[iwar] [fc:Bin.Laden.tried.to.buy.Uranium]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2001-09-16 12:49:34


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From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
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Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 12:49:34 -0700 (PDT)
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Subject: [iwar] [fc:Bin.Laden.tried.to.buy.Uranium]
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Warlord tried to buy uranium 
David Leppard 
<a href="http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/09/16/stifgnusa01002.html">http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/09/16/stifgnusa01002.html>

OSAMA Bin Laden, the chief suspect behind the attack on the World Trade 
Center, has tried at least twice to buy enriched uranium to make a nuclear 
bomb, according to a former terrorist and Western intelligence. Evidence of 
Bin Laden's interest in nuclear technology comes from Jamal Al-Fadl, a former 
close aide to the terrorist who has become the FBI's main "supergrass" in its 
investigation of Bin Laden's network. Al-Fadl has been warning the American 
authorities for the past five years that Bin Laden wanted to declare war on 
America and might "try to do something inside the United States". 

In one affidavit, made while he was in the FBI's protective custody, he spoke 
of his role in Al-Qaeda, Bin Laden's organisation: "I know from personal 
observation that Al-Qaeda members and associates attempted to obtain 
components for nuclear and chemical weapons," he said. "In or about late 
1993, Al-Qaeda members made efforts to procure enriched uranium." Al-Fadl 
identified a key Bin Laden aide involved in the nuclear procurement 
programme: "One individual who was involved in this effort was [known as] Abu 
Hajer, who, after reviewing a document related to the proposed purchase of 
uranium, indicated that the proposed purchase should proceed." 

The affidavit has been served in proceedings issued by the US Justice 
Department to extradite two Bin Laden suspects from Britain. In a separate 
statement, Al-Fadl also claimed he had been to Khartoum in Sudan to try to 
buy uranium. He said he was put in touch with an associate of a Sudanese army 
officer, who offered to sell him a consignment of uranium for $1.5m (£1m). 

The man showed him what purported to be uranium, which, he claimed, came from 
South Africa. The material was in a cylinder about 2ft to 3ft long and 6in in 
diameter. Al-Fadl told the FBI he dropped out of the negotiations and never 
found out if the terror group had bought the material. He claimed to have 
been paid £7,000 as a bonus for his efforts. 

The "nightmare scenario" of the new type of terrorism was hinted at by Tony 
Blair in his statement to an emergency session of parliament last week. "We 
know they would, if they could, use chemical and biological weapons or even 
nuclear weapons of mass destruction," Blair said. Israeli security sources 
also claimed last week that they had knowledge of a plan by Bin Laden to buy 
a tactical "suitcase-size" nuclear bomb from Kazakhstan. One American 
newspaper said yesterday that US intelligence had received reports Bin Laden 
had already acquired "some type of nuclear device". 

Although such claims are difficult to assess, there is no doubt that Bin 
Laden wants such weaponry. In one interview he said: "We don't consider it a 
crime if we tried to have nuclear, chemical, biological weapons. We have the 
right to defend ourselves." One senior Whitehall security source said MI5's 
main concern was the possibility of terrorists using chemical weapons, as in 
the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo underground, which killed a dozen people in 
1995. Additional reporting: Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel Aviv 

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