it

OBL is the guy, and he said what was on that videotape, with maybe a slight translation error or two.

[Pastiche423]

22. lol

Do you speak Arabic?

OBL has never claimed responsibility for the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Keep on believing whitle ass et al, if it makes you feel better.

[tinanator]

30. really?

who benefitted from the attacks? Penguin logic is great and all, but wouldnt a SHRED OF PROOF go a little further?

[TrogL]

3. Impossible

I'd like access to the original tape and run it by an Arabic speaker.

[uptohere]

6. this is very old news and it was run by other arabs, its the real deal.

n/t

[GreenArrow]

20. It is old news

but I think the consensus in the Arab world (and Europe, for that matter) was that it was BS.

[MacCovern]

9. Impossible????

I don't know. Why would the world's greatest Islamist terrorist want to kill thousands of Americans?

Is that a surprise to you?

[Clete]

5. That's been out for a long time.

OBL admitted that even he didn't know how good (for him) it would turn out. However, that doesn't get Bushie out of the woodshed yet.

When the Nazi's were planning the burning of the Reichstadt, they accidently heard of a pyromaniac who was bragging in a beer hall about doing just such a thing. They helped him along and let him take the blame along with the Jews.

So it doesn't mean that the cabal didn't know. They probably decided to let it happen as we have talked about before because it was better than any Pearl Harbor or Gulf of Tonkin incident that they could stage.

[Catherine Vincent]

7. You know what I think?

Bin Laden will be captured or killed soon. And the media will portray it as if Bush himself captured or killed Bin Laden. And if that happens, get ready to have that punk ass chimp in the WH for another 4 years.

[MacCovern]

12. You could be on to something cat_girl!

OBL may indeed be in that 40 square mile region where Newsweek thinks he is.

It could be that the timing just isn't right for OBL to be captured, or, killed. Wouldn't it be nice if the USA stumbles on to Bin Laden during the Repookican Convention next year! How many millions of votes would that be worth?

[StandWatie]

11. that was the "fat Osama" tape

I believe it's really him, but that's just me.

[Sterling]

21. Oh now I remember

This is the "fat" Osama tape. It was a matter of hot debate here when it came out. I wish I had the $ to donate so I could do an archive search but it was pretty well discredited. Not just here on DU. So much so it was dropped from the news cycle pretty quickly.

The CNN/ US Government translation was shown to be flawed and the image of Osama was inconsistent with other videos released before and after this one.

I am trying to find stills to compare. Someone posted two images from videos supposedly taken within weeks of each other that do not match up.

The quality of the video was also subject to questions as this is the only video released by OBL (supposedly) that is of such poor quality that you cannot make a positive ID.

[tinanator]

31. no issues there

I mean, of course he would videotape a confession, he's EVIL!
And even with serious kidney ailments, he could always get fat or bloated in no time at all. If it's on TV, it's true, right?
Always wanted to visit Jethro and kin down in Beverly Hills, myself.

[ewagner]

13. Okay, I'm confused.........

<sarcams on >
Where's the part where he said Saddam helped?

Isn't that why we're in Iraq?

<sarcasm off>

[Pastiche423]

15. That part hasn't been edited in yet

Wait for the next REAL OBL tape.

[ewagner]

17. Too bad they fired all

The Arabic Language Translators, could have made the editing much easier! :evilgrin:

[are_we_united_yet]

27. No no no no no

I specifically Heard Ari tell me Weapons of Mass Disappearance. Or was it W's favoring regime change?

[Warren Stuart]

16. Al Queda took credit for the blackout too

Osama could just be an opportunist, it is possible the 9/11 masterminds, died on 9/11. We don't know, all we do know is that Osama went from priority number one to priority number none, within 6 months.

"Dead or Alive" could be for Bush II what "Read my lips" was for Bush I.

[loudnclear]

18. I am more confused: Wasn't Zawari captured in 2002?

How many "second-in-command" does OBL have?

[MacCovern]

19. Zawahiri still on the loose

Zawahiri is just as dangerous and fanatical as Bin Laden in my eyes.
He is a man consumed by hatred. If and when he is captured it will be very big news!

[HFishbine]

23. Many Months Old

Didn't I hear this, like last year sometime?

[Sterling]

26. It was raised again in another thread.

nt

[Q]

24. One needs to read this with the understanding that bin Laden...

...was working for the CIA and Bush Family. ( Not necessarily in that order).

[Sterling]

25. I agree it does not exonerate Bush or PNAC.

even if this fat Osama is the same as the skinny Osama that appeared in the previous videos and the following videos.

I am just not convinced that this is actually Osama or that the translation is accurate.

[AP]

28. If they wanted to kill more people, why didn't they wait until 10am

and aim much lower?

I remeber hearing an eye-witness say that one of the planes came right at him, he looked at the pilot in the eyes, and the pilot pulled up steeply at the last second. You'd think if they wanted to kill a lot of people they would have pushed down.

Another mystery which will never be answered.

Also, at the Pentagon, they plowed into a part of the building which had been empty for weeks and was just going to be reoccupied.

They had civilian contractors in there. If you were really doing your due dilligence, and wanted to kill a lot of people, it seems like some ground work would have revealed that you were aiming for an empty part of the pentagon.

[maha]

34. Oh, puh-LEEZE

"I remeber hearing an eye-witness say that one of the planes came right at him, he looked at the pilot in the eyes, and the pilot pulled up steeply at the last second. You'd think if they wanted to kill a lot of people they would have pushed down."

Neither plane pulled up steeply at the last second, and at the speed they were going there was no time for such intimate little encounters.

Obvious hoax.

[Sterling]

36. I can't speak for the eye witness account but

I do agree that if they were trying to cause the maximum amount of casualties they would not have planned the attack before business hours.


The Pentagon attack is very troublesome for several reasons. Partly because as you note it hit the side of the building that would cause the least damage and loss of life and to get to that side the plane apparently had to perform a corkscrew descent. A difficult maneuver and one, which left the plane, exposed to anti aircraft fire.


I don't know why more people don't put 2 and 2 together here but given the DC attack was a considerable amount of time after the first two in NYC and DC is the most heavily defended airspace in the world with AA missiles on the Whitehouse as well as the Pentagon there is little reason to believe the DC attack could not have been prevented.

[arcane1]

29. the return of fat Osama

isn't this that same tape from last year??

[maha]

33. Yes, it is.

Click on the link in the first message. Look at the date.