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So what was the Saudi Government role in the 9/11 attack?
Iran helped 9/11, using the Saudis as proxies. Look at the facts. - US Treasury agrees
- Thread starter ☑︎#VoteDemocrat
- Start date
So what was the Saudi Government role in the 9/11 attack?
Thats already well understood:
Saudi intelligence may have had a role and members of the Saudi embassy may have funded parts of it.
Look up the Khobar Towers bombing. Iranians coordinated the attack but saudis carried it out, disaffected losers.
OK, bytch.
Secure Da Bag
Veteran
Secure Da Bag
Veteran
Aside from updating us on Iran's involvement, direct or indirect, in 9/11, is there any other reason we should be concerned? Or concentrating on this now?
How was I wrong?Clinton says hello.
I wanted her to win.
Was I supposed to predict a Trump win? I don't speak stupid. Explain yourself.
IRAN ADMITS THEY WORKED WITH AL QAEDA IN BOSNIA
@88m3 @ADevilYouKhow @wire28 @dtownreppin214
@DonKnock @dza @wire28 @BigMoneyGrip @Dameon Farrow @re'up @Blackfyre @Cali_livin @NY's #1 Draft Pick @Skyfall
@88m3 @ADevilYouKhow @wire28 @dtownreppin214
@DonKnock @dza @wire28 @BigMoneyGrip @Dameon Farrow @re'up @Blackfyre @Cali_livin @NY's #1 Draft Pick @Skyfall
FRIED MASON
Superstar
The jews did it.
HAVEN'T I SAID THAT IRAN WILL PAY SUNNIS WHEN NECESSARY???????
https://www.thecoli.com/threads/ira...terrorists-before-9-11-finally-proven.654571/
https://www.thecoli.com/threads/ira...-look-at-the-facts-us-treasury-agrees.420189/
https://www.thecoli.com/threads/exploring-al-qa’ida’s-russian-connection.425242
US intelligence indicates Iran paid bounties to Taliban for targeting American troops in Afghanistan
By Zachary Cohen, CNN
Updated 7:48 AM ET, Mon August 17, 2020
US intelligence: Iran paid bounties to Taliban to target US troops 03:29
Washington (CNN)US intelligence agencies assessed that Iran offered bounties to Taliban fighters for targeting American and coalition troops in Afghanistan, identifying payments linked to at least six attacks carried out by the militant group just last year alone, including a suicide bombing at a US air base in December, CNN has learned.
"Bounties" were paid by a foreign government, identified to CNN as Iran, to the Haqqani network -- a terrorist group that is led by the second highest ranking leader of the Taliban -- for their attack on Bagram Air Base on December 11, which killed two civilians and injured more than 70 others, including four US personnel, according to a Pentagon briefing document reviewed by CNN.
The name of the foreign government that made these payments remains classified but two sources familiar with the intelligence confirmed to CNN that it refers to Iran.
Afghanistan to release 400 Taliban prisoners, paving way for direct peace talks
The US killed a key Iranian general in Iraq less than a month after the Bagram attack but after a lengthy process involving several agencies to develop options aimed at countering Iran's support for militant groups in Afghanistan. The decision was made in March not to take specific action as officials did not want to jeopardize the peace process with the Taliban, according to multiple sources familiar.
The revelation that Iran might have paid the Taliban follows the controversy over Russian bounties for attacks on American troops, an issue that has been consistently downplayed by the Trump administration in recent weeks.
Russia has denied the allegation.
The lack of public condemnation of Iran or the Taliban and the decision not to pursue a diplomatic or military response also highlights the administration's apparent desire to protect peace talks with the Taliban -- which culminated in an agreement that was signed in February -- at all costs with the goal of helping Trump fulfill his long-stated campaign promise of removing American troops from Afghanistan.
Sophisticated attack rattled officials
The attack at Bagram, which is regarded as the most prominent US military installation in Afghanistan, was highly sophisticated and rattled officials working on Afghanistan matters because it highlighted vulnerabilities of some of the American compounds, according to one source involved in the Taliban peace efforts.
Specifically, the Pentagon briefing document noted that a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (SVBIED) was used in the attack. Roughly 10 Taliban fighters engaged in a firefight with local security forces after the explosion and were ultimately killed by US airstrikes.
That sentiment was also factored into assessments by US intelligence officials from the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) in the days after the attack, according to documents obtained by CNN.
Esper says US troop levels in Afghanistan to go below 5,000 by end of November
"Based on the nature of the attack and agreed upon bounties," the December attack likely met the criteria for reimbursement, the Pentagon briefing document, which was provided to the Secretary of Defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff just days after the incident occurred, states.
While US intelligence officials acknowledge that the Haqqani Network would not necessarily require payment in exchange for targeting American troops, the internal Pentagon document reviewed by CNN notes that the funding linked to the December 11 attack at Bagram "probably incentivizes future high-profile attacks on US and Coalition forces."
Iran has long been known to use proxies for conducting attacks throughout the region but in the months following December's bombing at Bagram, US officials across several agencies were tasked with investigating Tehran's relationship with the Haqqani Network in Afghanistan and developing specific response options.
But despite acknowledging that the relationship "poses a significant threat to US interests," National Security Council officials ultimately recommended in late March that the administration should not take specific steps toward addressing the underlying Iran-Haqqani Network nexus as officials concluded that any response would likely have a negative impact on the peace efforts, according to an internal memo obtained by CNN.
Pentagon says US has withdrawn from 5 bases in Afghanistan as part of agreement with Taliban
NSC officials also determined that the Afghan government's ability to focus on any issue other than the coronavirus outbreak would likely deteriorate, therefore limiting potential diplomatic options that typically would be available.
While the Trump administration did not take any specific action after concluding its internal review of the link between Iran and the Haqqani Network earlier this year, multiple officials argued that the President has taken a strong stance toward Tehran for its dealings with the Taliban.
A current administration official and former senior official with knowledge of the situation told CNN that Iran's link to the Taliban was cited by US officials as part of the argument for conducting the strike that killed top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in January.
Still, the issue of foreign governments encouraging the Taliban to resume attacking US and coalition forces in Afghanistan remains a topic of concern for national security officials, according to a joint intelligence assessment produced by the CIA, NSA and NCTC just last month. The assessment notes that Iran reimbursed the Haqqani Network after it conducted at least six attacks against US and Coalition interests in 2019.
Pentagon spokesman Army Maj. Rob Lodewick told CNN that "the Department of Defense does not disclose timelines or discussions surrounding internal deliberations and intelligence briefings," when asked whether top defense officials were briefed on intelligence related to Iran's involvement in specific Taliban attacks but did acknowledge Tehran's efforts to undermine the peace process.
"The administration has repeatedly demanded, both publicly and privately, that Iran cease its scourge of malign and destabilizing behavior throughout the Middle East and the world. While the United States, its NATO allies and coalition partners are working to facilitate an end to 19 years of bloodshed, Iran's inimical influence seeks to undermine the Afghan peace process and foster a continuation of violence and instability," he said.
The Iranian government, the NCTC and the NSC did not respond to CNN's request for comment.
Discussions about a response continued for roughly three months
While working group discussions focused on addressing Iran's payments to the Haqqani Network continued on for roughly three months after the Soleimani strike, some officials involved in the process believed efforts to develop options aimed at countering the relationship were hamstrung by the ongoing peace talks between the US and Taliban, two sources familiar with the process told CNN.
"The object of concern was the relationship because it seemed like one that in any other year would have merited pretty concerted action," a source familiar with the decision-making process told CNN, noting that options like targeted sanctions or even a military response against the militant group in Afghanistan would have otherwise been on the table.
Pentagon chief confirms he was briefed on intelligence about Russian payments to the Taliban
"The overarching element to all of this has been the prioritization of the peace deal with the Taliban and that, even going back to December 2019, was a well-known priority in terms of what the US response would be to a potential incentivized attack backed by a foreign government," the same source said. "On the peace agreement, prior to its publication and even following its publication, it was astonishing the degree to which the Department of State and special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation were in the lead as opposed to the national security council staff."
While top administration officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, were quick to condemn the December attack at Bagram, there was no mention of any US injuries in the days and weeks that followed despite knowing shortly after the incident that four Americans had been wounded, according to the Pentagon briefing document.
The administration has also never mentioned Iran's connection to the bombing, an omission current and former officials said was connected to the broader prioritization of the peace agreement and withdrawal from Afghanistan.
US special envoy for Iran stepping down
At the time of the December attack on Bagram, peace negotiations between the US and the Taliban were in a fragile state. Less than two weeks prior, Trump had announced during a surprise trip to Bagram that talks were going to resume after a months-long pause.
A State Department spokesperson declined to answer questions about Iran's purported role in the December 11 attack on Bagram but told CNN that Tehran's "support to some elements of the Taliban has threatened to undermine the peace process in Afghanistan."
"Iran has tried to use proxy groups to carry out the Iranian regime's own nefarious agenda, and it would be a mistake for any faction of the Taliban to get entangled in Iran's dirty work," they added, noting that the Trump administration "remains committed to addressing the full range of threats Iran poses to the US and regional stability. "
CNN's Vivian Salama, Barbara Starr and Kylie Atwood contributed reporting
@88m3 @dtownreppin214 @2Quik4UHoes
https://www.thecoli.com/threads/ira...terrorists-before-9-11-finally-proven.654571/
https://www.thecoli.com/threads/ira...-look-at-the-facts-us-treasury-agrees.420189/
https://www.thecoli.com/threads/exploring-al-qa’ida’s-russian-connection.425242
US intelligence indicates Iran paid bounties to Taliban for targeting American troops in Afghanistan
By Zachary Cohen, CNN
Updated 7:48 AM ET, Mon August 17, 2020
US intelligence: Iran paid bounties to Taliban to target US troops 03:29
Washington (CNN)US intelligence agencies assessed that Iran offered bounties to Taliban fighters for targeting American and coalition troops in Afghanistan, identifying payments linked to at least six attacks carried out by the militant group just last year alone, including a suicide bombing at a US air base in December, CNN has learned.
"Bounties" were paid by a foreign government, identified to CNN as Iran, to the Haqqani network -- a terrorist group that is led by the second highest ranking leader of the Taliban -- for their attack on Bagram Air Base on December 11, which killed two civilians and injured more than 70 others, including four US personnel, according to a Pentagon briefing document reviewed by CNN.
The name of the foreign government that made these payments remains classified but two sources familiar with the intelligence confirmed to CNN that it refers to Iran.
Afghanistan to release 400 Taliban prisoners, paving way for direct peace talks
The US killed a key Iranian general in Iraq less than a month after the Bagram attack but after a lengthy process involving several agencies to develop options aimed at countering Iran's support for militant groups in Afghanistan. The decision was made in March not to take specific action as officials did not want to jeopardize the peace process with the Taliban, according to multiple sources familiar.
The revelation that Iran might have paid the Taliban follows the controversy over Russian bounties for attacks on American troops, an issue that has been consistently downplayed by the Trump administration in recent weeks.
Russia has denied the allegation.
The lack of public condemnation of Iran or the Taliban and the decision not to pursue a diplomatic or military response also highlights the administration's apparent desire to protect peace talks with the Taliban -- which culminated in an agreement that was signed in February -- at all costs with the goal of helping Trump fulfill his long-stated campaign promise of removing American troops from Afghanistan.
Sophisticated attack rattled officials
The attack at Bagram, which is regarded as the most prominent US military installation in Afghanistan, was highly sophisticated and rattled officials working on Afghanistan matters because it highlighted vulnerabilities of some of the American compounds, according to one source involved in the Taliban peace efforts.
Specifically, the Pentagon briefing document noted that a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (SVBIED) was used in the attack. Roughly 10 Taliban fighters engaged in a firefight with local security forces after the explosion and were ultimately killed by US airstrikes.
That sentiment was also factored into assessments by US intelligence officials from the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) in the days after the attack, according to documents obtained by CNN.
Esper says US troop levels in Afghanistan to go below 5,000 by end of November
"Based on the nature of the attack and agreed upon bounties," the December attack likely met the criteria for reimbursement, the Pentagon briefing document, which was provided to the Secretary of Defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff just days after the incident occurred, states.
While US intelligence officials acknowledge that the Haqqani Network would not necessarily require payment in exchange for targeting American troops, the internal Pentagon document reviewed by CNN notes that the funding linked to the December 11 attack at Bagram "probably incentivizes future high-profile attacks on US and Coalition forces."
Iran has long been known to use proxies for conducting attacks throughout the region but in the months following December's bombing at Bagram, US officials across several agencies were tasked with investigating Tehran's relationship with the Haqqani Network in Afghanistan and developing specific response options.
But despite acknowledging that the relationship "poses a significant threat to US interests," National Security Council officials ultimately recommended in late March that the administration should not take specific steps toward addressing the underlying Iran-Haqqani Network nexus as officials concluded that any response would likely have a negative impact on the peace efforts, according to an internal memo obtained by CNN.
Pentagon says US has withdrawn from 5 bases in Afghanistan as part of agreement with Taliban
NSC officials also determined that the Afghan government's ability to focus on any issue other than the coronavirus outbreak would likely deteriorate, therefore limiting potential diplomatic options that typically would be available.
While the Trump administration did not take any specific action after concluding its internal review of the link between Iran and the Haqqani Network earlier this year, multiple officials argued that the President has taken a strong stance toward Tehran for its dealings with the Taliban.
A current administration official and former senior official with knowledge of the situation told CNN that Iran's link to the Taliban was cited by US officials as part of the argument for conducting the strike that killed top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in January.
Still, the issue of foreign governments encouraging the Taliban to resume attacking US and coalition forces in Afghanistan remains a topic of concern for national security officials, according to a joint intelligence assessment produced by the CIA, NSA and NCTC just last month. The assessment notes that Iran reimbursed the Haqqani Network after it conducted at least six attacks against US and Coalition interests in 2019.
Pentagon spokesman Army Maj. Rob Lodewick told CNN that "the Department of Defense does not disclose timelines or discussions surrounding internal deliberations and intelligence briefings," when asked whether top defense officials were briefed on intelligence related to Iran's involvement in specific Taliban attacks but did acknowledge Tehran's efforts to undermine the peace process.
"The administration has repeatedly demanded, both publicly and privately, that Iran cease its scourge of malign and destabilizing behavior throughout the Middle East and the world. While the United States, its NATO allies and coalition partners are working to facilitate an end to 19 years of bloodshed, Iran's inimical influence seeks to undermine the Afghan peace process and foster a continuation of violence and instability," he said.
The Iranian government, the NCTC and the NSC did not respond to CNN's request for comment.
Discussions about a response continued for roughly three months
While working group discussions focused on addressing Iran's payments to the Haqqani Network continued on for roughly three months after the Soleimani strike, some officials involved in the process believed efforts to develop options aimed at countering the relationship were hamstrung by the ongoing peace talks between the US and Taliban, two sources familiar with the process told CNN.
"The object of concern was the relationship because it seemed like one that in any other year would have merited pretty concerted action," a source familiar with the decision-making process told CNN, noting that options like targeted sanctions or even a military response against the militant group in Afghanistan would have otherwise been on the table.
Pentagon chief confirms he was briefed on intelligence about Russian payments to the Taliban
"The overarching element to all of this has been the prioritization of the peace deal with the Taliban and that, even going back to December 2019, was a well-known priority in terms of what the US response would be to a potential incentivized attack backed by a foreign government," the same source said. "On the peace agreement, prior to its publication and even following its publication, it was astonishing the degree to which the Department of State and special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation were in the lead as opposed to the national security council staff."
While top administration officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, were quick to condemn the December attack at Bagram, there was no mention of any US injuries in the days and weeks that followed despite knowing shortly after the incident that four Americans had been wounded, according to the Pentagon briefing document.
The administration has also never mentioned Iran's connection to the bombing, an omission current and former officials said was connected to the broader prioritization of the peace agreement and withdrawal from Afghanistan.
US special envoy for Iran stepping down
At the time of the December attack on Bagram, peace negotiations between the US and the Taliban were in a fragile state. Less than two weeks prior, Trump had announced during a surprise trip to Bagram that talks were going to resume after a months-long pause.
A State Department spokesperson declined to answer questions about Iran's purported role in the December 11 attack on Bagram but told CNN that Tehran's "support to some elements of the Taliban has threatened to undermine the peace process in Afghanistan."
"Iran has tried to use proxy groups to carry out the Iranian regime's own nefarious agenda, and it would be a mistake for any faction of the Taliban to get entangled in Iran's dirty work," they added, noting that the Trump administration "remains committed to addressing the full range of threats Iran poses to the US and regional stability. "
CNN's Vivian Salama, Barbara Starr and Kylie Atwood contributed reporting
@88m3 @dtownreppin214 @2Quik4UHoes
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then why hasnt the right revealed this in the wake of the iran dealit would seem a perfect opportunity
Half of that article points the finger at how Saudi is guilty of all the things that people allege of them
But OP concludes that Saudi is after all innocent
....
Hold on brehs.
Regardless of your feelings towards Nap, reading through the thread brehs aren't doing a good job of responding to the actual facts presented.
How could iran make plans go unintercepted? How could iran make buildings crumble to dust. Including a building that wasnt even hit by a plane? How could iran ship off the steel and evidence without doing a proper investigation?
OP thinks he's more informed than the president
The conspiracy theorist rational of the past was that Iraq and Afghanistan would be the jump off points for the invasion of Iran but our troops are no longer there.
I don't doubt Iran could put together a 9/11 style attack though.
OP needs a crash course on Iran
So if we know Iran is supporting Al-Q, why the fukk are we sending billions in cash to them?
If true, this makes the Obama ransom payments THAT much worse.
It also lends credibility to the tinfoilers who say we fund terrorists...because if we're paying off Iran while they're using those funds for extremists, then yeah, in a way we are perpetuating the cycle of terrorism.
Damn coli nikka with receipts?
Comeback thread of the year?
Nap is a neocon war hawk .
You get paid to post for sure
READ THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT!
"SENIOR OPERATIVE OF HEZBOLLAH" = IMAD MUGNIYEH! Imad Mughniyeh - Wikipedia
@jj23 @the next guy @Rhakim
I was talking about this 4+ years ago
Al Qaeda’s No. 2, Accused in U.S. Embassy Attacks, Is Secretly Killed in Iran
MOSSAD CLAPPED HIM ON A MOTORCYCLE!
USA has Israel smoke him, and Hamza Bin Ladens widow. They’ve been tracking al qaeda operatives in Iran for years
Iran knowingly gave him a fake identity to live under
because they were hiding that they’ve been hiding members of al qaeda for years.I’ve talked about Iran’s ties to al qaeda and possible links to 9/11 for a while
And this happened THREE MONTHS AGO!!!
For anyone thats confused, I've been trying to get people to pay attention to how Iran overlooks Sunni tribalism and unites with terror groups like Hezbollah and Al Qaeda to carry out its aims against the west.
Bin Laden had ties with Iran going back to the 90s via Imad Mughniyeh and their meetings in Sudan...
Iran has been playing hide and seek with the USA for a LONG time.
People mocked me for years
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This needs a fukking movie
Al Qaeda’s No. 2, Accused in U.S. Embassy Attacks, Was Killed in Iran
Al Qaeda’s No. 2, Accused in U.S. Embassy Attacks, Was Killed in Iran
Israeli agents shot Abu Muhammad al-Masri on the streets of Tehran at the behest of the U.S., officials said, but no one — Iran, Al Qaeda, the U.S. or Israel — has publicly acknowledged the killing.
By Adam Goldman, Eric Schmitt, Farnaz Fassihi and Ronen Bergman
Published Nov. 13, 2020Updated Nov. 14, 2020, 5:16 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON — Al Qaeda’s second-highest leader, accused of being one of the masterminds of the deadly 1998 attacks on American embassies in Africa, was killed in Iran three months ago, intelligence officials have confirmed.
Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, who went by the nom de guerre Abu Muhammad al-Masri, was gunned down on the streets of Tehran by two assassins on a motorcycle on Aug. 7, the anniversary of the embassy attacks. He was killed along with his daughter, Miriam, the widow of Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza bin Laden.
The attack was carried out by Israeli operatives at the behest of the United States, according to four of the officials. It is unclear what role if any was played by the United States, which had been tracking the movements of Mr. al-Masri and other Qaeda operatives in Iran for years.
The killing occurred in such a netherworld of geopolitical intrigue and counterterrorism spycraft that Mr. al-Masri’s death had been rumored but never confirmed until now. For reasons that are still obscure, Al Qaeda has not announced the death of one of its top leaders, Iranian officials covered it up, and no country has publicly claimed responsibility for it.
Mr. al-Masri, who was about 58, was one of Al Qaeda’s founding leaders and was thought to be first in line to lead the organization after its current leader, Ayman al-Zawahri.
Long featured on the F.B.I.’s Most Wanted Terrorist list, he had been indicted in the United States for crimes related to the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people and wounded hundreds. The F.B.I. offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture, and as of Friday, his picture was still on the Most Wanted list.
The F.B.I. wanted poster for Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, who went by the nom de guerre Abu Muhammad al-Masri.Federal Bureau of Investigation
That he had been living in Iran was surprising, given that Iran and Al Qaeda are bitter enemies. Iran, a Shiite Muslim theocracy, and Al Qaeda, a Sunni Muslim jihadist group, have fought each other on the battlefields of Iraq and other places.
American intelligence officials say that Mr. al-Masri had been in Iran’s “custody” since 2003, but that he had been living freely in the Pasdaran district of Tehran, an upscale suburb, since at least 2015.
Around 9:00 on a warm summer night, he was driving his white Renault L90 sedan with his daughter near his home when two gunmen on a motorcycle drew up beside him. Five shots were fired from a pistol fitted with a silencer. Four bullets entered the car through the driver’s side and a fifth hit a nearby car.
As news of the shooting broke, Iran’s official news media identified the victims as Habib Daoud, a Lebanese history professor, and his 27-year-old daughter Maryam. The Lebanese news channel MTV and social media accounts affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps reported that Mr. Daoud was a member of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant organization in Lebanon.
It seemed plausible.
The killing came amid a summer of frequent explosions in Iran, mounting tensions with the United States, days after an enormous explosion in the port of Beirut and a week before the United Nations Security Council was to consider extending an arms embargo against Iran. There was speculation that the killing may have been a Western provocation intended to elicit a violent Iranian reaction in advance of the Security Council vote.
And the targeted killing by two gunmen on a motorcycle fit the modus operandi of previous Israeli assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists. That Israel would kill an official of Hezbollah, which is committed to fighting Israel, also seemed to make sense, except for the fact that Israel had been consciously avoiding killing Hezbollah operatives so as not to provoke a war.
In fact, there was no Habib Daoud.
Several Lebanese with close ties to Iran said they had not heard of him or his killing. A search of Lebanese news media found no reports of a Lebanese history professor killed in Iran last summer. And an education researcher with access to lists of all history professors in the country said there was no record of a Habib Daoud.
One of the intelligence officials said that Habib Daoud was an alias Iranian officials gave Mr. al-Masri and the history teaching job was a cover story. In October, the former leader of Egypt’s Islamic Jihad, Nabil Naeem, who called Mr. al-Masri a longtime friend, told the Saudi news channel Al Arabiya the same thing.
Iran may have had good reason for wanting to hide the fact that it was harboring an avowed enemy, but it was less clear why Iranian officials would have taken in the Qaeda leader to begin with.
Some terrorism experts suggested that keeping Qaeda officials in Tehran might provide some insurance that the group would not conduct operations inside Iran. American counterterrorism officials believe Iran may have allowed them to stay to run operations against the United States, a common adversary.
It would not be the first time that Iran had joined forces with Sunni militants, having supported Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Taliban.
“Iran uses sectarianism as a cudgel when it suits the regime, but is also willing to overlook the Sunni-Shia divide when it suits Iranian interests,” said Colin P. Clarke, a counterterrorism analyst at the Soufan Center.
Iran has consistently denied housing the Qaeda officials. In 2018, the Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said that because of Iran’s long, porous border with Afghanistan, some Qaeda members had entered Iran, but they had been detained and returned to their home countries.
However, Western intelligence officials said the Qaeda leaders had been kept under house arrest by the Iranian government, which then made at least two deals with Al Qaeda to free some of them in 2011 and 2015.
Although Al Qaeda has been overshadowed in recent years by the rise of the Islamic State, it remains resilient and has active affiliates around the globe, a U.N. counterterrorism report issued in July concluded.
Iranian officials did not respond to a request for comment for this article. Spokesmen for the Israeli prime minister’s office and the Trump administration’s National Security Council declined to comment.
Mr. al-Masri was a longtime member of Al Qaeda’s highly secretive management council, along with Saif al-Adl, who was also held in Iran at one point. The pair, along with Hamza bin Laden, who was being groomed to take over the organization, were part of a group of senior Qaeda leaders who sought refuge in Iran after the 9/11 attacks on the United States forced them to flee Afghanistan.
According to a highly classified document produced by the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center in 2008, Mr. al-Masri was the “most experienced and capable operational planner not in U.S. or allied custody.” The document described him as the “former chief of training” who “worked closely” with Mr. al-Adl.
In Iran, Mr. al-Masri mentored Hamza bin Laden, according to terrorism experts. Hamza bin Laden later married Mr. al-Masri’s daughter, Miriam.
Al Qaeda’s No. 2, Accused in U.S. Embassy Attacks, Was Killed in Iran
Al Qaeda’s No. 2, Accused in U.S. Embassy Attacks, Was Killed in Iran
Israeli agents shot Abu Muhammad al-Masri on the streets of Tehran at the behest of the U.S., officials said, but no one — Iran, Al Qaeda, the U.S. or Israel — has publicly acknowledged the killing.
By Adam Goldman, Eric Schmitt, Farnaz Fassihi and Ronen Bergman
Published Nov. 13, 2020Updated Nov. 14, 2020, 5:16 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON — Al Qaeda’s second-highest leader, accused of being one of the masterminds of the deadly 1998 attacks on American embassies in Africa, was killed in Iran three months ago, intelligence officials have confirmed.
Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, who went by the nom de guerre Abu Muhammad al-Masri, was gunned down on the streets of Tehran by two assassins on a motorcycle on Aug. 7, the anniversary of the embassy attacks. He was killed along with his daughter, Miriam, the widow of Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza bin Laden.
The attack was carried out by Israeli operatives at the behest of the United States, according to four of the officials. It is unclear what role if any was played by the United States, which had been tracking the movements of Mr. al-Masri and other Qaeda operatives in Iran for years.
The killing occurred in such a netherworld of geopolitical intrigue and counterterrorism spycraft that Mr. al-Masri’s death had been rumored but never confirmed until now. For reasons that are still obscure, Al Qaeda has not announced the death of one of its top leaders, Iranian officials covered it up, and no country has publicly claimed responsibility for it.
Mr. al-Masri, who was about 58, was one of Al Qaeda’s founding leaders and was thought to be first in line to lead the organization after its current leader, Ayman al-Zawahri.
Long featured on the F.B.I.’s Most Wanted Terrorist list, he had been indicted in the United States for crimes related to the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people and wounded hundreds. The F.B.I. offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture, and as of Friday, his picture was still on the Most Wanted list.
The F.B.I. wanted poster for Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, who went by the nom de guerre Abu Muhammad al-Masri.Federal Bureau of Investigation
That he had been living in Iran was surprising, given that Iran and Al Qaeda are bitter enemies. Iran, a Shiite Muslim theocracy, and Al Qaeda, a Sunni Muslim jihadist group, have fought each other on the battlefields of Iraq and other places.
American intelligence officials say that Mr. al-Masri had been in Iran’s “custody” since 2003, but that he had been living freely in the Pasdaran district of Tehran, an upscale suburb, since at least 2015.
Around 9:00 on a warm summer night, he was driving his white Renault L90 sedan with his daughter near his home when two gunmen on a motorcycle drew up beside him. Five shots were fired from a pistol fitted with a silencer. Four bullets entered the car through the driver’s side and a fifth hit a nearby car.
As news of the shooting broke, Iran’s official news media identified the victims as Habib Daoud, a Lebanese history professor, and his 27-year-old daughter Maryam. The Lebanese news channel MTV and social media accounts affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps reported that Mr. Daoud was a member of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant organization in Lebanon.
It seemed plausible.
The killing came amid a summer of frequent explosions in Iran, mounting tensions with the United States, days after an enormous explosion in the port of Beirut and a week before the United Nations Security Council was to consider extending an arms embargo against Iran. There was speculation that the killing may have been a Western provocation intended to elicit a violent Iranian reaction in advance of the Security Council vote.
And the targeted killing by two gunmen on a motorcycle fit the modus operandi of previous Israeli assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists. That Israel would kill an official of Hezbollah, which is committed to fighting Israel, also seemed to make sense, except for the fact that Israel had been consciously avoiding killing Hezbollah operatives so as not to provoke a war.
In fact, there was no Habib Daoud.
Several Lebanese with close ties to Iran said they had not heard of him or his killing. A search of Lebanese news media found no reports of a Lebanese history professor killed in Iran last summer. And an education researcher with access to lists of all history professors in the country said there was no record of a Habib Daoud.
One of the intelligence officials said that Habib Daoud was an alias Iranian officials gave Mr. al-Masri and the history teaching job was a cover story. In October, the former leader of Egypt’s Islamic Jihad, Nabil Naeem, who called Mr. al-Masri a longtime friend, told the Saudi news channel Al Arabiya the same thing.
Iran may have had good reason for wanting to hide the fact that it was harboring an avowed enemy, but it was less clear why Iranian officials would have taken in the Qaeda leader to begin with.
Some terrorism experts suggested that keeping Qaeda officials in Tehran might provide some insurance that the group would not conduct operations inside Iran. American counterterrorism officials believe Iran may have allowed them to stay to run operations against the United States, a common adversary.
It would not be the first time that Iran had joined forces with Sunni militants, having supported Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Taliban.
“Iran uses sectarianism as a cudgel when it suits the regime, but is also willing to overlook the Sunni-Shia divide when it suits Iranian interests,” said Colin P. Clarke, a counterterrorism analyst at the Soufan Center.
Iran has consistently denied housing the Qaeda officials. In 2018, the Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said that because of Iran’s long, porous border with Afghanistan, some Qaeda members had entered Iran, but they had been detained and returned to their home countries.
However, Western intelligence officials said the Qaeda leaders had been kept under house arrest by the Iranian government, which then made at least two deals with Al Qaeda to free some of them in 2011 and 2015.
Although Al Qaeda has been overshadowed in recent years by the rise of the Islamic State, it remains resilient and has active affiliates around the globe, a U.N. counterterrorism report issued in July concluded.
Iranian officials did not respond to a request for comment for this article. Spokesmen for the Israeli prime minister’s office and the Trump administration’s National Security Council declined to comment.
Mr. al-Masri was a longtime member of Al Qaeda’s highly secretive management council, along with Saif al-Adl, who was also held in Iran at one point. The pair, along with Hamza bin Laden, who was being groomed to take over the organization, were part of a group of senior Qaeda leaders who sought refuge in Iran after the 9/11 attacks on the United States forced them to flee Afghanistan.
According to a highly classified document produced by the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center in 2008, Mr. al-Masri was the “most experienced and capable operational planner not in U.S. or allied custody.” The document described him as the “former chief of training” who “worked closely” with Mr. al-Adl.
In Iran, Mr. al-Masri mentored Hamza bin Laden, according to terrorism experts. Hamza bin Laden later married Mr. al-Masri’s daughter, Miriam.