Don't get too excited, nothing's been confirmed yet...

CNN.com

France investigates bin Laden 'death' leak

PARIS, France (CNN) -- French President Jacques Chirac said on Saturday he would investigate the leak of confidential French defense ministry documents containing a report that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is dead, and stressed the report had been in no way confirmed.

"I was rather surprised to see that a confidential note from the DGSE (General Directorate for External Security) was published and I have asked the minister of Defense to start an investigation immediately and to reach whatever conclusions are necessary," Chirac said.

"Secondly, speaking of the source of the information itself, this information is in no way confirmed."

U.S. intelligence officials said Saturday they could not confirm the report suggesting that bin Laden might be dead, and a Saudi intelligence source told CNN's Nic Robertson that there had been credible reports in the past few weeks that bin Laden was ill with a water-borne disease, but that he was not dead.

The leaked information was published in the French regional newspaper L'Est Republicain Saturday.

The article said that a French foreign intelligence document dated September 21 quoted a "usually reliable source" as saying that Saudi Arabian authorities had received confirmation that bin Laden died of an acute case of typhoid in Pakistan August 23.

Laid Sammari, the journalist who wrote the article, told CNN in a phone interview he was confident of the authenticity of the confidential document.

He said the only thing the Saudis were trying to confirm was the burial place of the al Qaeda leader, before they would make an official announcement.

Pakistani officials also said on Saturday they have no information that confirms bin Laden's death.

Friday, U.S. President George Bush and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said in a joint news conference that the hunt is still on for the leaders of al Qaeda.

The report in L'Est Republicain said the Saudi secret service first got the reports of bin Laden's death on September 4.

CNN is trying to confirm the reports with Saudi officials in Washington, D.C., and in Saudi Arabia.

An official with the French defense ministry confirmed that an investigation into the leaked documents was already under way.

The last message from bin Laden was an audiotaped post on an Islamic Web site on June 30. The CIA confirmed the voice giving the message was that of the al Qaeda leader.

In the message, bin Laden names Abu Hamza al-Mujaher as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's successor as leader of al Qaeda in Iraq.

The last videotaped statement from bin Laden was aired on October 29, 2004 on Al Jazeera.

CNN Producers Katie Turner in London and Pam Benson in Washington D.C. contributed to this report

TIME.com

Is Bin Laden Dead?

Saudi sources tell TIME that credible reports suggest the fugitive Qaeda leader has contracted a serious 'water-borne illness,' and may have already died

By SCOTT MACLEOD/CAIRO AND TALA SKARI/PARIS

Fugitive Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, believed to be on the run in rugged terrain in the Afghan-Pakistani border region since the September 11 attacks five years ago, has become seriously ill and may have already died, a Saudi source tells TIME, echoing earlier reports in the French media.

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. There are a lot of serious facts about things that have actually happened. There is a lot to it. But we don't have any concrete information to say that he is dead."

On Saturday, the French newspaper L'Est Republicain cited a report by the French intelligence service, Direction Generale des Services Exteriors (DGSE), saying that Saudi intelligence officials "seem to have become convinced that Osama bin Laden is dead." The report quoted by the newspaper said the Saudis believe bin Laden "might have succumbed to a very serious case of typhoid fever resulting in partial paralysis of his lower limbs while in Pakistan on August 23, 2006."

The DGSE report quoted by L'Est Republicain said that its information on the Saudi findings came from a "usually reliable source," indicating that it did not necessarily come directly from Saudi intelligence officials. The DGSE report cited by the newspaper said that Bin Laden's geographic isolation made it difficult for him to receive proper medical assistance for his ailment. The report said that Saudi intelligence picked up the first news of bin Laden's alleged demise on September 4. The DGSE says that Saudi authorities are waiting to get more details, "notably the exact place of his burial, before officially announcing the news," the newspaper said, citing what it called verbatim text from the report.

L'est Republicain, based in Metz in eastern France covering the Lorraine region, says the French secret services considered the DGSE report reliable enough to transmit it last Thursday to the highest levels of the French government, specifically to French President Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie. Alliot-Marie has reportedly demanded an investigation into the leak of the DGSE report to L'Est Republicain.

The notion of OBL squatting over a rock in the wastelands of Pakistan, shitting uncontrollably, day and night, night and day, shitting painfully never-ending shit, really gives me a warm fuzzy. I hope it's true.

John - If Osama was really sick, he'd be getting medical treatment in a French military hospital, just like Yasser Arafat did.

So, how long before the left-wing posters come in expressing sympathy for ol' Bin and get another damn fine flame-war going on in this place ?????

Because I felt like it. Because Moron Boy said that some Liberal would show up and claim "Osama Had nothing to do with it."

Frankly I've never run into a Liberal who believes that Osama had nothing to do with it, all the ones I've met believe that Osama had a lot to do with it, and wonder why the U.S. abandoned Pursuit of OBL and went after Sadaam.

Bad_Bad, here is the type of thing I was talking about. Found it in my myspace bulletins this morning:

Quote:

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Written by http://www.myspace.com/doodbiatch


Thanks David Ray Griffin for the facts.

Fact: The Alleged Cell Phone Calls made from frightened flight passengers on 9/11 saying that there were arab terrorists with box cutters and bombs have been Proven Impossible.



That technology was not developed until 2004.

Fact: The Taliban said that they would Gladly Handover Bin Laden if he was proven responsible for attacks, all they wanted was Evidence from the US.



The US Refused to release any Evidence.




Fact: A court case was attempted to have been made for Bin laden Regaurding 9/11, but after much discussion, it was decided that there was not enough evidence.



So, you can start a war over a lie, but you can't make a court case out of one.




Fact: The FBI has stated that there is NO EVIDENCE LINKING BIN LADEN TO 9/11, Even though the US released a video of An Alleged "Bin Laden" Admitting to the attacks,



If you have seen forrest gump, you can easily see that video morphing technology of tom hank's shaking JFK's hand sure does make it an IMPOSSIBLE situation look Entirely, Real.


Fact: The Conspiracy Theory Offered by the USA That 9/11 was a bunch of terrorists with box cutters hijacking planes which allegedly blewup buildings, Is a Lie.


Questioning yet?

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Yes, I know these kind of people are few and far between, but they are still out there.