Iran: Bin Laden died long before U.S. raid

2011-05-09 18:58:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

TEHRAN (BNO NEWS) -- Iranian Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi on Sunday evening claimed the Iranian government has evidence that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden died of illness and not during a U.S. raid earlier this month.

Bin Laden, who is believed to have ordered the attacks of September 11, 2001, was killed on May 1st during a secret U.S. mission at a compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad. The leadership of al-Qaeda has since confirmed the death of Bin Laden.

"Why does the U.S. military and security services refuse to show Bin Laden's body and why did they drop it in the sea if they had really arrested and killed him?" Moslehi said after a cabinet meeting on Sunday evening, according to Iran's ISNA news agency.

U.S. President Barack Obama explained earlier that he did not want the photos to be used as a propaganda tool. "It is important for us to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence or as a propaganda tool," Obama said. "That's not who we are. We don't trot out this stuff as trophies."

But the Iranian Minister argued that Iran also showed Abdul Malik Rigi, the former leader of terrorist organization Jundallah, when it captured him. "We showed Rigi on TV when we captured him and we aired an interview with him," Moslehi said. Rigi was later executed.

"We have precise information that Bin Laden died some time ago and is no more alive and we have documents to prove this issue," Moslehi said, without detailing what evidence the Iranian government has to support its claim.

The Iranian Minister added that the United States fabricated its claims to overshadow media coverage of domestic problems in the country.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-05-09

Iran has so much credibility.

But the Iranian Minister argued that Iran also showed Abdul Malik Rigi, the former leader of terrorist organization Jundallah, when it captured him. "We showed Rigi on TV when we captured him and we aired an interview with him,"

Kind of hard to interview someone who's been shot dead I would have thought.

"Why does the U.S. military and security services refuse to show Bin Laden's body and why did they drop it in the sea if they had really arrested and killed him?" Moslehi said

" Osama Bin Laden. You're under arrest" BANG!

"We have precise information that Bin Laden died some time ago and is no more alive and we have documents to prove this issue," Moslehi said

Yes. " Died some time ago " would tend to indicate that he's " no more alive "

Was this in Persian and poorly translated into English or has Mr Moslehi been smoking the herb?

Edited May 9, 201115 yr by mca

Just like the Holocaust never happened eh.

You will neeeeeeeeeeeeever do a deal with this lot.

Mildly amusing. Iran want USA to issue proof that they killed OBL. Iran say they have proof he died long ago... but they don't release it. Doh...

Up until last week, I thought he died at Tora Bora back in 2001

Up until last week, I thought he died at Tora Bora back in 2001

Nooooooooooo, SAS not allowed to finish the job.

Iran has so much credibility.

Right, like their official claim there are zero gays in Iran. Iran officialdom has as about as much credibility as Burma's ('no AIDS in Myanmar') and North Korea (Everyone adulates the 'Dear Leader').

I'd like to take this moment to again thank Pres. Obama and the daring Navy Seals for their excellent planning and execution of that recent job. Too bad they lost a chopper, though. And may all that data from retrieved from thumb drives, etc, lead to a bunch more summary executions of the baddies who incite their thinking-challenged brethren to kill & main regular folks. The two embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the USS Cole, The Twin Towers, ....the list goes on, but now the baddies are running out of sand dunes (and womens' dresses) to hide behind.