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Osama bin Laden absolved Zacharias Moussaoui of any part in plotting
the 9/11 terrorist event that killed 3000 people and sparked a
global war on terror that resulted in the ouster of the Taliban
Government in Afghanistan.
Moussaoui is the only man convicted of the crime but got only a life
term while prosecutors were expecting a death sentence.
Bin Laden made this claim in an audio tape uploaded on a web site,
but the authenticity of the voice could not be verified.
A former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) unit head Michael Scheuer
hunting bin Laden said that US West Asia policy has given a major
boost to bin Laden’s image in that region. “Today, bin Laden, al
Qaeda and their allies have only one indispensable ally—the US
foreign policy towards the Islamic world.” He blamed the Iraq
invasion and the prolonged presence there is making bin Laden a hero
and the al Qaeda the savior. Scheuer also said that the abuses at
the Abu Ghraib prison have created a situation which is “increasing
Muslim hatred for Americans simply because they are Americans.”
Meanwhile, in a very controversial case, a Pakistani man was
convicted by a New York court after they found him guilty of
plotting to bomb the third busiest public transport station. The New
York police had a paid informant who ensnared the Pakistani youth,
Martin Siraj, and coaxed him into a plot. The Egyptian born
informant would patrol Muslim populated areas to prove that Islam is
safe and extremism was limited to only a few individuals. About half
of the jury questioned the Constitutional validity of the police to
ensnare potential victims with inciting tapes, literature, and
information so they can gain a conviction.
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