Posted on 03/03/2003 4:48:49 PM PST by Pokey78
The military commander of al-Qa'eda, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was being interrogated yesterday at a top secret American base known only by its CIA nickname, the "Hotel California".
A US intelligence source said the name was taken from the Eagles song because "you can check in any time, but you can never leave".
Speculation about the site of the base has included the British Indian Ocean territory of Diego Garcia, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
Among the al-Qa'eda VIPs thought to be held at the base is Abu Zubaydah, another lieutenant of Osama senior bin Laden lieutenant, arrested last March in Pakistan.
The intelligence source said more al-Qa'eda operatives were in custody and being interrogated by the CIA but their names had not yet been made public.
"KSM [Khalid Sheikh Mohammed] will never come back to the United States or Guantanamo Bay," he said. "He will be held in a basement somewhere in a third country where, shall we say, they do not worry too much about humanitarian laws and he will not be protected by the US constitution."
He predicted that the capture would one day be followed by that of bin Laden, known to the Americans as "OBL", who was declared wanted "dead or alive" by President George W Bush after the September 11 attacks.
Mohammed is thought to have been pinpointed in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi after the CIA intercepted telephone calls and text messages to and from his mobile telephone. "The thing is that eventually these guys want to travel or to use their cell phones," said the source.
"When they do, that's when we can get them. OBL could take his secrets to his grave as an old man but my guess would be he will not want to do that. He will make a mistake like KSM."
Some senior US intelligence officials argue that it would be better for bin Laden to be killed by American forces and his death never publicised. But they accept that this would not happen because of the huge political boost publicity would represent for Mr Bush.
They fear that killing bin Laden could turn him into a martyr and provoke a terrorist backlash against America. Taking bin Laden alive could yield immensely significant intelligence information but would lead to major dilemmas about whether he should be tried and executed.
US authorities are also keen to find Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden's Egyptian deputy, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a poisons expert allegedly linked to Saddam Hussein, and Said al-Adel, another senior figure. Mr Bush has talked frequently of suspects being hunted down "one by one".
Mohammed was believed to have been planning more terrorist acts on American soil and was in touch with dozens of al-Qa'eda operatives.
Computer disks and mobile phones seized by CIA agents from the villa where Mohammed was arrested could provide crucial information about planned attacks and al-Qa'eda members still at large.
Interrogation of Mohammed could yield further information and his capture could also demoralise al-Qa'eda. A picture of an overweight, bedraggled and bewildered Mohammed was released by the CIA for just this reason.
The CIA has a sense of humor.
They haven't had that spirit there since 1969.
Wake you up in the middle of the night Just to hear them say.............
( I bet that guy is hearing voices in his head."I am a Warrior on Jihad, This cannot be happening to me"! )
Praise Allah Indeed,eh? LOL
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses,
You've been out ridin fences for so long now,
Oh and you're a hard one, but I know that you've got your reasons,
The things that are pleasin' you can hurt you somehow.
...er ...... NO ...... or perhaps a very odd one. ;-)
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