FORMER HEAD OF CIA'S OSAMA BIN LADEN UNIT SAYS THE QAEDA LEADER HAS SECURED RELIGIOUS APPROVAL TO USE A NUCLEAR BOMB AGAINST AMERICANS
Fri Nov 12 2004 12:02:34 ET
Drudge ReportOsama bin Laden now has religious approval to use a nuclear device against Americans, says the former head of the CIA unit charged with tracking down the Saudi terrorist. The former agent, Michael Scheuer, speaks to Steve Kroft in his first television interview without disguise to be broadcast on 60 MINUTES Sunday, Nov. 14 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
Scheuer was until recently known as the "anonymous" author of two books critical of the West's response to bin Laden and al Qaeda, the most recent of which is led Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror. No one in the West knows more about the Qaeda leader than Scheuer, who has tracked him since the mid-1980s. The CIA allowed him to write the books provided he remain anonymous, but now is allowing him to reveal himself for the first time on Sunday's broadcast; he formally leaves the Agency today (12).
Even if bin Laden had a nuclear weapon, he probably wouldn't have used it for a lack of proper religious authority - authority he has now. " secured from a Saudi sheik...a rather long treatise on the possibility of using nuclear weapons against the Americans," says Scheuer. " found that he was perfectly within his rights to use them. Muslims argue that the United States is responsible for millions of dead Muslims around the world, so reciprocity would mean you could kill millions of Americans," Scheuer tells Kroft.
Scheuer says bin Laden was criticized by some Muslims for the 9/11 attack because he killed so many people without enough warning and before offering to help convert them to Islam. But now bin Laden has addressed the American people and given fair warning. "They're intention is to end the war as soon as they can and to ratchet up the pain for the Americans until we get out of their region....If they acquire the weapon, they will use it, whether it's chemical, biological or some sort of nuclear weapon," says Scheuer.
As the head of the CIA unit charged with tracking bin Laden from 1996 to 1999, Scheuer says he never had enough people to do the job right. He blames former CIA Director George Tenet. "One of the questions that should have been asked of Mr. Tenet was why were there always enough people for the public relations office, for the academic outreach office, for the diversity and multi-cultural office? All those things are admirable and necessary but none of them are protecting the American people from a foreign threat," says Scheuer.
And the threat posed by bin Laden is also underestimated, says Scheuer. "I think our leaders over the last decade have done the American people a disservice...continuing to characterize Osama bin Laden as a thug, as a gangster," he says. "Until we respect him, sir, we are going to die in numbers that are probably unnecessary, yes. He's a very, very talented man and a very worthy opponent," he tells Kroft.
Until today (12), Scheuer was a senior official in the CIA's counter terrorism unit and a special advisor to the head of the agency's bin Laden unit.
Well, since this Fatwa was issued in 2003 I guess the American Press is catching up. No word on whether the right-wing specified a possible attack on Red states only.
what does osama want us to do in order for him to stop attacking us?
Clearly with the majority of our forces tied down in a useless conflict in iraq we are unable to persue him, then perhaps we should determine why he takes aim at us in the first place.
Well...initially he the big reason he hated us was because we had troops on Saudi soil...which is the main holy land for Arabs.
And one of the main reasons we had troops in Saudi Arabia was so that Sadaam would not be tempted to try and take Saudi Arabia over.
So one COULD argue that by our being in Iraq now...we are laying the ground work for us to NOT have to have such a huge presence in the mid east later on down the line....which COULD give moderate Islamic militants less reason to hate us in the future.
Man...that's some scary .
I didn't think OBL would seek the approval from anyone to do anything.
^^^Likewise, Joe. I didn't know there WAS anyone to go to for "permission". A Sheik is not a religious figure.
Does he have another book coming out any time soon?
Color me a cynic, but...
He's not going to stop attemtping to attack the US. That's why one of America's top goals is (and should be) to kill him.
No .. killing him will do.
"then perhaps we should determine why he takes aim at us in the first place." ................................
I think that is pretty clear to everyone by now and while you are doing all you're "determining",you are apt to be dead.
what osama wants... we will find him sooner or later and kill him.
Is Kim Jong-Il asking anyone's permission?
This is old news, if you've read his books (I'm about through with Hubris right now).
That fatwa was issued in '03.
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