Source: Bin Laden in Iran Islamic leader says terror kingpin staying in nation with 'consorts'

WorldNetDaily ^ | Dec 23rd, 2003

[F14 Pilot]

Terror leader Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida "consorts" are in Iran, a respected Islamic leader told WorldNetDaily.

According to the source, who requested anonymity, a group of Arabs recently spent time in the desert area shared by Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, claiming the most wanted man in the world is "definitely in Iran."

WND has reason to believe the information is credible due to the caliber of the sources.

The report comes just as the U.S. government raised the national threat warning from yellow, the midpoint on its five-color scale, to orange due to indicators of potential terror attacks on the American homeland during the holiday season.

Focus on the whereabouts of bin Laden has increased in the wake of ex-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's capture on Dec. 13.

On Friday, excerpts of a 10-minute tape purportedly to be made by Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's deputy, were broadcast by satellite television channel Al-Jazeera.

As WND and Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin reported in August, intelligence sources agree Iran's claim that al-Qaida fugitives "escaped" from Tehran to an unknown destination is false, believing Zawahiri is still in Iran.

The sources claim he is in Iranian territory in the border area with Pakistan, where he reportedly is being assisted by the Pakistani Secret Service ISI, which previously had assisted many ex-Taliban and al-Qaida fugitives to find safe harbor.

Democratic presidential candidate Gen. Wesley Clark criticized President Bush on Sunday for being "afraid" to go after bin Laden after the September 11 attacks, instead pursuing Hussein.

"[Bush] did a bait-and-switch on us and substituted Saddam Hussein, and boom, $150 billion, 460 American lives and no telling how much more of our Treasury before this is all over," Clark told ABC's "This Week."

"This administration didn't have the heart to put the effort and the innovation and the ingenuity into fighting terror," Clark said, saying he "wouldn't have been afraid to try" to kill bin Laden, had he been president in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001.

[F14 Pilot]

Bin Laden in Iran???????

[F14 Pilot]

Anti-Terrorism Ping...! Ping~!

[AdmSmith]

No, this is not credible.

[F14 Pilot]

And you didn't say why it is not credible?

[Ronin]

It seems plausible to me. Bin Laden is in many ways a result of the Islamic fascist movement started by the Iranian mullahs, even with the chaotic political conditions there, they certainly have enough power to hide him.

[ACanuckProud2BeNorthAmerican]

Not credible!?! WAKE UP! Take a look around you. When are you going to see the truth. Iran's official country name is the ISLAMIC REPUBLIC and you're saying it's not credible. You are incerdibly naive. Iran has a HUGE part in what's going down on the planet right now. They can NOT be trusted...They LIED to the IAEA about their uranium programs, hmmm, do you think they're gonna readily admit to helping Bin Laden & Co.? WAKE UP before it's too late

[ACanuckProud2BeNorthAmerican]

Not credible!?! WAKE UP! Take a look around you. When are you going to see the truth. Iran's official country name is the ISLAMIC REPUBLIC and you're saying it's not credible. You are incredibly naive. Iran has a HUGE part in what's going down on the planet right now. They can NOT be trusted...They LIED to the IAEA about their uranium programs, hmmm, do you think they're gonna readily admit to helping Bin Laden & Co.? WAKE UP before it's too late

[exnavy]

Ah, Mr bin Laden, ...Well, we just happened to be in the neighborhood ....

[F14 Pilot]

I agree with you, and the Mullahs wanna hide them to deal with us here.
We should stay vigilant.

[Ronin]

The Mullahs are just like the old style Communists. They always believe that the end justifies the means. Anything they can do to advance their vision of Islam is good, even if it means lies, theft, murder and any other crimes.

They should never be trusted.

[AdmSmith]

Sure, you can not trust the Iranian regime. However, there are BIG differences between the different brands of Islam, actually some of them are at each others throat. Iran is not a monolithic country, their intel community is NOT working with the same agenda. If ObL was in Iran, some of them would definitely try to grab him and this would lead to internal fights that would be impossible to hide.

My 2 cents is that ObL, if he is alive, is in the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

[Fledermaus]

Not according to Monsoor Ijaz. And he's very credible.

[exnavy]

Actually our own intel has indicated some time ago that benny laden moved out of the afgahn area.

[ACanuckProud2BeNorthAmerican]

Iran is one of our enemies. Period. They are THE Islamic Republic. The stratification of the "different brands of Islam" is irrelevant. Osama Bin Laden is revered in the muslim world as a prophet-style voice of Allah. I guarantee you that all the upper echelons of power in Iran know ALOT about OBL and will do everything in their power to hide and support him. This includes blatantly lying to any western agencies (UN, IAEA, US, UK). This is common throughout the entire Arab League of Nations. Do I need to remind you that 15 of the 19 hi-jackers were Saudi nationals? Saudi Arabia has smiled and signed deals with the West with one hand and funneled money to the Arab Terrorist League with the other for A LONG time. Do you really think that one of the members of the "nice brands of Islam" is gonna rat out a fellow jihadist? Give your head a shake. They all loved every minute of 9/11. I don't know about you, but 9/11 instantly shook me to my foundations, and gave me a crystal clear view of who are enemies are.

[faludeh_shirazi]

It's very likely he is in Iran - speaking of differences between the fascists Mullahs and Osamba Bin Laden is like talking about the differences between 1% milk and 2% milk.. not that many - except the regime in Iran has more money and power at their disposal than say an Osama Bin Laden. The whole concept of him being between the hills of Afghanistan and Pakistan is a FREAKING Joke - he is in Iran.. And please - refer to the regime as Islamic Clerical Regime.. these fuckers don't deserve to be called Iranian - they are more like Arabs.. Anyhow - definitely make sure you separate the REGIME from the PEOPLE (Who hate the regime)!

[InterceptPoint]

I think the story is credible but consider the following scenario:

1. A major al Queda attack is conducted against Americans, possibly on the U.S. mainland.
2. George Bush determines that the attack was planned in Iran.
3. The. U.S. invades Iran to hunt down bin Laden.
4. With American troops on Iranian soil the students stage major demonstrations that threaten the Mullah's control.

Surely this possibility has occured to the Mullahs. They may be dumb but surely they are not that stupid. Logic says that they would not allow this series of events to occur and therefor either bin Laden is not in Iran or the Mullahs have been told and believe that the attacks that are being planned will be against non-American targets.

Where is the flaw in this logic?

[F14 Pilot]

With American troops on Iranian soil the students stage major demonstrations that threaten the Mullah's control.

Mmmmm, I believe that only one cruise missile can make the Mullahs escape and then it isn't necessary to see the major demonstrations...! Do you get what I mean?

[angkor]

Where is the flaw in this logic?

I'm not sure its a "flaw," but the Islamists (e.g., al Qaeda) are actually hoping to "ignite" (their words) enough problems in the Middle East that American troops will try, but not be able to successfully intervene.

If I understand their logic, they also believe and desire that the more we're drawn into their problems, the more people will flock to the Islamist cause. In other words, the would believe any U.S. intervention in Iran will only help them in the long term, their goal being to reestablish the Caliphate.

Not sure that would sit well with the Persian Shiah rulers (who aren't Arabs), but that's what al Qaeda'a thinking.

A lot of this is documented in the translations of Arab media including Islamist magazines, etc., at www.memri.org.

[AdmSmith]

ObL long term objective is to rid the world of all groups except those subscribing to his version of Islam, i.e. salafist or wahhabi. This includes the Shiia in Iran and Iraq and the present rulers in Saudi.

I anticipate that we will witness an united Search-and-Terminate operation against AQ the coming year. Libya has been working half-time on our side since more than two years ago and with 100 % cooperation since this summer. The House of Saud will be divided in two competing fractions, one on the ObL side. Iran will open their cards very soon. (Yes, I know that I have been saying this for a few months now and been wrong on the time.)

[InterceptPoint]

we will witness an united Search-and-Terminate operation against AQ the coming year..

Hope you are right.