The things that don’t add up about OBL’s death

Since I heard the news about Osama bin Laden’s alleged killing in Pakistan, a few things have not seemed right about the official story. They have offered absolutely no proof that the job has been done, and yet the media (and politicians around the world) have rushed to believe the American government’s story, despite the fact that his death really would not change much given his limited role in the movement in the last few years. If he really had been living in Abbotabad, it’s inconceivable that his arrival there would have gone unnoticed, particularly given that it seems neither men nor women went in or came out. (Note: a fake picture of the dead Osama bin Laden’s face is over the fold.)

Two things in particular make this story look extremely suspect. The first is the apparent prompt disposal of the body. It is understandable that they do not release them for public viewing, but surely there are trusted intermediaries (not just politicians) who could confirm that they had seen the pictures and that they were of Osama bin Laden’s body. It sounds like a child who tells his teacher that he has done his homework, honest, but that the dog ate it. There is no hard evidence that the person killed was Osama bin Laden, unless we accept the Americans’ version of events at face value.

Then there is the excuse given for disposing of the body: that it would have become the focus of a shrine, a place of pilgrimage. Any expert on Islam could have told them that his main followers are Wahhabis and they do not believe in shrines. They do not build them and have destroyed them on a number of occasions; they bury their dead in unmarked graves, including major figures like the last king of Saudi Arabia and their chief scholars such as Abdul-Aziz bin Baz. (They are strongly opposed to Bin Laden’s methodology, but have the same theology.)

Finally, it seems most bizarre that the whole thing was done with a live video feed to the White House. Surely, any such feed would have been a security risk, regardless of whatever security measures were taken (and encryption would have drastically reduced the quality of any live feed). I cannot believe they jeopardised the security of a military operation simply for the president’s personal entertainment. If they did, of course, then they would surely have a recording of what they transmitted. They don’t have to show Bin Laden actually taking a bullet, of course, but there is surely much else they could release, at least once the operation has been cleared up.

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