Bin Laden's No. 2 'Captured in Iran'

Guardian U.K. ^ | 2/18/2002 | Rory McCarthy and Luke Harding

[Zviadist]

Osama bin Laden's most senior lieutenant, the Egyptian militant Ayman al-Zawahiri, has been captured and jailed in Tehran, a leading Iranian newspaper reported yesterday.

Oh NO!!! I thought Iran was the "axis of evil"!!! I thought they had to be bombed into the stone age!!! The president's warbuddy advisors and the president said so!!!

(Truth is, they have been cooperating all along with the war on terror. The evidence is overwhelming. The public mood was initially suggested by the thousands of Iranians who turned out in the streets afte 9/11 to demonstrate AGAINST those who attacked us. But Americans seem to have a bad memory or bad reasoning ability.)

[Marylander]

Maybe Iran is feeling some heat from the "Ax" and wants to distance itself from the rest of the Axis.

[Marylander]

Once again, George 43rd is a winner.

[VA Advogado]

I thought Mullah Omar was his #2?

[Grampa Dave]

Good news if true. However, most Islamic Newspapers have even worse credibility than the NYSlimes, Washington Compost or LA Slimes. Honesty and truth in reporting is something that the Islamic liars have yet to recognize!

If true, President's Bush's Evil Axis speech coupled with many really big sticks which have been used in Afghanistan have had the desired effect in Iran re it's fanatics posing as religious mullahs!

[TADSLOS]

He's becoma a liability and knows too much. The Iranians will dispose of him in an attempt to thwart anymore attention from the U.S. in their direction.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

http://www.irna.com/en/tnews/020218194847.etn02.shtml

Iran denies apprehending Bin Laden's assistant

Tehran, Feb 17, IRNA -- Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamidreza Asefi here Sunday rejected a Sunday's press report that an assistant to Osama Bin Laden has been apprehended in the Islamic Republic.
The Persian 'Hayat-e No' daily reported Sunday that a leading al-Qaeda member Iman Al-Zawaheri has been detained in Iran.
Asefi's remarks follows US allegations of Iran's interference in Afghanistan and its help and support for al-Qaeda fugitives which have all been rejected by the Islamic Republic.
Iran said on Thursday it has arrested some 150 infiltrators with Arab, African and European nationalities as suspected members of Taliban and al-Qaeda organization at its eastern borders with Afghanistan.

AA/AH
End

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

FYI - IRNA.com is the Islamic Republic News Agency. I first found out about it by seeing a link off of the Drudgereport.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

See my posts above.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Here's the link for Hayat-e-Nou, the newspaper the Guardian is using for its source.... if anybody around here can read Farsi.

[lds23]

As the evil axis turns. I'm glad GWB pointed Iran out in his SOU speech, it puts the pressure on.

[usconservative]

If this report is true, it sure seems to me that President Bush's "Axis of Evil" remark had it's desired effect.

WTG President Bush!

[alrea]

the low lifes in these third world governments worldwide are probably quite attracted to the 25 mil

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Whom do we believe? The Guardian via Hayat-e-Nou or IRNA?

[dead]

Oh NO!!! I thought Iran was the "axis of evil"!!! I thought they had to be bombed into the stone age!!! The president's warbuddy advisors and the president said so!!! (Truth is, they have been cooperating all along with the war on terror. The evidence is overwhelming. The public mood was initially suggested by the thousands of Iranians who turned out in the streets afte 9/11 to demonstrate AGAINST those who attacked us. But Americans seem to have a bad memory or bad reasoning ability.)

Oh, come on. Your reasoning ability is usually quite a bit better than this.

I’m sure you are aware that there is a power-struggle within Iran between the younger generation, who craves a democratic and free society, and the older, religious leaders, who still hold most of the power and favor a strict fundamentalism. It is those leaders, with their not-so-secret financial and logistical support for terrorism, that Bush was referring to.

Obviously, Bush’s inclusion of the country in his “axis of evil” was his attempt to bolster the “good guys” in Iran’s internal power struggle.

But, you knew that, and just felt like over-simplifying things to attempt to slam Bush. Personally, I think he’s playing the Iranian chess game perfectly.

[truthandlife]

If true, it probably means that Iran is really, really worried about the Axis speech and Bush made a brilliant move.

BUMP to that! All of those idiot Democrats who have said it was a mistake to label these countries the Axis of Evil have egg on their face right now.

[Musket]

WOW! It looks like that "axis of evil" speech is beginning to pay off. Note to Liberals: do the world a favor and SHUT THE F-- UP!

[a_witness]

If the report is correct, the arrest is the most serious strike at the heart of Bin Laden's al-Qaida network since the World Trade Centre attacks, and a diplomatic coup for Tehran.

If this report is true it means they (should) have or know the whereabouts of OBL as well. Another said it best. The Axis of Evil speech was a courageous act of leadership and we mean business.

Let's Roll.

[Grig]

This could be a psyops operation to make OBL think twice about going to Iran and to set our enemies to fighting eachother

Of course, this post itself could be a psyops effort too.

[powderhorn]

bump.