Torture Tapes of Abu Zubaydah spinning

Andrew Sullivan implies recently in the UK Times that the destroyed torture tape of Abu Zubaydah decision reaches far up in the White House. But he also implies that Zubaydah was not credible because he was a crazy liar.

When Zubaidah was captured he was touted for his roles in the attacks on Amman, the USS Cole, and in the 9/11/01 attacks where he fingered Khalid Sheikh Mohammed who was subsequently captured.

Maybe Zubaydah has/had some valuable information amongst the lies and delusions.

My favorite detail about Abu is the fake CIA rendition to a fake Saudi intelligence torture chamber. Zubaydah was relieved upon his relocation to what he thought was a Saudi prison with Saudi interrogators. The US wrongly assumed that this would gravely frighten him and make him spill the beans out of fear.

Zubaydah, instead, was relieved, and he gave accurate personal cell phone numbers to three Saudi Royals in high government / intelligence positions, and told the agents to call them and get their instructions. He also had personal contact info for a high ranking Pak ISI intelligence chief / air force officer. Most of these fellows soon died in strange circumstances, except for one promoted to an ambassadorship, giving him diplomatic immunity.

Zubaydah provided contact information for:

Prince Ahmed bin Salman, a nephew of the Saudi king. He provides telephone numbers from memory and says, “He will tell you what to do.” He proceeds to give more information and phone numbers, claiming ties with higher ups in both the Saudi and Pakistani governments. He also names:
Pakistani air force chief Mushaf Ali Mir, said to be closely tied to the fundamentalists in the ISI.
Saudi Intelligence Minister Prince Turki al-Faisal.
Prince Sultan bin Faisal, another nephew of the Saudi King.
Prince Fahd bin Turki, another member of the Saudi royalty. According to Posner, Zubaida claims that all of these people were intermediaries he dealt with in the frequent transfer of money to al-Qaeda. The phone numbers and other details are consistent with information already known by US intelligence. Zubaida then lays out many secrets about the 9/11 attacks. One unnamed investigator will later call them “the Rosetta Stone” of 9/11. According to Zubaida, he was present in a meeting in 1996 where the Pakistanis and the Saudis struck a deal with bin Laden (see 1996), promising him protection, arms, and supplies in exchange for not being the targets of future terror attacks. He claimed both governments were told the US would be attacked on 9/11, but not given the details of how the attack would work. Within months, all of the people named by Zubaida die mysteriously except for Prince Turki, who is made an ambassador, giving him diplomatic immunity. [Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11 (New York, NY: Random House, 2003)., 186-94.')" onmouseout="return nd()">Posner, 2003, pp. 186-94]

One of the Saudi's was the owner of 2002 Kentucky Derby winner, War Emblem, Prince Ahmed Bin Salam, who suddenly died at age 43 of a heart attack. He was the King's nephew.

The next day, Prince Sultan bin Faisal, another nephew of the king, dies driving to Prince Ahmed’s funeral.

A week later, Prince Fahd bin Turki supposedly “dies of thirst” in the Arabian desert.

Seven months later, on February 20, 2003, Pakistan’s air force chief, Mushaf Ali Mir, dies in a plane crash in clear weather, along with his wife and closest confidants.

Controversial author Gerald Posner implies that all of these events are linked together and the deaths are not accidental, but have occurred because of the testimony of captured al-Qaeda leader Abu Zubaida in March 2002 (see Early April 2002). The deaths all occurred not long after the respective governments were told of Zubaida’s confessions.

Only one other key figure named by Zubaida remains alive: Saudi Intelligence Minister Prince Turki al-Faisal. Posner says, “He’s the J. Edgar Hoover of Saudi Arabia,” too powerful and aware of too many secrets to be killed off. Prince Turki lost his intelligence minister job ten days before 9/11, and is later made Saudi ambassador to Britain, giving him diplomatic immunity from any criminal prosecution. [Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11(New York, NY: Random House, 2003)., 190-94.')" onmouseout="return nd()">Posner, 2003, pp. 190-94; Time, 31 August 2003.')" onmouseout="return nd()">Time, 8/31/2003]

According to author James Risen, there is no significant investigation of foreign governments in the wake of Zubaidah's confessions and personal-business links. (Citation in the link above). John Hockenberry did a Dateline NBC investigation report that Saudi Arabia, our 'ally,' has no intelligence cooperation with the USA at all.

Maybe Abu's tapes were destroyed for their implications. Maybe he is not so crazy or incredible, but has too good information revealed after less than a minute of controlled drowning / waterboarding.

http://www.cooperativeresearch.org has timelines of mainstream media coverage of recent history. They are run by the Grassroots Center for Public Oversight and they need our support asap.

Links in this post:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3086937.ece?Submitted=true

http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/entity.jsp?entity=ahmed_bin_salman

http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/fundraiser.jsp

http://www.technologyreview.com/printer_friendly_article.aspx?id=19845


Here's another great link a review of the Posner book in Asia Times, which I love: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/EI17Aa01.html