Bin Laden letter intercepted

2005-03-14 19:02

Dubai - Osama bin Laden attempted to communicate with Al-Qaeda's frontman in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a month ago through a letter that was seized when a ground courier in Pakistan was intercepted, a counter-terrorism expert said here on Monday.

"About four weeks ago, we intercepted communication between Osama bin Laden and Zarqawi," which occurred when "a ground courier was intercepted," Bob Newman, director of international security and counter-terrorism services with The GeoScope Group, told an Airport, Port and Terminal Security (APTS) Middle East conference.

"We (US intelligence) intercepted the man and looked in his pockets. That's how we found out," he added.

Newman, whose Colorado-based organisation provides teams to help track down terror suspects at the planning stage, later told reporters the courier was stopped in west Pakistan, "carrying a letter".

"We believe it was authentic. But was it really an attempt at clandestine communication or was he (bin Laden) testing our ability to intercept him? We believe he may have been trying to see if we could intercept his courier," he said.

A US counter-terrorism official said in Washington last month that the Al-Qaeda leader had suggested to Zarqawi that he get involved in attacks inside the United States, where bin Laden's followers carried out the September 11 2001 attacks.

The official would not comment on how the two had communicated.

In December, bin Laden named the Jordanian-born Zarqawi "emir" of the terror network in Iraq. The United States has placed $25m bounties on both men.

- AFP