WAR: CNN Report: al-Zarqawi Caught and Released

According to CNN, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was taken into custody by Iraqi security forces last year, but was released because they did not recognize him. The report was unconfirmed by US officials, but they did admit that the incident could have occurred. It is suspected that al-Zarqawi beheaded the American hostage, Nick Berg.



There does seem to be some disagreement about the veracity of this report, but at the same time it is disheartening that someone like al-Zarqawi could have been in custody, but was released because he was not recognized. In fact, it really is pretty incredible. Not that he was in custody, but that there could have been an Iraqi security force agent who wouldn't recognized the most wanted man in Iraq. Regardless, al-Zarqawi is being hunted by the Iraqis, the US and the Jordanians. I think his days are numbered.

Related News Links:
english.aljazeera.net
www.thestandard.com.hk
www.alertnet.org
www.timesonline.co.uk

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
politics.abovetopsecret.com...
Zarqawi: U.S. 'Infidels' Have Us on the Ropes
When we catch Zarqawi - then what?
Al-Zarqawi the Superterrorist - Who Can Prove He Really Exists?

there's also an ATS discussion here:
al-Zarqawi was in custody then released!

And what I want to know, same question I posed in the other thread, is why is this old news (the story came out originally in January of 2005) suddenly news again???? *see above thread

Is this a second incident???

I honestly don't know. The story was brought to my attention by another member, who asked that I post it. If it is not appropriate to ATSNN, I have no problem with its removal, except for the half-hour it took to put it together.

This link might answer your question as to why it's news again:


alertnet.org


[edit on 2005/12/16 by GradyPhilpott]

I'm not the judge of that Grady, I'm just curious as to why CNN and others are running with this story as if it's something new, when it was out back in January???

I want to know why and what are their motives for rehashing this particular story at this particular time.

Per the alternet link provided by grady above

Kamal originally told reporters the story in January but its repetition in a television interview prompted new questions

That is no excuse for rehashing old news, seems to me this is case of bad journalism. Where were the questions when the story was new and fresh??? Do we have to repeat news nowadays for people to pay attention???

Maybe they think if they don't keep mentioning his name that citizens may forget him. I mean its been about two weeks now without anything new blamed on him, so I guess rehash is the next best thing. He certainly does get around that boy.

Originally posted by worldwatcher
I want to know why and what are their motives for rehashing this particular story at this particular time.

When I first saw the story it was flashed as breaking news from Skynews.

I Then researched it an found it was old news and thought perhaps someone at Sky was having a slow news day or a new intern that wanted to try and capture the headlines for a few minutes of glory

Tabloids are known for that ya know, but I do feel that the story is valid since it is dated with current dates. Certainly cannot blame Grady for the ignorance of the media can we?

Perhaps and I say just perhaps he may have been captured twice in a short period of time although I doubt it.



[edit on 12/16/2005 by shots]

Could be they don't want to cut the head off the chicken. This story reminded me of the fact that the CPA repeatedly failed to enforce an arrest warrant for Muqtada al-Sadr, despite opportunities to do so, out of fear that it would enrage his followers.

and wait, just in case we have forgotten what he looks like we have pics to remind us..


www.abc.net.au...


Maybe they think its time to kill him off once and for all and they are just reminding us of him so when they show the "kill off" scenario in a few weeks we will all be suitably satisfied. I don't know, its weird they keep bringing him up but not as weird as blaming him for every camel fart happening in Iraq.

Well, this is a nice way to try and refute all the talk about the al-Zarqawi being used in the media these days is a fictional caracter.

But that won't work since this report, again, isn't confirmable, just like all the other sightings and supposed postings by him on websites.

Asif this comming from the Iraqi security forces makes people think this isn't some more propaganda comming straight out of the pentagon.

Something is going on...the NY Times and CNN seem to be on a news repackaging binge. They must be scared Bush hit bottom and is regaining popularity.

Originally posted by Mayet
I don't know, its weird they keep bringing him up....

Let us not forget that al-Zarqawi is still a hot commodity in the Middle East. It has only been about a month ago that he engineered the wedding bombing in Jordan, which has ramped up the interest in serving his head up on a charger, even among Arabs. Some even feel that al-Qaeda wants Zaqawi dead.

Personally, I don't know fully why this one story has resurfaced, but the main story and the added links outline a series of close calls for the barbaric ideologue. There must be a reason this story has resurfaced, even if I don't know what it is and there are very many news outlets who feel the same.

It's amazing to me how these terrorist figures keep emerging and almost instantly becoming larger than life. I would find it difficult to really be excited if he was caught, because I'd be quite confident that somebody else we've never heard of would instantly take his place as the mysterious, uncatchable bogey for the media to make a big deal about.

Maybe that's all Zarqawi is- a face on our fear now that Bin Laden and Zawahiri have vanished. (Have you noticed how the face of Al Qaida seems to change every year or so, even when to the best of our knowledge the people in charge haven't been killed or captured?)

One possible motivation, at least in my opinion, for the focus on Zarqawi is that the media has not built an association between him and Afghanistan. The new war needs new enemies- afterall, they keep telling us that Bin Laden and Zawahiri are in Waziristan, and this administration needs Iraqi enemies now that Saddam is in custody.

Don't read anything about my views on Iraq into this- I'm just saying this is why I think Zarqawi might be in the news so much.

Didn't you know? This is part of our governments new "Terrorist Capture and Release Program." It's designed to pacify all of you anti-Guantanamo guys! You guys should all be happy now.

By the way... where are all the "al-Zarqawi doesn't exist" conspirators? Still trying to figure out how to explain the fact that a man who doesn't even exist was captured and released? Because admitting that a 'super terrorist' of CIA-creation was captured and foolishly released serves exactly what purpose? Now let's all see how you spin this one...

Now this man has more Lives then a Cat and more Dissapearing tricks up his sleeve then Houdini Himself!

I would not be surprised that when they "Catch him" (yeah right!), he just dissapers in a big cloud of smoke!

Originally posted by Souljah
I would not be surprised that when they "Catch him" (yeah right!), he just dissapers in a big cloud of smoke!

My sources in Iraqi Intelligence say that's exactly what happened this time.

Edit to add: I don't actually have sources in iraqi intelligence, for that matter I haven't got any sources WITH intelligence, and when you get right down to it, i don't even have very many sources.

As for the "Zarqawi does not exist crowd", I think it's really a moot point whether or not the man exists. Fine fine if he exists, but what the heck is he?
The President exists, but I think most ATSers realize that he's just the hand we're told to keep our eyes on while the other "hand" is pulling all of the strings.

[edit on 17-12-2005 by The Vagabond]

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
I honestly don't know. The story was brought to my attention by another member, who asked that I post it.
[edit on 2005/12/16 by GradyPhilpott]

Yeah, that's my bad. I saw this story out of the corner of my eye before I left for work. I know I was gonna be busy all day for a couple days, so I U2U'd Grady to see if he wanted to get it up for all you fine members.

My fault for not having the time to properly vet the story. Sorry.

Hamburglar,

This is not your fault, as the story was in no less than 350 news outlets and trying to keep up with every turn and twist in the ongoing saga of Zarqawi is difficult, at best. Stories resurface all the time, for various reasons. The reason this one did may very well be more obvious as time goes by.