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Understanding your enemy for the purpose of true crime or intelligence analysis is an entirely different thing.

Given the ISI worked closely with Al Qaeda for years, the more important issue is transparency on such issues. The last thing we would want is witnesses who could shed light turning up dead before there is a public accounting.

For example, where is Aafia Siddiqui? She reportedly (according to an Assistant United States Attorney’s statement in court) was willing to participate in an anthrax attack if asked. She was picked up about the same week this guy was. What does Aafia have to say? Where is she? Does ISI have her? And does what she have to say implicate the ISI?

The AUSA’s statement was in connection with the trial of a textile importer’s son. This guy in the WSJ article was in the business of making textiles. The plot (Uzair Paracha) involved smuggling a chemical into the country, apparently to poison a reservoir serving New York City.

I only tried to stem the “rah, rah, yeah he’s dead” type comment because a lot of people follow the anthrax crimes on this board and I think this may be an important story, given that KSM came to be head of the cell weaponizing anthrax for use against US targets and this fellow and his connections might afford a portal to understanding. Given that we want Senator Leahy to catch a clue about who sent him the mailed anthrax, we don’t want to alienate him and his staffers so that they overlook the importance of this development. Folks tend to align their thoughts with their emotion.

Here’s the underlying article.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119483721533389766.html?mod=hpp_us_whats_news

Suspect in Pearl Murder Was Held,
Covertly Questioned Before Death
Rights Groups Say Torture
Of Detainee by Pakistan
Likely Led to His Demise
By JAY SOLOMON and STEVE LEVINE
November 12, 2007; Page A3