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Senior U.S. officials have told TIME that the 9/11 Commission's report will cite evidence suggesting that the 9/11 hijackers had previously passed through Iran  Next week's much anticipated final report by a bipartisan commission on the origins of the 9/11 attacks will contain new evidence of contacts between al-Qaeda and Iran—just weeks after the Administration has come under fire for overstating its claims of contacts between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's Iraq. A senior U.S. official told TIME that the Commission has uncovered evidence suggesting that between eight and ten of the 14 "muscle" hijackers—that is, those involved in gaining control...

A young man with a short beard stopped me from entering the shrine of Hazrat Imam Hussein. "You have a video camera," he said. "You need permission to shoot inside." Who is authorised to grant permission, I asked. The young man ignored the question and said that if I wanted to go in, I would have to leave my camera at the reception. I explained that as a journalist I could not operate without a camera. But that only infuriated him and he began shouting, "Go away! Go away!" I was secretly terrified, but informed him politely that I was...

[BREAKING]Nearly 400 Al-Qaeda Members Living in IranDUBAI (AFX) - Hundreds of alleged members of Al-Qaeda, including 18 of its top leaders, and other terror groups are living in Iran, some under tight security, the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported. "More than 384 members of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organisations are present in Iran, including 18 senior leaders of Osama bin Laden's network," the daily said, citing a senior source in the Iranian presidency. The Saudi-owned newspaper said the terrorist leaders were living under tight protection, some of them in villas in the Namak Abrud region, near the town of Chalous...

DUBAI, July 15 (AFP) - Hundreds of alleged members of Al-Qaeda, including 18 of its top leaders, and other terror groups are living in Iran, some under tight security, Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported Thursday. "More than 384 members of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organisations are present in Iran, including 18 senior leaders of Osama bin Laden`s network," the London-based daily said, citing a senior source in the Iranian presidency. The Saudi-owned newspaper said the terrorist leaders were living under tight protection, some of them in villas in the Namak Abrud region, near the town of Chalous on the Caspian coast,...

No details yet. Follows on news of Bin Laden associate from Iran/Afghan border surrenders to Saudi authorities.

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran's government said that the Islamic republic may take up to three years to put on trial captured members of the Al-Qaeda network held in its jails. Cabinet spokesman Abdollah Ramazanzadeh reiterated Iran's position that Tehran would only extradite fugitives deemed not to have acted against the state, and from countries with whom Iran has an extradition agreement. "If not, they will go on trial in Iran. However, it is a long process that could take two to three years," he said Monday. In 2003, Iran confirmed it was holding senior members from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda...

Former CIA analyst Doulgas MacEachin, a member of the 9/11 commission staff, said in testimony last week that Iran and its terrorist ally Hizbullah were liked to the Al Qaida terrorist group.Other US intelligence officials said there is also evidence Iran is liked to the September 11th attacks.According to the officials, two of the highjackers, Nawaf al-Hamzi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, who were aboard the aircraft that hit the Pentagon, had stayed at the Iranian ambassador's residence in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia before entering the United States in January 2001.MacEachin also disclosed that Iran-Al Qaida ties were revealed in the 1996 bombing...

THIS IS THE SAME ILLEGITIMATE, EVIL, & TYRANNICAL REGIME THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT APPEASERS HAVE CALLED A "SORT OF" DEMOCRACY! 9/11 Panel Links Al Qaeda, Iran While it found no operational ties between al Qaeda and Iraq, the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has concluded that Osama bin Laden's terrorist network had long-running contacts with Iraq's neighbor and historic foe, Iran. Al Qaeda, the commission determined, may even have played a "yet unknown role" in aiding Hezbollah militants in the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers complex in Saudi Arabia, an attack the United States has long blamed...

Former CIA analyst Douglas MacEachin, a member of the 9-11 commission staff, said in testimony last week Iran and its terrorist group ally Hezbollah were linked to the al-Qaida terrorist group. Other U.S. intelligence officials said there is also evidence Iran is linked to the Sept. 11 attacks. According to the officials, two of the hijackers, Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, who were aboard the aircraft that hit the Pentagon, had stayed at the Iranian ambassador's residence in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before entering the United States in January 2001. MacEachin disclosed that the Iran-al-Qaida ties were revealed in the 1996...

Going Soft on IranFebruary 28, 2004 The Weekly Standard Reuel Marc Gerecht Support the movement at:ActivistChat.com According to the newspapers and the CIA, Iranian "hard-liners" dealt their country's reform movement and fledgling democracy a heavy, perhaps lethal, blow on February 20. With over 2,000 candidates "disqualified" before the parliamentary elections even took place, the ruling clerical elite ensured that the reformers, who've won office and national attention since the presidential election of Mohammad Khatami in May 1997, would no longer dominate the parliament, or Majles, which has become a forum for public discontent and frustration with the ruling mullahs. With...

Iran in contact with al-Qaeda, says Black ISLAMABAD: US State Department’s ambassador-at-large J Cofer Black has claimed that the Iranian government is in contact with al-Qaeda and that it must expel or extradite all members of the network to the countries of their origin. In an exclusive interview with Geo TV, Black said that our intelligence agencies are aware of the presence of some senior al-Qaeda leaders in Iran who are dangerous. He said that "these al-Qaeda operators are not only a threat to the US but they are also a threat to Pakistan". Black appreciated the role of Pakistan...

Iran to Put Dozen Al Qaeda Captives on Trial Fri January 23, 2004 11:45 AM ET DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Iran plans to put about a dozen jailed al Qaeda suspects on trial, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said Friday. "They are currently in prison. Their relations are cut off from outside and they are going to be tried," Kharrazi told Reuters at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The most important al Qaeda figure that Western intelligence agencies say may be in Iran is an Egyptian -- Saif al-Adel, the network's security chief. Kharrazi declined to comment on whether Iran...

Tehran, Dec 28 (ANI): al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri were spotted in Iran's Najamabad city two months ago, The News reported on Sunday while quoting a British daily. The daily attributed the story to a source having links with the Revolutionary Guards. The report said: "A man with links to Iran's intelligence services and hard-line Revolutionary Guard Corps (RGC) has told the daily that he saw the al-Qaeda leader in Iran two months ago. He saw him arrive at an RGC guesthouse close to the small town of Najmabad on 23 October." The Al-Qaeda leader,...

Much of the story behind Saddam Hussein's eight months on the run has yet to be made public. But US military and intelligence officials say the Iraqi dictator never wandered far from the banks of the Tigris. Remaining within his Sunni heartland, he scrambled from one farmhouse to the next, sometimes by car or van, sometimes by boat. By contrast, Osama bin Laden, leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist group, appears to have become far more adept at evading the manhunt. The US is unshaken in its resolve to find its other most-wanted fugitive. Earlier this month, General Richard Myers, chairman...

TEHRAN, Dec 24, (AFP) - Iran has increased security around certain foreign embassies in its capital Tehran, notably those of Switzerland, Britain and Turkey, after receiving threats in the name of the Islamic extremist group Al-Qaeda, a Tehran region security official told AFP on Wednesday. "After the blasts in Turkey, we intensified the protective measures around some of the western embassies," said Ali Tala, in charge of security at the Tehran region governor-general's office. A staff member at the Swiss embassy -- which represents US interests in the absence of diplomatic relations between the United States and Iran -- confirmed...

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...

Source: Bin Laden in Iran Free Iran at ActivistChat.com! Source: Bin Laden in Iran Islamic leader says terror kingpin staying in nation with 'consorts' Posted: December 23, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com 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...

Iran gives names of al-Qaeda captives to UN Financial Times By Mark Huband, Security Correspondent, in London Published: October 25 2003 5:00 | Iran has for the first time revealed the names and number of alleged members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network that it is holding, after giving a list of 240 names to the United Nations Security Council, a senior Iranian official revealed yesterday. The list was given to the Security Council's al-Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee on Wednesday, a UN spokeswoman confirmed yesterday. Iran has been accused by US officials of harbouring al-Qaeda members and allowing them to...

The United States renewed calls for Iran to turn over al-Qaeda operatives on its territory but denied suggestions it might exchange Iraqi-based Iranian opposition figures to Tehran in return for members of Osama bin Laden's terror network. "We believe Iran should turn over all suspected al-Qaeda operatives to the United States or to countries of origin or third countries for further interrogation and trial," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "It's essential that other countries have direct access to information these people may have about past and future al-Qaeda plans," he told reporters. "We acknowledge that Iran has in the...

RIYADH (Reuters) - A senior al Qaeda militant orchestrated the bombing of a residential compound in Saudi Arabia earlier this month by telephone from Iran, a Saudi newspaper says. Okaz newspaper, quoting informed sources on Sunday, said the militant network's security chief Saif al-Adel gave orders for the attack in the capital Riyadh by satellite phone. Neither Saudi nor Iranian officials were immediately available to comment on the Okaz report. "The sources said Saif al-Adel led the bombing operation of the Muhaya residential compound, using a Thuraya phone to give instructions to the terrorists in the kingdom who carried out...