Bush team lets Osama #1 bodyguard go

[Buzzcook]

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/45505.html

Soon after Osama bin Laden's driver got here in 2002, he told interrogators the identity of the al Qaeda chief's most senior bodyguard — then a fellow prison camp detainee.

But, inexplicably, the U.S. let the bodyguard go.

This startling information was revealed in the fourth day of the war crimes trial of Salim Hamdan, 37, facing conspiracy and material support for terror charges as an alleged member of bin Laden's inner circle.

Hamdan supposedly helped identify 30 of Bin Laden's bodyguards, including:

Casablanca-born Abdallah Tabarak, then 47, described by St. Ours as ''a hard individual,'' and, thanks to Hamdan, ``the head bodyguard of all the bodyguards.''

St. Ours said he was eager to speak with Tabarak. But the Moroccan was ''uncooperative,'' and St. Ours moved on to other intelligence jobs — and never learned afterward what became of him.

Then, on cross-examination, Hamdan defense attorney Harry Schneider dropped a bombshell:

''Would it surprise you to learn he was released without ever being charged?'' St. Ours looked stunned.

''Yeah,'' he said.

Prison camp and Pentagon spokesmen did not reply Thursday to a request for an explanation.

The Bush administration, everyone in it from Cheney on down are a bunch of incompetent hacks. This is why the rule of law is important. It's not just torture or habeas; the rule of law helps protect society from incompetent government functionaries.
But don't worry that dangerous 14 year old is still behind bars.

 

[Bruxley]

Sounds to me like there's more to the story then what the defense is telling/knows. It's a defense attorney's job to cast this kind of light on things on behalf of his client and should do that.

Being completely transparent in Intelligence Operations is not only impossible, it's foolish. It's easy to make whatever tiny piece of that kind of activity look sinister or 'incompetent' as you choose to conclude from what little you've seen when the whole story can't be brought to light to counter such hyperbole.

Overly lenient hasn't been a trait of Bush's approach to the War on Terrorism.

It looks to me by the little info presented that this guy became liquid capital to acquire or develop a more valuable asset.

 

[Yellowfin]

What's new? They let Pelosi roam free and continue to rule--that requires more explaination.

 

[Playboypenguin]

Is there information that leads to the conclusion that Bush or Cheney even knew about this guy or that they had anything to do with his release?

And then is there any real evidence that this guy is eve who he is said to be in the first place. People were being paid by the head for the number of terrorists they turned in and being given deals for information given on other people. Usually the people turned in were innocents and the people ratted on where not what the other people claimed they were to gain their own freedom.