- Revelations emerge from 1, 500 cassettes found in Khandahar, Afghanistan
- Came from compound used by Al Qaeda leaders before 2001 U.S. invasion
- Flagg Miller, an Arabic cultural expert, has been studying them since 2003
- Surprising is lack of attacks on U.S., with more aimed at fellow Muslims
One of Osama Bin Laden’s favorite singers was Jewish, Enrico Macias, it has been discovered, after an analysis of a collection of cassette tapes belonging to the late Al Qaeda leader.
They also show that the terrorist was also influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and worked hard to change his image from a rich Saudi ‘dandy’ to a warrior jihadist.
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The details emerged from a study of 1, 500 cassettes found in a compound in Khandahar, Afghanistan, where senior Al Qaeda leaders would meet before they were forced to flee by the U.S. invasion in 2001.
Read the full story at Daily Mail by Tim Macfarlan
Three things about Osama bin Laden and America from 1, 500 al-Qaeda tapes
1. In the beginning, bin Laden was more concerned with Shiites than he was with America. Early recordings show it’s Iraqi Baathists, Egyptian Nasserists and communists bin Laden takes issue with, Miller says, not America. In fact, these early speeches don’t even mention the US.
2. Then in September 1993, a speech about US boycotts and embassies. This is the first recording where America comes up — but not in the way you might think. Bin Laden tells supporters to send a message to the US by boycotting its goods, and spur change by writing to US embassies.
3. The only real mention of 9/11 comes at the very last bit of the tapes. During a recording of a friend’s wedding, bin Laden and his associates talk a ‘plan, ’ and mentions the US explicitly, but without details. A few months later, the September 11 attacks happened. But as Miller notes, there is such little lead up to this moment. He tells the BBC: “There is nothing inevitable about 9/11 on these tapes. It was hard working on these tapes to remind myself of that.”
