Reddit mentions of The Age of Sacred Terror: Radical Islam's War Against America

History of Bin Laden/Al Qaeda

• US Security officials rejected key information on bin laden by Sudan (theres a theme here with investigating bin laden before 9/11 isnt there)
  
  
• "Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and funded by the Saudis to wage jihad against the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. Al-Qaida, literally "the database", was originally the computer file of the thousands of mujahideen who were recruited and trained with help from the CIA to defeat the Russians. Inexplicably, and with disastrous consequences, it never appears to have occurred to Washington that once Russia was out of the way, Bin Laden's organisation would turn its attention to the west." - Robin Cook, former UK Foreign Secretary
  
  
• The CIA created and armed the Mujahideen with 7.5 billion in 1979 and the Saudis matched them dollar for dollar
  
  
• Bin Ladens MAK, precursor to Al Qaeda, received funding from the ISI (which received funding from the CIA)
  
  
• Bin Ladens tunnel complex, which he would later use after 9/11, was financed by the CIA
  
  
• "The Sudanese security services, he said, would happily keep close watch on bin Laden for the United States. But if that would not suffice, the government was prepared to place him in custody and hand him over, though to whom was ambiguous. In one formulation, Erwa said Sudan would consider any legitimate proffer of criminal charges against the accused terrorist." Their negotiations concluded as such: ""We said he will go to Afghanistan, and they [US officials!] said, 'Let him.'"- Washington Post 2001
  
  
• Clinton declined to charge bin laden with a crime in 94 even though he had been clearly linked to the WTC bombings.
  
  
• MI6 paid large sums to al qaeda in Libya to assassinate gadhaffi in 96. Gadaffi issued an INTERPOL arrest warrant for bin Laden in 98, US and UK downplayed it, likely because they had recently funded the libya cell. 5 months later, al qaeda bombed US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya
  
  
• Al Qaeda and the US fought on the same side of the war in Kosovo and Bosnia. They recently repeated the process with Libya and Syria
  
  
• According to the official story, bin Laden turned against the US after they occupied military bases in Saudi Arabia. This doesnt make sense, because: Scott Armstrong, at the time the top investigative reporter for the Washington Post, stated that the United States and Saudi Arabia had jointly conspired to covertly build $200 billion worth of military installations between the years 1979 and 1992. Steve Coll, eminent Bin Laden biographer, states that the Binladen group received a multitude of these contracts, with the knowing intent to support to house US military personal during wars that may threaten Saudi territory. This was occuring at the same time that Osama was tight with his family and using Binladen group assets to build bases in Afghanistan. Of course he was aware of the business dealings between the company.
  
  
• Prince Bandar bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia, on Larry King Live: "In the mid-'80s, if you remember, we and the United - Saudi Arabia and the United States were supporting the Mujahideen to liberate Afghanistan from the Soviets. He [Osama bin Laden] came to thank me for my efforts to bring the Americans, our friends, to help us against the atheists, he said the communists. Isn't it ironic?"
  
  
• And then there is the fascinating story of Egyptian Ali Muhammed, only tangentially related but thoroughly interesting nonetheless.
  He was a part of the fundamentalist military unit that assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981. In 1984, he was hired by the CIA, though they claim that their relationship was short-lived. He would soon join the military and become a member of the Green Berets, and serve as a drill sergeant at Fort Bragg while providing clandestine training to jihadists such as Mahmud Abaouhalima, convicted perpetrator of the 1993 World Trade Center bombings.
  
  
• He would take a short leave from his military duties and travel to Afghanistan in 1988 to assist the Mujahideen, returning just months later.
  
  
• In the early 1990's he would return to Afghanistan and began training jihadists with the skills he had learned at Fort Bragg. According to former FBI special agent Jack Cloonan, in an interview with PBS, his first training session included Osama bin Laden, as well as Ayman al-Zawahiri, the current leader of Al Qaeda.
  
  
• Former Directors of Counter-terrorism at the National Security Council have alleged that Muhammed took maps and training materials from Fort Bragg and used them to write the Al Qaeda terrorist training manual.
  
  
• His superior at Fort Bragg, Lt. Col. Robert Anderson, has stated that “I think you or I would have a better chance of winning the Powerball lottery, than an Egyptian major in the unit that assassinated Sadat would have getting a visa, getting to California, getting into the Army and getting assigned to a Special Forces unit. That just doesn’t happen.”
  
  
• Elsewhere he stated that "It was unthinkable that an ordinary American GI would go unpunished after fighting in a foreign war," and that he assumed that Muhammed was sponsored by the CIA.

Three_Letter_Agency: ^^original ^^reddit ^^link

and then there is the fascinating story of Egyptian Ali Muhammed, only tangentially related but thoroughly interesting nonetheless.

He was a part of the fundamentalist military unit that assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981. In 1984, he was hired by the CIA, though they claim that their relationship was short-lived. He would soon join the military and become a member of the Green Berets, and serve as a drill sergeant at Fort Bragg while providing clandestine training to jihadists such as Mahmud Abaouhalima, convicted perpetrator of the 1993 World Trade Center bombings.

He would take a short leave from his military duties and travel to Afghanistan in 1988 to assist the Mujahideen, returning just months later.

In the early 1990's he would return to Afghanistan and began training jihadists with the skills he had learned at Fort Bragg. According to former FBI special agent Jack Cloonan, in an interview with PBS, his first training session included Osama bin Laden, as well as Ayman al-Zawahiri, the current leader of Al Qaeda.

Former Directors of Counter-terrorism at the National Security Council have alleged that Muhammed took maps and training materials from Fort Bragg and used them to write the Al Qaeda terrorist training manual.

His superior at Fort Bragg, Lt. Col. Robert Anderson, has stated that “I think you or I would have a better chance of winning the Powerball lottery, than an Egyptian major in the unit that assassinated Sadat would have getting a visa, getting to California, getting into the Army and getting assigned to a Special Forces unit. That just doesn’t happen.”

Elsewhere he stated that "It was unthinkable that an ordinary American GI would go unpunished after fighting in a foreign war," and that he assumed that Muhammed was sponsored by the CIA.

History of Bin Laden/Al Qaeda

• US Security officials rejected key information on bin laden by Sudan (theres a theme here with investigating bin laden before 9/11 isnt there)
  
  
• "Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and funded by the Saudis to wage jihad against the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. Al-Qaida, literally "the database", was originally the computer file of the thousands of mujahideen who were recruited and trained with help from the CIA to defeat the Russians. Inexplicably, and with disastrous consequences, it never appears to have occurred to Washington that once Russia was out of the way, Bin Laden's organisation would turn its attention to the west." - Robin Cook, former UK Foreign Secretary
  
  
• The CIA created and armed the Mujahideen with 7.5 billion in 1979 and the Saudis matched them dollar for dollar
  
  
• Bin Ladens MAK, precursor to Al Qaeda, received funding from the ISI (which received funding from the CIA)
  
  
• Bin Ladens tunnel complex, which he would later use after 9/11, was financed by the CIA
  
  
• "The Sudanese security services, he said, would happily keep close watch on bin Laden for the United States. But if that would not suffice, the government was prepared to place him in custody and hand him over, though to whom was ambiguous. In one formulation, Erwa said Sudan would consider any legitimate proffer of criminal charges against the accused terrorist." Their negotiations concluded as such: ""We said he will go to Afghanistan, and they [US officials!] said, 'Let him.'"- Washington Post 2001
  
  
• Clinton declined to charge bin laden with a crime in 94 even though he had been clearly linked to the WTC bombings.
  
  
• MI6 paid large sums to al qaeda in Libya to assassinate gadhaffi in 96. Gadaffi issued an INTERPOL arrest warrant for bin Laden in 98, US and UK downplayed it, likely because they had recently funded the libya cell. 5 months later, al qaeda bombed US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya
  
  
• Al Qaeda and the US fought on the same side of the war in Kosovo and Bosnia. They recently repeated the process with Libya and Syria
  
  
• According to the official story, bin Laden turned against the US after they occupied military bases in Saudi Arabia. This doesnt make sense, because: Scott Armstrong, at the time the top investigative reporter for the Washington Post, stated that the United States and Saudi Arabia had jointly conspired to covertly build $200 billion worth of military installations between the years 1979 and 1992. Steve Coll, eminent Bin Laden biographer, states that the Binladen group received a multitude of these contracts, with the knowing intent to support to house US military personal during wars that may threaten Saudi territory. This was occuring at the same time that Osama was tight with his family and using Binladen group assets to build bases in Afghanistan. Of course he was aware of the business dealings between the company.
  
  
• Prince Bandar bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia, on Larry King Live: "In the mid-'80s, if you remember, we and the United - Saudi Arabia and the United States were supporting the Mujahideen to liberate Afghanistan from the Soviets. He [Osama bin Laden] came to thank me for my efforts to bring the Americans, our friends, to help us against the atheists, he said the communists. Isn't it ironic?"
  
  
• And then there is the fascinating story of Egyptian Ali Muhammed, only tangentially related but thoroughly interesting nonetheless.
  He was a part of the fundamentalist military unit that assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981. In 1984, he was hired by the CIA, though they claim that their relationship was short-lived. He would soon join the military and become a member of the Green Berets, and serve as a drill sergeant at Fort Bragg while providing clandestine training to jihadists such as Mahmud Abaouhalima, convicted perpetrator of the 1993 World Trade Center bombings.
  
  
• He would take a short leave from his military duties and travel to Afghanistan in 1988 to assist the Mujahideen, returning just months later.
  
  
• In the early 1990's he would return to Afghanistan and began training jihadists with the skills he had learned at Fort Bragg. According to former FBI special agent Jack Cloonan, in an interview with PBS, his first training session included Osama bin Laden, as well as Ayman al-Zawahiri, the current leader of Al Qaeda.
  
  
• Former Directors of Counter-terrorism at the National Security Council have alleged that Muhammed took maps and training materials from Fort Bragg and used them to write the Al Qaeda terrorist training manual.
  
  
• His superior at Fort Bragg, Lt. Col. Robert Anderson, has stated that “I think you or I would have a better chance of winning the Powerball lottery, than an Egyptian major in the unit that assassinated Sadat would have getting a visa, getting to California, getting into the Army and getting assigned to a Special Forces unit. That just doesn’t happen.”
  
  
• Elsewhere he stated that "It was unthinkable that an ordinary American GI would go unpunished after fighting in a foreign war," and that he assumed that Muhammed was sponsored by the CIA.