Schlagwort-Archive: Brief

From Osama with Love – Bin Laden´s Letter to Germany

by Florian Flade

„Treasure trove“ – that´s the word used by US intelligence officials to describe what the Navy SEALs Team found inside Osama Bin Laden´s compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad during their nighttime operation. After the American soldiers shot and killed the Al-Qaida leader and several other people inside the hideout, they went room to room seizing highly valuable material. More than 2,7 terabytes of files and data were obtained by the US, some of which was old propaganda recorded years ago.

The most interesting part of all the obtained documents were Bin Laden´s handwritten letters and speeches. It took the CIA months to analyze the Abbottabad material. Was there any unknown terror plot Al-Qaida was about to carry out soon? What was Bin Laden´s role in past terrorist operations? Was he a chief planner and knew of all the plots by his network?

It seems like the CIA decided to hand some of the material to their European partners – giving them documents which would be of interest to them. Documents in which the Al-Qaida leader talks about Europe. Two of these documents are especially interesting for German counter-terrorism officials.

During the Abbottabad raid the US obtained a strategy paper written by Al-Qaida´s alleged „Foreign Minister“, Sheikh Younis Mohammed al-Mauretani. In this document sent to Bin Laden, Al-Mauretani outlines the plans of a Europe-Plot, describing attacks on European economic targets and thereby harming Western economy in general. Al-Mauretani lists numerous countries which should be attacked by Al-Qaida – one of them is Germany.

The existence of this strategy paper of a Jihad against European economy – which is confirmed by German counter-terrorism officials – seems to underline the claims of two German Jihadi terrorists which were arrested in 2010. Rami Makanesi of Frankfurt and Ahmed Wali Siddiqi of Hamburg, both of whom had traveled to Pakistani tribal areas of Waziristan in 2009 to receive terrorist training, spoke about a Al-Qaida plot led by Al-Mauretani.

According to Makanesi and Siddiqi Sheikh al-Mauretani was traveling around the Waziristan villages in summer 2009 to recruit European Jihadis for a big operation. „What we are planning, not even the devil has in mind“, al-Mauretani allegedly told the German Jihadis. Bin Laden himself was instructed by al-Mauretani about the plot and had already approved it, promising the necessary financial support.

Makanesi´s and Siddiqi´s assertions were in part the reason why German authorities raised the terrorist threat level in November 2010. Interior Ministry released a statement saying the threat of a terrorist attack is imminent.

The fact that US troops indeed found a plot description by Al-Mauretani in Bin Laden´s house in Abbottabad now confirms the Al-Qaida leader´s involvement in the planning of a large-scale attack in several European countries including Germany.

Another document found in Abbottabad is even more worrying. According to my information a handwritten letter by Osama Bin Laden was found which could prove a direct link between the Al-Qaida leader and a terrorist cell based in Germany. In this letter Bin Laden writes about brothers stationed in Europa – naming Abdeladim el-K..

El-K., a 29 year-old Moroccan national, was arrested in Germany on April 29th, a few days before Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan. He is suspected of being the head of the so-called „Düsseldorf-Zelle“, a three-men group of Jihadi terrorists planning to carry out attacks in Germany. El-K. who lived and studied in Germany had traveled to Waziristan in early 2010 and received training at a Al-Qaida camp where he came in contact with Sheikh Younis al-Mauretani.

Back in Germany El-K. recruited fellow Moroccan Jamil S. and German-Iranian Amid C.. The three men formed an Al-Qaida cell which was tasked by Al-Qaida´s commander Atiyattullah al-Libi to strike Germany. El-K. tried to contact Atiyattullah via the internet in the months leading to his arrest – but he was not able to reach the Waziristan-based terrorist.

Since November 2010 German counter-terrorism officials were hunting for a „Moroccan cell“ in Germany. German Jihadi terrorist Emrah E. living in Waziristan had called German police in October and told them he wants to surrender. He also spoke about Al-Qaida´s plans to attack the country. He said he knew of a Moroccan cell already in Germany, ready to strike even the parliament building in Berlin.

Finally, earlier this year and with the help of Moroccan and American intelligence, authorities were able to identity Abdeladim el-K. as a potential terrorist cell leader. They began monitoring him. When El-K. was visiting several internet cafés in one day, acting very carefully, they decided to wiretap his phones and infiltrate his computers.

In April El-K. and his Jihadi colleagues talked about a plan to build bombs, discussing the possible targets. German police intervened. On April 29 El-K., Jamil S. and Amid C. were arrested.

Question now is: Why did Bin Laden mention the „Düsseldorf-Cell“ leader by name in a letter written in his Abbottabad hideout? Only logical explanation is that Osama Bin Laden knew about the people his commanders had recruited and trained in Waziristan. He must have known about Europe based cells and was even informed about the men´s names.

A copy of the Bin Laden letter was allegedly given to European intelligence agencies to identify other possible Al-Qaida terrorists living in Western Europe. German police would not confirm or deny the existence of such a letter mentioning Abdeladim el-K..

All in all, the Abbottabad treasure trove links the bits and pieces of a terror plot a few captured Jihadis and phone calls shed light on in 2010 and shows how much the Al-Qaida leadership was involved in the future terrorist campaigns.

Bin Laden-Son´s Letter About Father´s Death

by Florian Flade

Letter signed by Omar Bin Laden

For the first time since US Special Forces killed al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden nearly one week ago, relatives of the most-wanted terrorist have issued a statement on his death. A blog operated by one a former Jihadi colleague of Osama Bin Ladens, released a document yesterday allegedly written by the sons of the al-Qaida founder. The letter bears the signature of Osama Bin Laden´s fourth son, Omar.

„We have received the news given by US-President Obama that US troops attacked the compound of our father, Osama Bin Laden (…) and killed him instead of arresting him“, reads the single-page letter. The killing of Bin Laden is regarded by the family as the „strongest violation of human feelings“, according to the document. Now, the letter says, President Obama is obliged to fully investigate the fate of Osama Bin Laden and release the DNA analysis.

Dumping Bin Ladens body in the sea is „not acceptable from humanitarian and religious standpoint“, it is described as a „reckless and abusive towards the family“. The feelings of hundreds of millions of Muslims were hurt by this action, the Bin Laden son writes. As children of Osama Bin Laden, his sons now feel the responsibility and right to demand full investigation into the death of their father.

The letter, who´s authenticity cannot be independently verified was signed by Omar Bin Osama Bin Laden. Other sons of the al-Qaida leader, are not named although the document claims to speak in their name. At least five of the ten known sons of Osama Bin Laden have turned their back on their father and his violent campaign of terrorism. They no longer belong to the al-Qaida circle and left Bin Laden years ago. One of the sons, 24 year-old Ali, was sentenced to 18 years in prison by a Saudi court in 2008 for illegal possession of a gun.

The alleged author of the newly released statement, Omar Bin Laden, was born in 1981 in the Saudi coastal town of Jeddah. He is the son of Osama Bin Laden and his Syrian wife Najwa Ghanem. Omar left his father in 2001 and is an outspoken critic of al-Qaida´s terrorism. Due to his renunciation of Jihad, he was able to regain his Saudi citizenship. Meanwhile Omar Bin Laden is married to a British woman in his second marriage and is seeking to obtain a permission to move to a European country or the United States.

In 2009 Omar Bin Laden and his mother wrote a biographical book titled „Growing Up Bin Laden“, in which both describe their lives as relatives of World´s most-wanted man.

Omar´s alleged letter about his father´s death was published on the webiste run by the former Egyptian Jihadi fighter Abu Walid al-Masri. Al-Masri, born in 1945 in Egypt allegedly worked for Mercedes Benz in Kuwait before joining the Arab Mujahidin in Afghanistan in their fight against the Soviets in the 1980s. He worked as a journalist, reporting about the Jihad news from the frontlines. During that time Al-Masri met Osama Bin Laden.

He claimed he was never part of al-Qaida and strongly criticized the organization´s violent agenda. One of Al-Masri´s daughters is allegedly married to Saif al-Adl, who had been living in Iran and is now said to be part of the al-Qaida infrastructure in the Pakistani tribal areas of North-Waziristan, acting as Al-Qaida´s Military Chief.

Abu Walid al-Masri, living under house arrest in Iran for some years, is an active blogger, release comments on Muslim affairs and the war in Afghanistan on a regular basis on his Arabi-language website.


von Florian Flade

Erstmals seit der Tötung des al-Qaida Führers Osama Bin Laden vor knapp einer Woche, haben sich Verwandte des Dschihad-Führers in einem Brief offenbar zu Wort gemeldet. Auf einer von einem ehemaligen Kampfgefährten Bin Ladens betriebenen Webseite erschien gestern ein Dokument, das von den Söhnen des Al-Qaida Gründers verfasst worden sein soll. Das Schriftstück, das mir vorliegt, trägt die Unterschrift von Bin Ladens viertem Sohn, Omar (30).

„Wir haben mit Bedauern die Nachricht des US-Präsident Obama erhalten, dass US Truppen das Haus unseres Vaters, Osama Bin Laden, angegriffen haben (…) und ihn töteten anstatt ihn festzunehmen“, heißt es in dem einseitigen Dokument. Die Tat wird insbesondere mit Blick auf die in Bin Ladens Versteck anwesenden Familienmitglieder als „schwerste Verletzung menschlicher Gefühle“ beschrieben. Es sei nun die Pflicht von Präsident Obama, das Schicksal Bin Ladens aufzuklären und DNA Beweise vorzubringen, heißt es weiter.

Aus „humanitärer und religiöser Sicht ist es nicht akzeptabel“, so der Verfasser des Briefes, die Leiche Bin Ladens nicht an die Familie zu übergeben, sondern sie im Meer zu versenken. „Diese Vorgehensweise ist rücksichtslos und beleidigend gegenüber seiner Familie“, schreiben die Söhne Bin Ladens. Als Kinder von Osama Bin Laden behandelte man sich nun das Recht vor, auf Aufklärung zu drängen, um das Schicksal des al-Qaida Führers aufzuklären.

Unterzeichnet wurde das Dokument, dessen Authentizität „Welt Online“ nicht bestätigten kann, von Omar Bin Osama Bin Laden. Weitere Söhne Bin Ladens, in deren Namen der Brief verfasst sein soll, werden nicht genannt. Mindestens fünf der insgesamt zehn bekannten Söhne Osama Bin Ladens, haben sich vom Vater losgesagt und leben nicht mehr im Umfeld der Al-Qaida. Ein Sohn, der 24jährige Ali, wurde 2008 von einem saudi-arabischen Gericht zu 18 Jahren Haft wegen Waffenbesitz verurteilt.

Der angebliche Verfasser des nun aufgetauchten Briefes, Omar Bin Laden, kam 1981 in der saudiarabischen Hafenstadt Dschidda zur Welt und ist ein Sohn Osama Bin Ladens und der Syrerin Najwa Ghanem. Er kehrte der Gewalt der al-Qaida den Rücken und verließ seinen Vater 2001. Ihm gelang es, durch die klare Loslösung von seinem Vater und der Kritik am blutigen Terror der al-Qaida, die saudi-arabische Staatsbürgerschaft wieder zu erlangen. Inzwischen ist Omar Bin Laden in zweiter Ehe mit einer Britin verheiratet. 2009 verfasste er zusammen mit seiner Mutter das Buch „Growing Up Bin Laden“, in dem er seine Erlebnisse als Sohn des meistgesuchten Terroristen der Welt schildert.

Veröffentlicht wurde der angebliche Brief der Bin Laden Söhne, den Omar Bin Laden unterzeichnet haben soll, auf der Webseite des ehemaligen ägyptischen Dschihad-Kämpfers Abu Walid al-Masri. Al-Masri, der 1945 in Ägypten geboren worden sein soll und angeblich eine Zeit lang für Mercedes Benz in Kuwait tätig war, zog in den 80er Jahren als einer von hunderten arabischen Freiwilligen in den Krieg gegen die Sowjetunion in Afghanistan. Er berichtete als Journalist der Mudschaheddin über die Ereignisse an der Front und lernte dabei wohl auch Osama Bin Laden kennen.

Nach eigener Aussage war al-Masri nie Teil von al-Qaida sondern wandte sich sogar gegen die Methoden des Terrornetzwerkes. Ein Tochter al-Masris soll verheiratet sein mit Saif al-Adl, dem mutmaßlichen Militärchef von Al-Qaida, der ebenfalls aus Ägypten stammt und einst ein Oberst der Streitkräfte war. Abu Walid al-Masri soll seit einigen Jahren im Iran unter Hausarrest leben. Von dort aus betreibt er ein arabischsprachiges Blog, auf dem er regelmäßig Kommentare zum Krieg in Afghanistan abliefert.