U.S. Recants Claims that Detainee Who Was One of the Main Sources for the 9/11 Report, and Repeatedly Tortured, Was Involved in 9/11 or Even Al Qaeda → Washingtons Blog
U.S. Recants Claims that Detainee Who Was One of the Main Sources for the 9/11 Report, and Repeatedly Tortured, Was Involved in 9/11 or Even Al Qaeda - Washingtons Blog

Friday, April 2, 2010

U.S. Recants Claims that Detainee Who Was One of the Main Sources for the 9/11 Report, and Repeatedly Tortured, Was Involved in 9/11 or Even Al Qaeda


Abu Zubaydah was the first "high-value" detainee who was tortured, as the U.S. claimed he was a top Al Qaeda terrorist who knew a lot about 9/11.

He was waterboarded at least 83 times in August 2002 alone.

In fact, Abu Zubaydah was one of the main sources of information for the 9/11 report.

Never mind that he was literally crazy. As the New Yorker noted a year ago:

The F.B.I.’s point man on the Abu Zubaydah interrogation, Daniel Coleman, had read Zubaydah’s diaries and concluded that he “had a schizophrenic personality.”
Indeed, the Washington Post noted in 2007:

Retired FBI agent Daniel Coleman, who led an examination of documents after Abu Zubaida's capture in early 2002 and worked on the case, said the CIA's harsh tactics cast doubt on the credibility of Abu Zubaida's information.

"I don't have confidence in anything he says, because once you go down that road, everything you say is tainted," Coleman said, referring to the harsh measures. "He was talking before they did that to him, but they didn't believe him. The problem is they didn't realize he didn't know all that much."

***

Abu Zubaida ... was a "safehouse keeper" with mental problems who claimed to know more about al-Qaeda and its inner workings than he really did.

***

Looking at other evidence, including a serious head injury that Abu Zubaida had suffered years earlier, Coleman and others at the FBI believed that he had severe mental problems that called his credibility into question. "They all knew he was crazy, and they knew he was always on the damn phone," Coleman said, referring to al-Qaeda operatives. "You think they're going to tell him anything?"
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Ron Suskind writes that Coleman advised a top FBI official at the time:
"This guy is insane, certifiable, split personality."

Now, Jason Leopold reports that the government is backing away from all claims that Abu Zubaydah had any role in Al Qaeda or 9/11:

For the first time, the government officially admitted that Zubaydah did not have "any direct role in or advance knowledge of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001," and was neither a "member" of al-Qaeda nor "formally" identified with the terrorist organization.

Heck of a job, guys.

6 comments:

  1. What an outrage! And this excuse for a human being, Obama, does nothing but shield the torturers in this and the most recent administrations! Short of massive public demonstrations and economy paralysing strikes, this country will never free itself of the maggots that run its government. We are a captive people in no less a sense than were the Poles after WWII. There is never justice for the ruling class.

    Andrei Vyshinshy

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  2. http://patriotsquestion911.com

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  3. This would make one hell of a comedy show if it was not so sad.
    My faith in this country and our so called called leaders has been completely shattered, like Humpty Dumpty.
    For some reason I thought by taking part in the Vietnam War I could help keep this very type of crap from happening in the "good old USA". As an infantry man I now realize I was putting the hurt on the wrong people. Better late than never I guess.
    God Bless Ron Paul and fuck the rest of them.

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  4. We need a new, authoritative, empowered, and thorough investigation, sooner than later. Who should conduct it, and how it should proceed, are important matters. We've learned the value, or lack therof, of 'independent commissions.' Perhaps a new one could work well, depending on who was involved, they aren't bad in principle?

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  5. Why doesn't Obama do anything about it?

    Because he needs to have the threat of use of torture against terrorists available as a tool against the brewing surge of domestic terrorism on its way.

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  6. I think that any new "investigation" would probably be just another dog and pony show. The Corporatocracy (a term that a former economic hit man: John Perkins coined), is really the ruling party in our government. Their propaganda masters lead the masses by the nose. Just try to have a reasoned, fact based discussion to anyone about 9-11 and they will instantly think you're a kook. This response has been literally programed into most people's heads.

    9-11 was the crime of the century, the corporatocracy was most likely behind it, and it wasn't even covered up very well. But there was no main stream media outlet willing to truly investigate it, or expose it.

    I personally suspect that Obama's hands are tied with a lot of things, like going after Bush and Cheney on the torture issue. Eric Holder was pushing through an investigation and potential prosecution related to the whole torture thing, but he was quietly silenced. Probably threatened with death, or bogus scandal.

    I read about a CIA report that stated over 100 detainees died during torture. Shameful.

    I don't think we will ever have justice in the 9-11 case until the people regain control of the media.

    ReplyDelete

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