One of the problems with the story of the London bombing was that the apparent suicide bombers were so unlike previous suicide bombers.
In particular, there was no message left by any of them explaining why they did what they did. Now, al-Jazeera has broadcast a video of the oldest of the bombers, 30 year-old Mohammad Sidique Khan, doing just that. The statement Khan makes in his short video places the blame for his actions on the shoulders of Tony Blair and his Iraq escapades.
Your democratically elected governments continuously perpetuate atrocities against my people and your support of them makes you directly responsible, just as I am directly responsible for protecting and avenging my Muslim brothers and sisters.
Until we feel security, you will be our target. Until you stop the bombing, gassing, imprisonment and torture of my people, we will not stop this fight.
The possibilty, for some time now, is that all four were duped into blowing themselves up. A theory says they were carrying the bombs to where they were to detonate by timer rather than set them off themselves. This theory has two drawbacks. First, police have found no evidence of timing devices at any of the scenes of the explosions. And now this part of Khan’s statement also casts doubts on the unwitting suicide bomber idea:
I’m sure by now the media has painted a suitable picture of me, this predictable propaganda machine will naturally try to put a spin on it to suit the Government and to scare the masses into conforming to their power and wealth obsessed agendas.
These sound like the words of a man who doesn’t expect to be around to actually know whether the media painted a suitable picture or not. Khan, at least, seems to have expected to die.
This fairly mature speech indicates not only that he knew what he was doing, but it isn’t likely he would have allied himself willingly with anyone who didn’t. If no further videos appear, it would be fair to assume he led his own group. Should be cleared up within a few days.
Comment by DE — September 2, 2005 @ 1:53 pm
Strange thing is, I find it almost a relief, as a Muslim. Why?
I have a much easier time accepting the idea that some nutter blew Londoners up because he didn’t think things through, was depressed, alienated and a bit warped - than I do the idea that anything more sinister could have been afoot.
There are still plenty of unanswered questions, like why has the video been released now? By whom? What about the other guys? But these answers should come now, I hope!
Comment by shahid — September 2, 2005 @ 3:56 pm
Shahid,
A suggestion for ‘why now?’ is that the statement contains a coded message intended for other operatives. Now may be the time for that message to be given out.
Comment by Gary Monro — September 2, 2005 @ 4:42 pm
Yup, good point. Interesting that according to his friends - that looks nothing like him at the time of the bombings, maybe more like a year before, when he might well (conjecture on my part) have been visiting some of the Al-Qaeda people elsewhere in the world. Having said that, the two guys don’t actually appear together in the video, so God only knows what to make of it all.
What upsets me about it is that he obviously didn’t consider Brits ‘our people’. How alienated and brainwashed must one become to feel that way? One thing is clear though, that the link between Iraq and the London bombings has been totally established. That certainly doesn’t make it right of course, but it makes Blair look a bit silly.
Comment by shahid — September 2, 2005 @ 6:38 pm
This type of evidence can not be taken at face value.
Study the stream of “terror” video and audio sensations over many years and you will discover all is not what it seems.
Not a single one of these media sensations would be admissable as evidence, before experts in these media production fields scritinized the items to discover the exact nature of the material.
I doubt any would pass the smell test though the media entranced public lap it up like the latest Star Wars episode or Harry Potter novel.
A number of the Bin Laden “tapes” have already been examined by qualified parties and the results reveal a concotion of mistranslations, multiple Bin Laden voices, old video footage spliced and edited and many other abnormalities.
Some of the more interesting “errors” are in regard to the statements and timeframes.
I guess the concentration span of most simply makes it impossible to hope for a deeper study of these propaganda activities.
Unfortunately most switch on their TV or open their Newspaper and believe despite the lies of yesterday, last week and last year.
Gary, can your speculative invention of a coded message be serious?
Like all these sensations, when sober analysis over time is applied the glaring problems will become apparent to serious researchers, but these never achieve discussion in the mass media.
Gary once again swallows this information as completly genuine acting as judge and jury when the history of “terror” propaganda should result in a sober support for judicial examination.
The magicians have likely once again demonstrated
they have firm control over the human mind.
Comment by Christopher Brooks — September 2, 2005 @ 7:55 pm
One study that reveals the behavior and realities of hollywood “Al Qaeda” is the Jonathan Keith Idema saga.
What a murky mess of confusion!
What is clear is that what you here and see in our media can be sourced from agencies that have a reality of contradictions and fantasy.
There is no factual reality to “Al Qaeda”.
Robin Cook revealed this clearly but that uncomfortable information didn`t fit the official theme so we just pretend it was never stated, and of course Cook is now dead.
This level of intellectual dishonesty has become standard behaviour.
Comment by Christopher Brooks — September 4, 2005 @ 10:41 pm