Al-Qaeda Commander (who surrendered to Saudi authorities) Turns Canary

Time.com ^ | July 31, 2003 | ELAINE SHANNON

[FairOpinion]

TIME learns who in the terrorist camp has been the source of U.S. intelligence on planned airline hijackings

TIME has been told that the source for the tip that al-Qaeda leaders are attempting to mount another multi-pronged airline hijacking attack is Ali Abd al-Rahman al-Faqasi al-Ghamdi, aka "Abu Bakr," an al-Qaeda field commander who surrendered to Saudi authorities June 26.

Two official sources report that al-Ghamdi is providing an intelligence windfall about potential a-Qaeda plots against the U.S., western and Saudi governments. The sources say Saudi authorities passed al-Ghamdi's allegations about what could be multiple airline hijackings to the CIA, which then briefed President Bush and also provided them to the Department of Homeland Security.

The al-Ghamdi revelations could partly explain why the Bush administration is so determined to maintain smooth relations with the Saudi government in the wake of a congressional report which blanks out 28 pages of information about informal financial links to terror groups. It also explains a somewhat cryptic reference to the captured terrorist at the President's press conference yesterday. "Abu Bakr is now captured by the Saudis. We're dismantling the operating, the decision makers."

Disclosure of Abu Bakr's role in feeding information to U.S. intelligence could also be part of a campaign by the Saudi's to counter suggestions that the Royal Kingdom is soft on terror. Since a series of bombings in early May in Riyadh, the Saudi government has killed or arrested 175 people. Al-Ghamdi is thought to have been the ringleader of those attacks.

U.S. intelligence believes that Al-Ghamdi trained at Osama bin Laden's al-Farouq camp and fought with the al-Qaeda leader at Tora Bora. Escaping the U.S. bombardment, he returned to his native Saudi Arabia and reported to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, plotting "second wave" attacks on Americans and their allies until Mohammed's arrest in Pakistan last March. As more and more al-Qaeda field leaders were rounded up, al-Ghamdi rose in the ranks, safely hiding in Saudi Arabia until the May 12 attacks galvanized the kingdom's rulers into cracking down. U.S. officials believe al-Ghamdi may have a knowledge of conspiracies now being hatched all over the world, and that he could reveal previously unidentified sleeper cells in the U.S. and Canada. There's even a chance he could know something about the whereabouts of the elusive bin Laden.

[FairOpinion]

Ali Abd al-Rahman al-Faqasi al-Ghamdi

"The al-Ghamdi revelations could partly explain why the Bush administration is so determined to maintain smooth relations with the Saudi government "

Things are always more complicated, than people realize. President Bush is juggling a lot of balls in the air.

[thoughtomator]

Amazing what a branding iron near the testicles can do.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Dead man walking now. Thanks Time.

[Joe 6-pack]

The guy looks like the cover boy for the homosexual Khama Sutra. You know...the leatherbound edition.

[caisson71]

What does TIME hope to achieve with this news? Why is it news to publish an intelligence source? What good is this revelation to anyone except to those bent on doing us harm? Is this not aid to terrorists rather than "news"?

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***an al-Qaeda field commander who surrendered to Saudi authorities June 26.***

So, the Saudis got to him before he could spill his guts to US!

[FairOpinion]

"Disclosure of Abu Bakr's role in feeding information to U.S. intelligence could also be part of a campaign by the Saudi's to counter suggestions that the Royal Kingdom is soft on terror."

--

There are a lot of various motives out there.

[caisson71]

True, but why would TIME publish it?

[sarasmom]

It is a basic liberal flaw.
The entire concept of raw intelligence information escapes them.They tend to think of it as professional internal gossip.
When one wonders about intelligence failures pre 911, it is best to keep in mind who the recipients of finished intel products were(are).
Loose lips sink ships.They also get a whole lot of people killed for nothing, when politicians become involved.
Doubletalk and non-verbal communication was common communication technique, after the Carter years.
Ya'll might have voted for these human parasites, but does anyone really expect citizens of the USA to suicide for the sake of a politician? Excepting the Clinton regime...

[Poohbah]

Y'all think the Saudis used our method of 24/7 "boy band" music in his cell?

[Calpernia]

Wow, he looks like a kid!

[OrioleFan]

It's obvious that no one at Time has had the time to attend a "Dice Man" OPSEC briefing...

[cajungirl]

I think the Saudis are probably better than we could dream of being at gaining "cooperation",,

[dead]

the source for the tip that al-Qaeda leaders are attempting to mount another multi-pronged airline hijacking attack is Ali Abd al-Rahman al-Faqasi al-Ghamdi

Seriously, if this wasn't a tip that I (or my eight-year-old nephew) could have given them, I'd be pissed at Time for revealing the source.

[OrioleFan]

Then again, they could chop his head off before we get to fully interrogate the slimeball.

[meenie]

Information without other corroboration is useless. I think that any information given under duress should be regarded as probably being false.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Pelosi remarked that we really should have "open intelligence", she used that argument, when complaining about the sixteen words in the SOTU speech. I believe she thinks that ALL of Congress should have the same intelligence information that Bush is privy to. Brilliant woman... she should really run against Hillary for the Presidency.

[SevenDaysInMay]

I am beginning to appreciate the joys and effectiveness of burning while questioning and at the stake with the clan waiting their fair turn.

These sick Qaedas are busy little Wahhabees. The death cult's allah rewards mass murder and infedels' "kaafir" child daughters as sex slaves and breeder wives? Burn off these dudes' kakafur while asking if they want to watch their own fmilies similarly leave this world.

We can count on taking more bloody hits because we have not gotten Biblical with the hives. The "street" might hate us.

[hchutch]

*tries giggle-suppression techniques*

*fails*

ROFLMAOSMDMDCR!

[sarasmom]

Pelosi is not intellectually capable of sifting intel information.
She, and 90% of elected officials could not pass the background checks, nor the ethics requirements to obtain the required security clearences that any peripheal intel recipient is subjected to.
I find that incredibly telling re our political leaders.