Suspected 9/11 mastermind arrested

[Guest Kingpk]

So much for people saying "We're ignoring Al-Qaeda and focusing on Iraq instead."

 

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (March 1) - Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, was arrested Saturday in Pakistan, a senior official told The Associated Press.

 

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said Mohammed was one of three men arrested in a 3 a.m. raid in Rawalpindi, a city near Islamabad.

 

A U.S. official said both U.S. and Pakistani agents were involved in the operation.

 

Mohammed, 37, is one of the FBI's most-wanted terror suspects, and the U.S. government had offered up to $25 million for information leading to his capture.

 

U.S. officials have described him as a key al-Qaida lieutenant and the organizer of the terror mission that sent hijacked passenger jets crashing into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field, killing more than 3,000 people.

 

Mohammed, a Kuwait-born Pakistani national, has been linked to last April's bombing of a synagogue in Tunisia. At least 19 tourists, mostly Germans, were killed.

 

He has also been charged in connection with plots in the Philippines to bomb trans-Pacific airliners and crash a plane into CIA headquarters. Those were broken up in 1995.

 

Mohammed is the uncle of convicted 1993 World Trade Center conspirator Ramzi Yousef, a senior Kuwaiti official told reporters Monday.

 

Mohammed's older brother also is a member of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network and another brother died in Pakistan when a bomb he was making exploded.

 

Another man of Middle Eastern origin was arrested in Saturday's raid but has not been identified. The third man was a Pakistani, identified as Abdul Qadoos.

 

Interior Ministry spokesman Iftikar Ahmad said Qadoos was linked to a terrorist organization but refused to identify it. He added that Qadoos had trained in Afghanistan.

 

A Pakistani religious group said Qadoos has no links to al-Qaida or any other terrorist group. Qadoos is a member of the group, Jamaat-e-Islami.

 

At a news conference in Rawalpindi Saturday, two local leaders of the group said the FBI conducted the raid and carried out the arrest.

 

In Washington, the FBI refused to confirm Mohammed was arrested or say whether the bureau was involved.

 

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has said a small number of FBI agents are in Pakistan but only to provide intelligence on al-Qaida or Taliban fugitives from neighboring Afghanistan.

 

However, Pakistani police and intelligence officials say FBI agents have been involved in nearly every important terror arrest in Pakistan.

 

The Pakistani government says it has handed over more than 420 al-Qaida and Taliban suspects to U.S. custody.

[Guest Downhome]

So much for people saying "We're ignoring Al-Qaeda and focusing on Iraq instead."

People will continue to say that because they are sheep led to believe what _______ will have them to believe. I just have one thing to say...

 

...one more, for the good guys.

[Guest SP-1]

I also find it amusing that people think we've stopped focusing on Al Qaeda. Ever since 9/11 I've come across several reports of Qaeda operatives being arrested world wide. I guess we only concentrate if the arrest happens in our borders or something, heh. IIRC, we've generally been involved in the other arrests as well.

[Guest teke184]

Even if you just focus on the ones within our borders, the government just pulled off a bust of supposed money men for Al Queda working as professors at the University of South Florida.

 

People just ignore progress in shutting down Al Queda because the big media push is all on Iraq and everyone bitching about how we shouldn't be there.

 

Nearly forgot... the few times when an Al Queda bust in the US IS focused on, it's family members of the suspect accusing Ashcroft and the government of framing them due to their ethnicity (the hispanic guy nabbed at the airport in the "dirty bomb" plot for one).

[Guest Some Guy]

Good, another one primed for execution.

 

The reason everybody says that Bush is trying to get people's mind off al Queda is that they're tryinr to get people'sa mind off Saddam. There is no sensationalist story (except for OBL) left in al Queda. They're yesterday's news as far as "Big Media" is concerned. But the fact remains that Bush is not trying to get our minds off of al Queda and onto Saddam so much as there isn't much left in al Queda to talk about. We've killed and arrested over a thousand of them, at least.

[Guest imajackoff?]

Just think about it. At this very moment in some hole in Pakistan, that guy is most likely being tortured into giving up any info about the wherabouts of you know who. Works for me.

[Guest DrTom]

Just think about it. At this very moment in some hole in Pakistan, that guy is most likely being tortured into giving up any info about the wherabouts of you know who. Works for me.

No he's not. We don't torture people for information. Evil things like that are best left to our despicable enemies.

[Guest SP-1]

Tortured? Doubtful, as Tom said. But I'm sure MI6 and the CIA are both putting the proverbial psychological boots to the guy to get what they can out of him.

[Guest imajackoff?]

I never said we would be the ones torturing him.

[Guest The Hamburglar]

No he's not. We don't torture people for information. Evil things like that are best left to our despicable enemies.

What about the despicable allies like Saudi Arabia, who'll gleefully carry it out and then go and give huge amounts of money to the exact same terrorist's group to continue attacking the West? I've no doubt America is constantly diligent in its apprehension of Al-Qu'aeda operatives, but it most certainly seems hell-bent on ignoring the source of Al-Qu'aeda and Islamic radical terrorism as a whole. Iraq may be run by a nasty piece of work, but it does not pose the same fundamental threat that Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt do to the United States. The Iraqi regime is not motivated by the same fanaticism that courses through the three aforementioned states. I honestly believe that if Bush had the balls to do it, he could make a much more convincing case for war against Saudi Arabia then he has against Iraq, and I'd be willing to bet that he'd get more support too.

[cawthon777 0]

No he's not.  We don't torture people for information.  Evil things like that are best left to our despicable enemies.

What about the despicable allies like Saudi Arabia, who'll gleefully carry it out and then go and give huge amounts of money to the exact same terrorist's group to continue attacking the West? I've no doubt America is constantly diligent in its apprehension of Al-Qu'aeda operatives, but it most certainly seems hell-bent on ignoring the source of Al-Qu'aeda and Islamic radical terrorism as a whole. Iraq may be run by a nasty piece of work, but it does not pose the same fundamental threat that Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt do to the United States. The Iraqi regime is not motivated by the same fanaticism that courses through the three aforementioned states. I honestly believe that if Bush had the balls to do it, he could make a much more convincing case for war against Saudi Arabia then he has against Iraq, and I'd be willing to bet that he'd get more support too.

I'd support that. Give Bush some time and let's see what happens.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

Saudi Arabia buys quite a bit of stuff from the United States in return for all that oil we buy from them.

 

War against Saudi Arabia would be far, far worse for the economy than Iraq. I say no.

[cawthon777 0]

Saudi Arabia buys quite a bit of stuff from the United States in return for all that oil we buy from them.

 

War against Saudi Arabia would be far, far worse for the economy than Iraq. I say no.

Saudi breeds terrorism and anti-Americanism like no other country. The royal family might be pro-America, but they don't have any power over the tribes that make up most of the country.

 

Something should be done. I don't think taking over the country is needed but it does require, and I would assume it is already getting, the attention of the defense department.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

Something should be done.

Maybe, just maybe, but I don't think it involves dropping bombs.

 

And like I said, Saudi Arabia is a good contributor to our economy. Those rich oil barons buy lots of our exports to furnish their 147th abode or what have you.

 

Unfortunately, a common theme running through Americans' heads today is that security is our #1 priority. The problem is, of course, you can never guarantee security. Especially against something like terrorism, which will exist as long as there's always some guy with a homemade bomb and a reason to set it off.

 

I do think there needs to be a lot more communication though between Saudi Arabia and Homeland Security regarding immigrants. The 9/11 hijackers DID come from that country, whether the populace at large admits it or not.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

I predict a high ranking Al Qaeda offical will be caught with 4 to 6 months. Possibiliy the creep with the glasses whose 2nd behind Bin Laden. This sounds like the first creep captured who might know the whereabouts of Bin Laden and Al Zawari.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I never said we would be the ones torturing him.

Exactly. It's a pretty safe bet that someone in Pakistan is taking a pair of pliers and a blowtorch to that guy. Especially when millions and millions of dollars are at stake.

[Guest DrTom]

What about the despicable allies like Saudi Arabia, who'll gleefully carry it out and then go and give huge amounts of money to the exact same terrorist's group to continue attacking the West?

I've supported blowing their worthless country off the map ever since September 11th happened.

[Guest TheMikeSC]

Something should be done.

Maybe, just maybe, but I don't think it involves dropping bombs.

 

And like I said, Saudi Arabia is a good contributor to our economy. Those rich oil barons buy lots of our exports to furnish their 147th abode or what have you.

 

Unfortunately, a common theme running through Americans' heads today is that security is our #1 priority. The problem is, of course, you can never guarantee security. Especially against something like terrorism, which will exist as long as there's always some guy with a homemade bomb and a reason to set it off.

 

I do think there needs to be a lot more communication though between Saudi Arabia and Homeland Security regarding immigrants. The 9/11 hijackers DID come from that country, whether the populace at large admits it or not.

We wouldn't need to attack Arabia.

 

We would just need to remove all of our troops.

 

The Saud family would be overthrown the next day.

-=Mike --- Who won't call it Saudi Arabia

[Guest JMA]

I honestly don't think we'll be able to take Osama in alive--or even kill him, for that matter. I see him taking the cowardly, Hitler-esque way of escaping capture: suicide. Of course, this will just make him a martyr in the eyes of his people. It would be better if we could capture him, try him, and convict him. Then send him to a NY prison like any other common criminal. Thus, the terrorist "mastermind" is humanised (if you can call him human, sub-human would be a better term) and beaten.

[Guest SP-1]

I honestly don't think we'll be able to take Osama in alive--or even kill him, for that matter. I see him taking the cowardly, Hitler-esque way of escaping capture: suicide. Of course, this will just make him a martyr in the eyes of his people. It would be better if we could capture him, try him, and convict him. Then send him to a NY prison like any other common criminal. Thus, the terrorist "mastermind" is humanised (if you can call him human, sub-human would be a better term) and beaten.

There is something somewhat attractive about Osama being made Big Bubba from Block Nine's little bitch, I'll admit.

[Guest BDC]

Saudi Arabia's ruling family is not popular at all and MikeSC is right; we pull out and they have nothing to hold power. We'd have to expend just enough resources in order to leave the country. If we were to the same to Germany, the economy would collapse.

 

SP, I seriously doubt he'd last that long.

[Guest JMA]

There is something somewhat attractive about Osama being made Big Bubba from Block Nine's little bitch, I'll admit.

I normally don't condone prison rape, but in his case I'd make an exception.

 

Keep in mind that even some criminals were pissed off at what happened on 9/11. Not to mention the guards.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

FoxNews.Com has a picture of this dirtball in custody. Have fun at the gallows you steaming pile of shit.

[Guest SP-1]

I'd imagine more than a few. Sure there are prolly a few, but I would imagine even most hardened criminals have some kind of patriotism lurking in their hearts.

[Guest MrRant]

I vote high speed catapult into a brick wall.

[Guest SP-1]

I vote high speed catapult into a brick wall.

During the Superbowl.

 

Didn't Carlin propose that for inmates once?

[Guest MrRant]

Yes he did. George Carlin is my Lord and Master.

[Guest JMA]

Here's an idea. We give him a sex change. Then, we take him/her to the Middle East, hire some people to rape him/her, and then he/she will be stoned to death by the locals.

[cawthon777 0]

Here's an idea. We give him a sex change. Then, we take him/her to the Middle East, hire some people to rape him/her, and then he/she will be stoned to death by the locals.

Too much wasted federal money.

 

I propose death by paper cuts. Those things fucking hurt.

[Guest DrTom]

All these inventive punishments are really quite nice; however, I think a simple hanging, firing squad, or electric chair would suffice.