No overt threats in new bin Laden video


By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer 25 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - A new video of Osama bin Laden makes no overt threats against the United States and appears to have been made as recently as this summer, a government official said Friday.
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The video includes references to current events in the war in Iraq, the official said. That would bolster the video's authenticity, which intelligence officials still are trying to confirm.

The new video of al-Qaida leader bin Laden — his first in three years — runs nearly 30 minutes long, said the government official who has seen a transcript of its contents and spoke on condition of anonymity because it has not been made public.

Bin Laden makes "no overt threat" in the video, the official said.

But he mentions Sept. 11 several times and says that while the United States is the greatest economic and military power in the world, the nation is unjust, the official said.

The video, which the U.S. government obtained only very recently, surfaced the week before the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Several intelligence agencies were analyzing the video Friday.

The Homeland Security Department said Friday it had no credible information warning of an imminent threat to the United States, and analysts noted that al-Qaida tends to mark the Sept. 11 anniversary with a slew of messages.

White House deputy press secretary Tony Fratto declined to comment on the video until it has been fully analyzed, except to say it was a reminder of the continuing terrorist threat.

"This is why we need to be more vigilant and more persistent in our pursuit of terrorists," Fratto said. "We will continue to pursue them. And it reminds us that we need to be certain that our intelligence professionals have all the tools they need to continue to disrupt their activities."

Several intelligence and counterterror officials said there was still a question about whether the video was authentic — whether it is, in fact, Osama bin Laden on the tape. But one intelligence official said there has never been one of these tapes that has proven not to be authentic.

The government also is looking at bin Laden's physical characteristics — in part, for clues about his health after unconfirmed rumors earlier this year that he had died of kidney disease.

Soon after word emerged that the United States had the video, Islamic militant Web sites that usually carry statements from al-Qaida went down and were inaccessible. The reason for the shutdown was not immediately known.

Evan H. Kohlmann, a terrorism expert at globalterroralert.com, said he suspected it was the work of al-Qaida itself, trying to find how the video leaked to U.S. officials.

"For them this is totally disruptive that the U.S. government could have a copy before their targeted audience does," he said. "They could be concerned and trying to plug the leak quickly."

The video ends bin Laden's longest period without a message. The al-Qaida leader has not appeared in new video footage since October 2004, and he has not put out a new audiotape in more than a year.

Al-Qaida's media arm, Al-Sahab, announced bin Laden's new message Thursday in a banner advertisement on an Islamic militant Web site that included a photo of him.

"Soon, God willing, a videotape from the lion sheik Osama bin Laden, God preserve him," the advertisement read, signed by Al-Sahab. Such announcements are usually put out one to three days before the video is posted on the Web.

One difference in bin Laden's appearance was immediately obvious. The announcement had a still photo from the coming video, showing bin Laden addressing the camera, his beard fully black. In his past videos, bin Laden's beard was almost entirely gray with dark streaks.

Bin Laden's beard appears to have been dyed, a popular practice among Arab leaders, said Rita Katz, director of the SITE Institute, a Washington-based group that monitors terror messages.

Katz said al-Qaida has consistently marked the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks as one of its biggest successes. In 2003, a videotape of bin Laden was released the day before the anniversary and last year al-Qaida released a documentary describing the planning of the attacks.

Videotapes of bin Laden are the group's most powerful propaganda tools, and they use them sparingly, Katz said, primarily because security concerns make access to the leader difficult. But also, she added, because al-Sahab wants to ensure that a new tape gets maximum play in the media.

Over the last few years, al-Qaida leaders appear to have gotten better at distributing their missives, one intelligence official said. They are using subtitles and different languages and using the Internet to distribute them, rather than depending on a particular television station or network.

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Interesting that he would admit that the United States is the greatest economic and military power in the world.

It's also being reported on the news that he ripped the Democrats that took power in Washington for not stopping the war like they said they would before the last election :

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"One should pause, think and reflect," the speaker says according to the transcript. "Why have the Democrats failed to stop this war, despite them being the majority?"

The answer to that question, he later says, is "the same reasons which led to the failure of former President Kennedy to stop the Vietnam War. Those with with real power and influence are those with the most capital. And since the democratic system permits major corporations to back candidates, be they presidential or congressional, there shouldn't be any cause for astonishment -- and there isn't any -- in the Democrats' failure to stop the war."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/07/binladen.tape/index.html?section=cnn_latest


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So he says the the U.S. is the greatest military power and then rips the democrats in power for NOT pulling out of the war.

Hmmmm.

He's a scumbag. Period. End of story.

He's only saying that about the democrats to create dissension amongst the parties here. I hope no one falls for it.

Exactly right PB. He's spewing this propaganda to try and put a wedge between the people here in the USA. Trying to get the people in this country to fight internally. As the saying goes...A house divided against itself cannot stand.

Real tough guy, huh? Hiding in a fucking cave for what, 6 years now?

Six years!

Dear God, where does the time go? I'm sure you'll be starting a remembrance thread sometime next week...

He lives in a cave but he can find himself Just For Men, to dye his beard.

Great, just what we need, a vain, serial-killing, Arab scumbag.

I think it makes him look 10 years younger.

Not me. For what? So that some here can piss in it and make it into a political discussion like they've done with similar remeberance topics in the past? Nope. Not me. I'll remember in my heart. I'll NEVER forget!

Can't say I blame you.

How is it possible that we can't offer enough money to SOMEONE to for God sake find this scum??

He has the most loyal inner circle on earth.

I got the chills just typing that out, but it's true.

Isn't that the most frightening part of all this???

The problem SB is that many of the people in that region of the world do NOT know the value of money. They don't know the difference between $10 and $100,000.

And being the educated man that he is and knowing the ways of the people in that region, he's manipulated them and used that region of the world to his advantage. Unfortunately he is NOT a stupid man by any means.




And the most patient.

He's certainly not stupid, is he? The locals are so indoctrinated in his message of hate that it SHOULD defy belief, but after seeing what Hitler was able to accomplish, it really doesn't, does it?

I think the US needs to put pressure on the Pakistani government. It's always rumored that he is in a largely ungoverned area b/w Pakistan and Afghanistan. The message should be clear - either get bin Laden & al Zwahari yourself or we're going to flatten the entire region.

Human intelligence and the CIA were basically castrated by the Federal government during the mid-to-late 90's (particularly the executive branch).

The effects are more than evident.

I am an old-school hippie who believes in PEACE & LOVE, but I must admit that I DO agree with signor Goombah on this one--

More pressure on the Pakistanis to actually DO something or send over some B-52s and we will just plain have to do it ourself...

Of course... That would not be in the best interest of the current Cheney-Bush regime... Those evil crooks NEED a boogey-man like bin Laden to keep us all in fear and at their own war-mongering mercy... So that they can continue to sacrifice thousands of OUR (U.S.) boys & girls, and millions of Iraqis and keep us all in a state of fear and so be more easily-controlled...

Look for the U.S. Constitution and 2008 elections to be suspended soon so that these evil goons can stay in POWER...

That's not that contradictory. In fact, I don't think it's contradictory at all.

Never said, thought or even implied that he was being contradictory in his statements. That's your interpretation, not mine.

LLC, I know that you are a smart guy. Read those statements over again and read between the lines.

It's my feeling that there is a message between those two remarks for his people to pick up on. It's quite obvious.

Well, I guess that's another drawback to text-based communication, huh?

I personally don't know how much depth there is behind his sited comments, but who knows. I think, partially, having the alleged best military and economy is part of the problem... In his eyes of course. A strong military and strong economy are seemingly both the cause and effect of imperialism, and that's what it all comes down to. We, have an on-again/off-again history of imperialism (along with several other targeted Westernized nations such as England)... And now that we've seemed to have reached the age of globalization, I think that a main root of Islamic fundamentalism and related terrorism is fear. But it doesn't just end at that; they've chosen to fight their fear of America's overseas expansion by scaring the shit out of the western world.

So, simply put, Osama notes the U.S.'s attributes, and why shouldn't he? It wouldn't make very much sense to say that America is impoverished and militarily weak.

Well, I don't know, those are my first thoughts, without taking the time to really analyze the facts in depth.

It's nice to know you can get Grecian Formula for men in the depth of a cave.

Just so we're perfectly clear, we're talking about Bin Laden, not pubic lice, right?

Can't you just stick to posting those 9/11 conspiracy threads every few months or so?

That would be great.

Yeah Double J... That would also be great if you got your information from at least ONE, perhaps more truthful and credible, source besides FOX "News"...

Actually I went to Laura Mansfield's web-site and watched the entire 26-minute bin Laden video, complete with English sub-titles...

As much as I loathe the guy and his terrorist minions, I sat through the entire thing and could not logically disagree with one single point that he made.

He did not call for more attacks on innocent Americans, or try to stir up more war and bloodshed...

On the contrary, the gist of the whole message was almost reconciliatory-- In common vernacular, to say "You guys quit fucking with us Muslims and get out of Iraq, and we will stop fucking with you."

He held the Democrats accountable for being elected on the premise to STOP THE WAR and failing to do a damn thing...

And of course he called out the wicked Cheney-Bush regime for the evil war-mongering liars and mass-murderers that they truly are...

But he did NOT say ANYTHING about "kill all Americans!" or any nonsense like that...

It ALMOST gives one hope that maybe, just MAYBE, we are NOT actually headed for a total ARMAGEDDON WW-III-style holocaust conflagration of the entire planet...

Who knows what will happen...

Bin Laden probably shaves every day and grows a beard only to make a video.

So you don't disagree with Bin Laden and side with his calling our President a mass murderer?

He uses a wig

A stark indictment from someone who considers "Loose Change" to be an authority on building engineering.

Who am I to complain?



Maybe we should give him a spot on Sesame Street. The way you've described him, Osama sounds like he's gone from being a real curmudgeon to a kindly old beard.

Heck, he could replace Oscar the Grouch, and come out of a cave instead of a garbage can!

Remember kids, Osama doesn't want to kill you! Bush does!

Nice dye job on the newly trimmed beard. I still say he's in Saudi Arabia and not in a cave at all.

Whatever the case he seemed to be rambling about all kinds of things, and other than reminding us he is still around, I'm not to sure what his point was.

He's in Australia.I swear i seen him at this club.

You were probably looking at some gal spreading her legs (and she didn't shave).

Can we keep the jokes about my girlfriend to a minimum please

To read more about the efforts to get bin Laden and al Zawahiri, read this excellent Newsweek cover story:

The Ongoing Hunt for Osama bin Laden