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Was The Latest Osama bin Laden Tape A Forgery?

September 10th, 2007
By JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief

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Osama bin Laden’s latest video debut got widespread coverage as usual — but now a new issue has arisen:

Are there specific signs in that video that it’s actually a forgery and not a recent video of bin Laden?

A debate is raging on the Internet on the right and left — and it’s likely to continue but people on both sides note some things that are making all of them raise their eyebrows.

First, read Booman Tribune which believes the video is a fake, citing various factors including the fact that the actual video of bin Laden himself freezes while references to recent events are actually done in voice over. Read it in full (it has the video).

Next, go to Stop The ACLU on the right which has an excellent round up of some of the blog discussion on the sites, expresses some skepticism but is not quite sure if it’s a fake, concluding: “One thing is for sure. If any part of this video had the intention to squash the rumors and theories that Osama is dead…it failed.”

The debate comes after a key Bush adviser said bin Laden is now “impotent.” (But what does his sex life have to do with it? And does this mean he’s secretly contacting former Senator Bob Dole to try and find out about the effectiveness of Viagra?)

All of this debate is speculative, of course. But there are various possibilities. One is that bin Laden is really in no shape to appear on camera so they used old footage and voiced in current references. The other is that he is actually dead and this is indeed older footage with voice over during the freeze frame provided by a bin Laden impersonator.

After all, if there are Elvis impersonators, there could also be bin Laden impersonators — although the bin Laden impersonators’ upper lip sneers may not be quite as good…

And the source of the video?

If it had been another group or agency putting out a fake bin Laden tape, there would be all kinds of news stories and web site disavowals coming from the Al Qaeda camp. That has NOT happened. So it’s safe to assume the source is the terrorist group.

The other questions remain. Was the tape put out to “show the flag” — show that bin Laden is out there and terrorize Americans via video? Or did it contain some kind of coded signal to set in motion a new attack or series of attacks?

The answers to these questions will be clear in time. But what’s already clear is alive or dead, current video or recycled one, Osama bin Laden is still a big world terrorist psychological force to be reckoned with.



This entry was posted on Monday, September 10th, 2007 at 5:53 am and is filed under Al Qaeda, Terrorism, 9/11, Videos, War On Terror. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

 
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