Adam Curtis says in his excellent documentary 'The Power Of Nightmares' that Osama Bin Laden was originally indicted by the US before 9/11 for Bin Laden's role in the 1998 US embassy bombings (which took place in Tanzania and Kenya). The bombings were designed to commmemorate the 8th anniversary of the arrival of US troops in Saudi Arabia (the US were stationed there during the first Gulf war - and didn't leave until soon after 9/11. Which means Bin Laden did achieve one of his goals).
Indeed - having US troops stationed in Saudi Arabia has always being the prime thing that has annoyed Bin Laden since Saudi Arabia is the home of Islam. And any sense of a Western (and therefore evil) power being stationed there was an outrage to an Islamist like Bin Laden (who was himself born in Saudi Arabia).
At the time - lawyers felt the best way to convict Bin Laden was to use the RICO laws which were originally designed for prosecuting organised crime such as crimes linked to the mafia. It is designed to trace the funding and responsibility of a crime to the top of an organisation so that all those at the top can be prosecuted as well.
But in order to use the RICO laws - the Americans had to literally invent 'Al Qaeda' and show it was a terrorist group with a hierarchy and operational goals. When the truth is that Al Qaeda never existed until that point - but was subsequently used by Bin Laden as a phantom he could use to scare the West with. Which suited the West - since it provided legal cover for them to come after Bin Laden (should he ever be caught) and helped to create the 'lens' through which foreign affairs would be analysed by the media and the world.
Seriously. You all need to watch 'The Power of Nightmares' by Adam Curtis. It is a 3 hour documentary covering the rise of the Neo Cons in America and the rise of Islamic Terrorism (which also had its roots in America as well). Curtis is the most important documentary maker in the world - and is the only good thing about the BBC here in the UK.
http://sophistryandillusion.com/videos/Adam-Curtis/
Indeed - having US troops stationed in Saudi Arabia has always being the prime thing that has annoyed Bin Laden since Saudi Arabia is the home of Islam. And any sense of a Western (and therefore evil) power being stationed there was an outrage to an Islamist like Bin Laden (who was himself born in Saudi Arabia).
At the time - lawyers felt the best way to convict Bin Laden was to use the RICO laws which were originally designed for prosecuting organised crime such as crimes linked to the mafia. It is designed to trace the funding and responsibility of a crime to the top of an organisation so that all those at the top can be prosecuted as well.
But in order to use the RICO laws - the Americans had to literally invent 'Al Qaeda' and show it was a terrorist group with a hierarchy and operational goals. When the truth is that Al Qaeda never existed until that point - but was subsequently used by Bin Laden as a phantom he could use to scare the West with. Which suited the West - since it provided legal cover for them to come after Bin Laden (should he ever be caught) and helped to create the 'lens' through which foreign affairs would be analysed by the media and the world.
Seriously. You all need to watch 'The Power of Nightmares' by Adam Curtis. It is a 3 hour documentary covering the rise of the Neo Cons in America and the rise of Islamic Terrorism (which also had its roots in America as well). Curtis is the most important documentary maker in the world - and is the only good thing about the BBC here in the UK.
http://sophistryandillusion.com/videos/Adam-Curtis/