The CIA's Destroyed Interrogation Tapes and the Saudi-Pakistani 9/11 Connection

[HAIDER]

Posted December 7, 2007 | 03:25 PM (EST)


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On December 5, the CIA's director, General Michael V. Hayden, issued a statement disclosing that in 2005 at least two videotapes of interrogations with al Qaeda prisoners were destroyed. The tapes, which the CIA did not provide to either the 9/11 Commission, nor to a federal court in the case of Zacarias Moussaoui, were destroyed, claimed Hayden, to protect the safety of undercover operatives.

Hayden did not disclose one of the al Qaeda suspects whose tapes were destroyed. But he did identify the other. It was Abu Zubaydah, the top ranking terror suspect when he was tracked and captured in Pakistan in 2003. In September 2006, at a press conference in which he defended American interrogation techniques, President Bush also mentioned Abu Zubaydah by name. Bush acknowledged that Zubaydah, who was wounded when captured, did not initially cooperate with his interrogators, but that eventually when he did talk, his information was, according to Bush, "quite important."

In my 2003 New York Times bestseller, Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11, I discussed Abu Zubaydah at length in Chapter 19, "The Interrogation." There I set forth how Zubaydah initially refused to help his American captors. Also, disclosed was how U.S. intelligence established a so-called "fake flag" operation, in which the wounded Zubaydah was transferred to Afghanistan under the ruse that he had actually been turned over to the Saudis. The Saudis had him on a wanted list, and the Americans believed that Zubaydah, fearful of torture and death at the hands of the Saudis, would start talking when confronted by U.S. agents playing the role of Saudi intelligence officers.

Instead, when confronted by his "Saudi" interrogators, Zubaydah showed no fear. Instead, according to the two U.S. intelligence sources that provided me the details, he seemed relieved. The man who had been reluctant to even confirm his identity to his U.S. captors, suddenly talked animatedly. He was happy to see them, he said, because he feared the Americans would kill him. He then asked his interrogators to call a senior member of the Saudi royal family. And Zubaydah provided a private home number and a cell phone number from memory. "He will tell you what to do," Zubaydah assured them

That man was Prince Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdul-Aziz, one of King Fahd's nephews, and the chairman of the largest Saudi publishing empire. Later, American investigators would determine that Prince Ahmed had been in the U.S. on 9/11.

American interrogators used painkillers to induce Zubaydah to talk -- they gave him the meds when he cooperated, and withdrew them when he was quiet. They also utilized a thiopental sodium drip (a so-called truth serum). Several hours after he first fingered Prince Ahmed, his captors challenged the information, and said that since he had disparaged the Saudi royal family, he would be executed. It was at that point that some of the secrets of 9/11 came pouring out. In a short monologue, that one investigator told me was the "Rosetta Stone" of 9/11, Zubaydah laid out details of how he and the al Qaeda hierarchy had been supported at high levels inside the Saudi and Pakistan governments.

He named two other Saudi princes, and also the chief of Pakistan's air force, as his major contacts. Moreover, he stunned his interrogators, by charging that two of the men, the King's nephew, and the Pakistani Air Force chief, knew a major terror operation was planned for America on 9/11.

It would be nice to further investigate the men named by Zubaydah, but that is not possible. All four identified by Zubaydah are now dead. As for the three Saudi princes, the King's 43-year-old nephew, Prince Ahmed, died of either a heart attack or blood clot, depending on which report you believe, after having liposuction in Riyadh's top hospital; the second, 41-year-old Prince Sultan bin Faisal bin Turki al-Saud, died the following day in a one car accident, on his way to the funeral of Prince Ahmed; and one week later, the third Saudi prince named by Zubaydah, 25-year-old Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Saud al-Kabir, died, according to the Saudi Royal Court, "of thirst." The head of Pakistan's Air Force, Mushaf Ali Mir, was the last to go. He died, together with his wife and fifteen of his top aides, when his plane blew up -- suspected as sabotage -- in February 2003. Pakistan's investigation of the explosion -- if one was even done -- has never been made public.

Zubaydah is the only top al Queda operative who has secretly linked two of America's closest allies in the war on terror -- Saudi Arabia and Pakistan -- to the 9/11 attacks. Why does Bush, and the CIA, continue to protect the Saudi Royal family and the Pakistani military, from the implications of Zubaydah's confessions? It is, or course, because the Bush administration desperately needs Pakistani and Saudi help, not only to keep Afghanistan from spinning completely out of control, but also as counterweights to the growing power of Iran. The Sunni governments in Riyadh and Islamabad have as much to fear from a resurgent Iran as does the Bush administration. But does this mean that leads about the origins of 9/11 should not be aggressively pursued? Of course not. But this is precisely what the Bush administration is doing. And now the cover-up is enhanced by the CIA's destruction of Zubaydah's interrogation tapes.

The American public deserves no less than the complete truth about 9/11. And those CIA officials now complicit in hiding the truth by destroying key evidence should be held responsible.

Gerald Posner: The CIA's Destroyed Interrogation Tapes and the Saudi-Pakistani 9/11 Connection - Politics on The Huffington Post

[IceCold]

Seems like an interesting coverup story built to involve pakistan and saudi-arabia. Why would pakistan want to do something like this, not to forget the current turmoil in the country both political and terrorism started after pakistan join WOT. Pakistan would take such a high risk, i highly doubt that. Besides as for pakistan and saudi-arabia being a counter force to iran, its absolute BS, dont know about SA but pakistan is in dialouge with iran for IP gas pipe line project and this for sure does not help US in achieving its objectives. This means that if we go by the above story US is very likely to put all the blame of 9/11 on pakistan to pressurize us and more over if Abu Zubaydah was such an important person for the safety of pakistan since he was the only one that knew about pakistan's involvement in 9/11, its actually stupid to think that the pakistani authorties will actually just capture him and hand him over to the US as a proof against pakistan. Woow nice story

[fatman17]

Originally Posted by IceCold

Seems like an interesting coverup story built to involve pakistan and saudi-arabia. Why would pakistan want to do something like this, not to forget the current turmoil in the country both political and terrorism started after pakistan join WOT. Pakistan would take such a high risk, i highly doubt that. Besides as for pakistan and saudi-arabia being a counter force to iran, its absolute BS, dont know about SA but pakistan is in dialouge with iran for IP gas pipe line project and this for sure does not help US in achieving its objectives. This means that if we go by the above story US is very likely to put all the blame of 9/11 on pakistan to pressurize us and more over if Abu Zubaydah was such an important person for the safety of pakistan since he was the only one that knew about pakistan's involvement in 9/11, its actually stupid to think that the pakistani authorties will actually just capture him and hand him over to the US as a proof against pakistan. Woow nice story

pls note the mane of the book "why america slept". it is customary for the the americans to blame their shortcomings on others. when a man is in custody he is bound to say anything to save his skin!

[MastanKhan]

Hi,

If Abu Zubaidah had so much info, then why would pakistan hand him over to the U S. He would have been neutralized in pakistan very easily. His capture would not have been a secret from the Air force chief.

[jantobanto]

may be its a cover for a new kind of prpoganda, aginst PAKISTAN + SAUDI ARABIA.

WHICH will make them to accept the prposed USAs attack on another oil rich muslim state IRAN.

it , will give usa total control over oil in gulf.

and also to counter a regional threat for ISRAEL, because IRAN can be seen a lonely voice aginst israeli atrocities against PALSTINE and every other muslim neighbour states.

today ONLY ! IRAN is engaged to stop ISRAELI crimes aginst muslims in every direction , which is the main stratagic hurdle to AMERICAN + ISRAELI alliance in midlle est for building a great ISRAEL.

[AgNoStIc MuSliM]

The ususal conspiracy theories start coming out of the woodwork - between this and the Jews did it... I say the Jews did it!

[Neo]

Originally Posted by AgNoStIc MuSliM

The ususal conspiracy theories start coming out of the woodwork - between this and the Jews did it... I say the Jews did it!

I'm convinced that Israel had her share in this, ofcourse we'll never learn the truth.

[solid snake]

CNN somehow managed to get a hold of a few clips of these torture sessions. They were waterboarding a prisoner in Guantanamo. Very disturbing, I don't know how anyone can agree to take part in torturing another human being.

[ejaz007]

If Pakistan was in any way involved in the 9/11 they would not have arrested so many suspects and hand them over to US authorities. Didn't they know that their own cover would be blown.
Just propaganda against Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

[Salim]

The death of the Saudi royals in a sequence appears am interesting coincidence.

If the story is true, it is quite damning.

[jantobanto]

the people who doesnt belive in ISRAELI power and its impact on USA, SHOULD have a look on pakistani voting in favour of ISRAEL in U N O
TODAY ???

now i wana know , what they think?

ISRAEL is the biggist reason of many problems of muslims throughout the universe.



belive me, and wait for the new goverment in WASHINGTON there will be much more to come!

[MastanKhan]

Hi,

There are more things in common between pakistan and israel than many other countries.

First of all both are the creation on religious beliefs. Secondly, both have larger neighbours creating a big threat.

Pakistan has technically no conflict anymore with israel after Arafat walked out of the summit bewteen him Barak and Clinton.

Israel is not the biggest reason but the muslims and muslim nation are the biggest trouble makers, for themselves. Stop blaming other nations. Living in the big boys club, you need to play the big boys games.