The Saudi-Pakistani-bin Laden Triangle: Al Qaeda Terrorist Tells All

[Bolo Boffin]

Time's got a new article about Gerald Posner's new book - in it, Posner has a bombshell of a revelation.

By March 2002, the terrorist called Abu Zubaydah was one of the most wanted men on earth. A leading member of Osama bin Laden's brain trust, he is thought to have been in operational control of al-Qaeda's millennium bomb plots as well as the attack on the U.S.S. Cole in October 2000. After the spectacular success of the airliner assaults on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, he continued to devise terrorist plans.

Seventeen months ago, the U.S. finally grabbed  Zubaydah in Pakistan and has kept him locked up in a secret location ever since. His name has probably faded from most memories. It's about to get back in the news. A new book by Gerald Posner says Zubaydah has made startling revelations about secret connections linking Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and bin Laden.

This has got to be what's in the 28 pages.

The stuff that is going to spark hot debate is Chapter 19, an account—based on Zubaydah's claims as told to Posner by "two government sources" who are unnamed but "in a position to know"—of what two countries allied to the U.S. did to build up al-Qaeda and what they knew before that September day.

Zubaydah's capture and interrogation, told in a gripping narrative that reads like a techno-thriller, did not just take down one of al-Qaeda's most wanted operatives but also unexpectedly provided what one U.S. investigator told Posner was "the Rosetta stone of 9/11 ... the details of what (Zubaydah) claimed was his 'work' for senior Saudi and Pakistani officials." The tale begins at 2 a.m. on March 28, 2002, when U.S. surveillance pinpointed Zubaydah in a two-story safe house in Pakistan. Commandos rousted out 62 suspects, one of whom was seriously wounded while trying to flee. A Pakistani intelligence officer and hastily made voiceprints quickly identifiedthe injured man as Zubaydah.

Posner elaborates in startling detail how U.S. interrogators used drugs—an unnamed "quick-on, quick-off" painkiller and Sodium Pentothal, the old movie truth serum—in a chemical version of reward and punishment to make Zubaydah talk. When questioning stalled, according to Posner, cia men flew Zubaydah to an Afghan complex fitted out as a fake Saudi jail chamber, where "two Arab-Americans, now with Special Forces," pretending to be Saudi inquisitors, used drugs and threats to scare him into more confessions.

Yet when Zubaydah was confronted by the false Saudis, writes Posner, "his reaction was not fear, but utter relief." Happy to see them, he reeled off telephone numbers for a senior member of the royal family who would, said Zubaydah, "tell you what to do." The man at the other end would be Prince Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, a Westernized nephew of King Fahd's and a publisher better known as a racehorse  owner. His horse War Emblem won the Kentucky Derby in 2002. To the amazement of the U.S., the numbers proved valid. When the fake inquisitors accused Zubaydah of lying, he responded with a 10-minute monologue laying out the Saudi-Pakistani-bin Laden triangle.

Zubaydah, writes Posner, said the Saudi connection ran through Prince Turki al-Faisal bin Abdul Aziz, the kingdom's longtime intelligence chief. Zubaydah said bin Laden "personally" told him of a 1991 meeting at which Turki agreed to let bin Laden leave Saudi Arabia and to provide him with secret funds as long as al-Qaeda refrained from promoting jihad in the kingdom. The Pakistani contact, high-ranking air force officer Mushaf Ali Mir, entered the equation, Zubaydah said, at a 1996 meeting in Pakistan also attended by Zubaydah. Bin Laden struck a deal with Mir, then in the military but tied closely to Islamists in Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (isi), to get protection, arms and supplies for al-Qaeda. Zubaydah told interrogators bin Laden said the arrangement was "blessed by the Saudis."

:nuke:

[Old and In the Way]

1. Someone should tell George and Dick....

They'll be shocked to find out Saddam Hussein and Iraq wasn't behind 9/11.

Didn't George just give Pakistan $30BB in aid recently? It must be difficult keeping your friends, business associates, and enemies of America separated.

[stickdog]

2. READ THIS ARTICLE!!!

If you read one thing this week, read this entire article.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030908-480226,00.html

When questioning stalled, according to Posner, CIA men flew Zubaydah to an Afghan complex fitted out as a fake Saudi jail chamber, where "two Arab-Americans, now with Special Forces," pretending to be Saudi inquisitors, used drugs and threats to scare him into more confessions. Yet when Zubaydah was confronted by the false Saudis, writes Posner, "his reaction was not fear, but utter relief." Happy to see them, he reeled off telephone numbers for a senior member of the royal family who would, said Zubaydah, "tell you what to do."

(snip)

The last eight paragraphs of the book set up a final startling development. Those three Saudi princes all perished within days of one another. On July 22, 2002, Prince Ahmed was felled by a heart attack at age 43. One day later Prince Sultan bin Faisal bin Turki al-Saud, 41, was killed in what was called a high-speed car accident. The last member of the trio, Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Saud al-Kabir, officially "died of thirst" while traveling east of Riyadh one week later. And seven months after that, Mushaf Ali Mir, by then Pakistan's Air Marshal, perished in a plane crash in clear weather over the unruly North-West Frontier province, along with his wife and closest confidants.

[Turbulence]

3. hmmm

this is a keeper.

[Bolo Boffin]

4. Welcome to DU, Turbulence

It's a keeper for a number of reasons, isn't it?

Not only the information obtained, but the way it was obtained is unsavory. We've heard about BushCo exporting their interrogations before (just like their fundraising, how odd), but have we had a name and face before?

I love the way it locks into Palast's investigations. That's the click of truth.

[Abe Linkman]

5. Posner is an opportunistic spinner and liar

Gerald Posner's lack of credibility extends back more than 10 years, at least to the time when he wrote "Case Closed". That's the book he wrote to cover-up the truth about JFK's assassination.

Why don't you jump over to the WTC 7 thread, and tell us how that demolition happened as a result of "incompetence."

[Bolo Boffin]

6. Well, all I can say to that is...

...hide and watch. The truth will out. I don't believe the entire Saudi or Pakistani government was in on the deal, and I don't believe Posner is claiming that. Every government (even BushCo) is filled with factions, and the factions wrangle for greater power. When Bush restricted investigations into the Saudis and the bin Laden family, he provided shelter for the factions of both governments in league with bin Laden. They thus were able to carry out the 9/11 attacks virtually unimpeded. Incompetence - of which the collapse (not demolition, silly) of WTC7 was a result.

And Case Closed is an excellent book - shows how the Warren Commission messed up the investigation, especially concerning the "magic" bullet. It reminded me of Lawrence David Kusche's book about the Burmuda Triangle - good research, plausible explanations, and zero lack of tolerance for baseless speculation. His books may count him out in your mind as a credible researcher, but can't you see how this new information dovetails with what Greg Palast has been saying all along? Or is Palast an Official Story PR spinner too?

[Abe Linkman]

7. c'mon, bolospinner-Posner is a paid liar & Scapegoater

This is only his latest "heroic" effort to fool the public by taking heat off the real criminals and scapegoating swarthy ME "terrists".

[Bolo Boffin]

8. What's this "Swarthy" nonsense?

Content of their character is what I judge the terrorists of 9/11 by, Abe. Al Qaeda did it, and they had the help of Pakistan and Saud officials. We all know that's what's in the 28 pages.

Shoot the messenger all you want, Abe, it doesn't change the facts in the message. BushCo believes that 2+2 equals 4 - does that mean that 2+2 doesn't equal 4?

[demodewd]

9. 28 pages

No we don't all know what's in the 28 pages.

[Bolo Boffin]

10. You will.

Hide and watch.

[Abe Linkman]

12. Especially if you like scapegoating fairy tales

That's all you'll find in any Posner book.

[demodewd]

15. Will what?

Hope it happens before the next millenium.

[Abe Linkman]

11. Gerald Posner has zero credibility, except with O.Story folks

That's the problem here, boloboy. Mr. Posner's wounds are self-inflicted. He's a whore, but give him credit: it bugs serious investigators that Posner is given lots of free publicity in the mainstream media to sell his scapegoating nonsense. His defense of the Arlen Specter embarassment known as the "magic bullet theory" is exceeded only by his arrogant, unverifiable (and unblelievable) claims about the research he does for the scapegoat fairy tales he cooks up.

You know about his background, right?

[Bolo Boffin]

13. I know he endorsed Bush in the months after 9/11

I also know the facts he's bringing up in this new book might give him cause to eat those words too. Otherwise, no, I don't know about his "background" other than his meticulously researched books.

And attacking the messenger still doesn't disprove the facts he brings out.

[Turbulence]

16. hmmmmm

like I said the article was interesting.

[Bolo Boffin]

14. Well, now, QuietStorm's telling us about a possible Pakistani purge..

...over here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=116&topic_id=1059

One to go along with the possible Saudi purge as well. How about that?

[Turbulence]

17. what do you mean by purge?

Fundamental Islmists are joining the resistance against the US occupation. US and ISI go back a long time. Mustarraf would like to play along in support of US interest in the gulf region however rift between Israel and the Muslim population goes back a long time as well. Mustaraf seems caught up in the middle of what might promise to out what was a GIGANTIC conflict of interests, especially considering who the US trained and backed to fight proxy during the Afghan war. It was hoped that Pakistan would send troops in support of the US occupation. It doesn't look like that is likely to happen, instead it looks like militants are moving in from both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in resistance to the US occupation forces in Iraq.

What may be revealed is a BIG TIME US conflict of interest... especially considering US current policy in the gulf region.

[Bolo Boffin]

18. This quote from QuietStorm's article

Well-placed sources within the army have revealed to Asia Times Online that recently several top officers have been arrested. These arrests have been kept secret as no charges have been laid. The officers, according to the sources, were seized after being fingered by agents of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as probably having links with international Islamic militants.

Lay it up against this quote from the Time article:

The last eight paragraphs of the book set up a final startling development. Those three Saudi princes all perished within days of one another. On July 22, 2002, Prince Ahmed was felled by a heart attack at age 43. One day later Prince Sultan bin Faisal bin Turki al-Saud, 41, was killed in what was called a high-speed car accident. The last member of the trio, Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Saud al-Kabir, officially "died of thirst" while traveling east of Riyadh one week later. And seven months after that, Mushaf Ali Mir, by then Pakistan's Air Marshal, perished in a plane crash in clear weather over the unruly North-West Frontier province, along with his wife and closest confidants.

As Posner notes, the Saudi deaths could be coincidence. And the tipoff to Asia Times Online might not play out to be truth. But if they are true, and if Posner's source about Zubaydah proves to be correct also, there's some serious stuff going down behind the scenes. Maybe that's what Bush is waiting to finish up before finally allowing the 28 pages to be released. Those pages will go down a lot easier with the sheep if Bush can say, "Problem solved."

[Turbulence]

19. you know it has become hard to believe

It could be taken at face value as you say, then again it could be respin to cover their asses. Bush and his dad have played some serious both sides of the fence over the years. You think the Saudi deaths came at the doing of the US? Or have they imposed upon the royals to make a good showing of themselves. this thrust against OPEC has to be a chink in their relations with Saudi Arabia unless the Royals serve to gain regardless of what happens.

What I mean is that at the bequest of current alliances Bush has to look like he is cracking down on Islamic militants particularly saudis and pakistani's. I still withhold final judgement as it might all be for show. At this stage of the game the US could pick up anyone and say they are whomever best serves them in getting out the pinch they are in.

All I know is that in terms of their allies with this war on terror, US cross over with Pakistan ISI and the Saudi Royals potentially even ALQ via old alliances with OBL prove horribly problematic to their best friend on the ground in Iraq.

quite frankly Posner may be just as Abe Linkman says another shill for the Bush team effort. All just disinformation.

[Turbulence]

20. You are aware of the CIA ISI history correct?

and that it is Indian intelligence I believe has always implicated ISI in the 9/11 attacks correct?