Osama Bin Laden Dead?

Posted on September 23, 2006

Update: Time:

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, says that Saudi officials have received multiple credible reports over the last several weeks that Bin Laden has been suffering from a water-borne illness. The source believes that there is a “high probability” that Bin Laden has already died from the disease, but stressed that Saudi officials have thus far received no concrete evidence of Bin Laden’s death.

This is not a rumor,” says the source. “He is very ill. He got a water-related sickness and it could be terminal.

Photo from: Freaking News:
Hat tip: Gateway Pundit:
Update: CNN says he is ill not dead.

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has a water-borne illness, a Saudi intelligence source told CNN on Saturday, knocking down a report in a French newspaper that the man who has been hunted by the United States for the past five years is dead.

Washington Post seems to give more credibility to the reports however.

Dead again? This guy is like a cat! Rumors are swirling about that the terror mastermind bit the dust from typhoid. Saudi sources are saying:
“It said he died of a very serious case of typhoid causing partial paralysis of his internal organs.”

Khaleej Times:

Saudi intelligence services have determined that terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden died of typhoid in August, the French regional daily L’Est Republicain reported on its website on Saturday.

The newspaper said it based its information on a document classified ‘defence secret’ originating in the French DGSE intelligence services. According to the story, the DGSE informed President Jacques Chirac of the Saudi report on Thursday.

The DGSE document, printed with the report, reads in part, ‘According to a usually reliable source, the Saudi intelligence services are said to have acquired the information that Osama bin Laden is dead. The information gleaned by the Saudis indicates that the head of Al Qaeda was a victim of a very strong attack of thyphoid… in Pakistan on August 23, 2006.’

The document goes on to say that bin Laden’s geographical isolation rendered all medical assistance impossible.

Also see: No Pasaran
All of this is unconfirmed. I advise taking all of this with a huge grain of salt. I won’t believe it till I know for certain and see the scumbucket’s dead body. I have heard this rumor too many times to get my hopes up.

I’m with the Captain on skeptism:

We’ve been down the “Ding, Dong, Osama’s Dead” path before. Analysts convinced themselves of Osama’s room-temperature state in the past, only to sputter excuses when he showed up on a new video or audio tape. When they can prop up the body for the cameras or when AQ admits he’s gone to his 72 virgins, then I’ll bite. Until then, color me skeptical about unconfirmed rumors from either Saudi or French intelligence.

Beth at MVRWC is taking it with a “mountain of salt” as well.

Ace, however, has brought out the fireworks and is beginning to throw caution to the wind.

Liberals have been saying that Rove has an October suprise. If this news turns out to be true, we can bet they will say this is it. We knew about this and waited to announce it close to election time.

ABC says:

France’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday a secret service report saying al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had died could not be confirmed but said it would launch an inquiry into the leak of secret documents.

U.S. Can’t Confirm Either:

U.S. officials have suggested that his death would be accompanied by a surge of e-mail and telephone chatter among bereaved al Qaeda members, if not an actual announcement from the militant network.

But officials said they were not aware of any such chatter in recent weeks.

I highly doubt the Islamic websites and chatter would be able to stay quite about news like this if it were true.

Dan Riehl has lots of good info as well.
Scrapple Face: Bin Laden Death Might Explain U.N. Sulpher Smell
Wizbang: I wouldn’t get too excited just yet.
AJ Strata wonders if there is any connection to the 100 Taliban attending a funeral last month. The same question did occur to me.
Allah Pundit chimes in.

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2 Responses to “Osama Bin Laden Dead?”

Draven32 on September 23rd, 2006 7:42 am

(crossing fingers)
Carl on September 23rd, 2006 11:03 am

My gut feeling is that bin Laden received serious injuries from the attack in Tora Bora and due to those injuries decided (or it was decided for him) to never to appear on video again. The speculation is that in the radical Muslim world, the infirmed are weak and should not be followed therefore bin Laden had been physically unable to appear healthy and strong in video even though his mind and voice were the same. That’s why in the past, much of his taped threats were audio only. The absence of those tapes recently imply that his physical condition has deteriorated to the point that his voice would reveal his infirmed condition. However as to currently being room temperature? I’m not buying into it until there is solid, confirmed physical evidence.