Laden's taped meeting with 9/11 plotters aired

[ 8 Sep, 2006 1142hrs IST AP ]

CAIRO: An Arab television station broadcast previously unseen footage of a smiling Osama bin Laden meeting with the top planners of the Sept. 11 attacks in an Afghan mountain camp and calling on followers to pray for the hijackers as they carry out the suicide mission.

The sections shown on Al-Jazeera TV on Thursday were part of a video that al-Qaida announced it would release later on the Internet to mark the fifth anniversary of the airborne attacks on the United States.

The video includes the last testament of two of the hijackers, Wail al-Shehri and Hamza al-Ghamdi. It shows bin Laden strolling in the camp, greeting followers, who Al-Jazeera said included some of the hijackers. But their faces are not clear in the video, and it was not immediately known which are purportedly shown.

In one scene, bin Laden addresses the camera, calling on followers to support the hijackers.

``I ask you to pray for them and to ask God to make them successful, aim their shots well, set their feet strong and strengthen their hearts,'' bin Laden said. The comments were apparently filmed before the attacks but never before released.

The footage was the fourth in a series of long videos that al-Qaida has put out to memorialize the suicide hijackings against the Pentagon and World Trade Center, said Ben Venzke, head of IntelCenter, a private US company that monitors militant message traffic and provides counterterrorism intelligence services for the American government.

The previous ones were issued in April and September 2002 and September 2003, each showing footage from the planning of the suicide hijackings and hijackers' last testimonies, Venzke said.

The latest full video probably lasts from 40 minutes to two hours, based on the past ones, he said. Al-Jazeera did not say how it obtained the video, which bore the logo of As-Sahab, al-Qaida's media branch.

``They produce long videos like these not just for 9-11, but for any significant events they feel warrant their attention,'' Venzke said.

One aim is to boost recruitment, but such videos have several purposes --``to speak to their supporters, to raise morale within their own group, to facilitate fundraising, and to serve as a psychological attack,'' he said.

In the footage shown by Al-Jazeera, bin Laden is shown sitting outside in what appears to be a mountain camp with his former lieutenant Mohammed Atef and Ramzi Binalshibh, another suspected planner of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Atef, also known as Abu Hafs al-Masri, was killed by a US airstrike in Afghanistan in 2001. Binalshibh was captured four years ago in Pakistan and is currently in U.S. custody, and this week US President George W. Bush announced plans to put him on military trial.

Bin Laden, wearing a dark robe and white head gear, strolls through the camp, greeting dozens of followers, some masked, some barefaced, many carrying automatic weapons.

Other scenes show training at the camp. Masked militants perform martial arts kicks or learn how to break the hold of someone who grabs them from behind. Several militants are shown practicing hiding and pulling out fold-out knives.

A voice-over narration with the video praises the mujahedeen for leaving their comfortable lives to survive in the mountains ``on the soil of Kandahar'' –a southern Afghan city. Men are shown chopping wood and cutting up vegetables for dinner.

There was no confirmation of the tape's authenticity by the White House. ``One by one we will bring the 9/11 plotters to justice for their vicious acts, including Ramzi Binalshibh, who is now in DOD custody,'' said Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino.

An advertisement from As-Sahab on an Islamic militant Web forum said the full video would be posted on the Web soon. In the past, such teasers have come a day or two before the video was posted.

Venzke said the full version of the video was believed to include a message from Azzam al-Amriki, the nom de guerre of Adam Yehiye Gadahn, an American who the FBI says has associated with al-Qaida. Gadahn appeared in an al-Qaida video released last week in which he called on Americans to convert to Islam.

It also likely includes a message from bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, though it may not be new, Venzke said, without elaborating on why he believed that. Like the previous long videos, Thursday's footage included last testimonies by some of the hijackers.

Al-Shehri and al-Ghamdi were each shown speaking to the camera, their image superimposed over background pictures of the crumbling World Trade Center towers and the burning Pentagon, as well as a model of a passenger jet.

They both spoke of how Muslims must stand up to fight back against the West.

``If jihad now is not an obligation (on Muslims), when will it be?'' said al-Shehri, pointing to attacks on Muslims in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Chechnya.

``If we are content with being humiliated and inclined to comfort, the tooth of the enemy will stretch from Jerusalem to Mecca, and then everyone will regret on a day when regret is of no use,'' al-Ghamdi said.

Al-Shehri was on American Airlines Flight 11, which was the first to hit the World Trade Center. Al-Ghamdi was on United Airlines Flight 175, which hit the second tower.

The footage was broadcast on the same day Al-Qaida in Iraq released what was purported to be the first audiotape by its new leader, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, in which he vowed victory was coming and condemned Sunni Muslims cooperating with the Iraqi government.

Al-Muhajer was named leader of Iraq's most feared terror group after his predecessor, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed in a June 7 airstrike north of Baghdad. The US military has put a US$5 million (euro3.9 million) bounty on al-Muhajer's head.

Bangalore: Mason held for murder

[ 7 Sep, 2006 2325hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

BANGALORE: A mason who had killed a woman and buried her near her aunt's house was arrested on Wednesday. He was nabbed after the deceased's aunt came to know about the murder.

The deceased is Nagarathna (28) from Kuppam in Andhra Pradesh. She had come to her aunt,Gowramma's house in Raghavendra Nagar, HBR Layout, on August 17 along with her sister and brother-in-law.

Later, Nagarathna's sister and brotherin-law left for Kuppam and the former continued to stay with Gowramma. Three days later, Gowramma left Nagarathna alone at home and went to Kuppam.

A mason identified as Muniraju, who reportedly had a relationship with Gowramma, visited the house in a drunken state. On seeing Nagarathna alone at home, Muniraju made sexual advances towards her and when she refused, he picked up a wooden plank and hit her on the head.

Following this, she died and he buried her near Gowramma's house in a trench dug by him. He also cleaned the blood stains and fled the scene.

Two days later, Gowramma returned home and found Nagarathna missing and started a search for her. On Wednesday, foul smell emanated from the trench and Gowramma noticed Nagarathna's clothes buried underneath.

She informed the police who exhumed the body. Gowramma suspected Muniraju's involvement and told the police who in turn questioned Muniraju who confessed to the crime.

Woman conned: A stranger conned an elderly woman of her gold chain on Thursday afternoon after promising her to get a loan.

When Lakshmidevi (88) was returning to her house located near Janavahini Educational Trust, Girinagar, a stranger identifying himself as a relative approached her and told her that he could help her get a bank loan.

He took her to an isolated spot and asked her for the chain. He took away the chain and fled the scene. Credit card forgery: Byappanahalli police have arrested a person who used to buy expensive gold ornaments from shops using stolen credit cards and recovered valuables worth over Rs 8 lakh from him.

According to police, Anil Kumar (23) used stolen credit cards and forged signatures to buy valuables.

Live band joint raided: Talaghattapura police raided a live band joint at a farm house near Tataguni village on city outskirts, Kanakapura Road, on Wednesday.

At least 14 girls have been arrested, the police said. The police also seized a television set and other electronic gadgets from the farm house.

Hyderabad: Narco test scares Krushi scamster

[ 8 Sep, 2006 0324hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

HYDERABAD: Krushi Bank scam prime accused K Venkateshwara Rao has reportedly refused to undergo the narcoanalysis test as he feared the drug being used in test may pose a risk to his life. However, CID officials claim Telgi’s revelations may have influenced him to do a U-turn.

As Rao refused to take the test, the CID officials brought him back to the city from Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon and sent him back to the Chanchalguda jail.

"If the CID wants to conduct a narcoanalysis test at any cost, why should they seek Venkateshwara Rao’s consent? Due to the drug given during a narco test, the subject may slip into a coma and it may pose a risk to his life too,’’ G Ashok Reddy, counsel for Kosaraju Venkateshwara Rao, told TOI on Thursday.

Before conducting a surgery or a procedure on a patient, doctors take mandatory medical consent from the patient or relatives, making it clear they are not responsible for any eventuality during the event. Similarly, the CID and doctors want to escape from their responsibility by way of getting his assent, Reddy said.

CID sources said Venkateshwara Rao was all right till Tuesday night and they thought he would cooperate and undergo the test.

Suddenly, he changed his mind and refused to sign after completing the mandatory health check, they added.

"Some news channels aired fake stamp scam kingpin Telgi’s revelations during the narcoanalysis on Tuesday night and that could have scared him. He may have thought he would drop names too under the influence of the drug and that may pose a threat to his life,"the sources added. The CID officials would approach the court again for an order.

"Consent of the accused is not mandatory for conducting the truth serum test. There are several judgments delivered by courts in Karnataka and Maharashtra on this. The FSL experts might have refused to do the test because their guidelines insist on subject’s consent,"a CID officer said.

Police officers also dismissed the argument that the truth serum test drug ‘sodium pentothal’ could induce coma. "The drug is given in small doses during many medical procedures and it will not harm the person,” he said, adding it was a tactic adopted by the accused to avoid the test.

New Delhi: Disabled youth kills girl, slits own throat

[ 6 Sep, 2006 0126hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

NEW DELHI: A 20-year-old woman was stabbed to death by her friend at Chattarpur Extension in Mehrauli on Tuesday afternoon. The man, who is physically challenged, then went on to stab himself and is admitted in AIIMS with little chance of survival.

The victim, Renu, was stabbed 38 times all over the body by Rajesh Singh (26) before he himself slit his throat. Their families are neighbours. According to the police, Rajesh, who is paralysed below the knees because of polio, was in love with Renu.

Renu is also said to have reciprocated his feelings and they were, said the cops, quite friendly for the past several months. Renu was a second-year correspondence student with DU.

On Tuesday afternoon, Renu had come to Rajesh's house around 3.30 pm. Renu was also a close friend of Rajesh's sister Monica. The family members later told the police that Rajesh asked Monica to get water for Renu.

"Rajesh had prepared himself for this. He had hidden a sword and a sharp-edge knife under one of the chairs. As soon as Monica left, he attacked her," said a senior police officer.

Rajesh first stabbed her in the neck with the knife and then used the sword to stab her in the abdomen. Renu died on the spot. Monica informed the neighbours who called up the police.

"Some of the injury marks on Renu's body are defensive in nature which suggests that there was a scuffle before she was killed. It's a crime of passion but we can't say now what was the immediate provocation for killing her," said DCP (south) Anil Shukla.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Rajesh, who was unemployed, was in love with Renu and wanted to marry her. A few family members, however, said that while Renu was also very friendly with him, she had refused to marry him and this led to the incident.

The police recovered a note from Rajesh's room in which he had written that he wanted to commit suicide.

"He had written that he was in great distress and wanted to kill himself and that nobody should be blamed for his death. This note, however, was written almost a month ago. He made no mention of the woman in the note," said a police officer.

Rajesh's father Pal Singh is a supervisor with MCD. Renu's father Gulab Singh was an employee of an export firm. The police have registered a case of murder in Mehrauli police station.