Saad bin Laden Leaves Iran, Goes Home to Papa in Pakistan

Osama bin Laden's son, Saad bin Laden, has returned to Pakistan.  Does this mean that papa bin Laden is dead or injured and his next-in-line is coming home to take over?  Or is this part of the re-grouping and re-organizing of al-Qaeda?  Where has Saad bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leadership been lately?  In IRAN !!!

Osama bin Laden’s son, Saad has returned to Pakistan according to messages posted on a Jihad web forum.

Al Qaeda is consolidating its leadership in the territory under its control in Pakistan.

Osama bin Laden’s son and heir apparent, Sa’ad bin Laden, has returned to Pakistan from his safe haven in Iran, according to messages posted on a Qaeda jihad Web forum known as al-Hesbah.

An organization that tracks and translates discussions on such forums, the SITE Institute, provided its subscribers with a summary of messages describing what it said was an escape by Sa’ad bin Laden from an Iranian prison. American counterterrorism officials, however, have considered him to be under a permissive version of house arrest since the American invasion of Afghanistan, in 2001.

The move of Sa’ad bin Laden to Pakistan tracks with the movements of other senior jihadists to the country since Al Qaeda re-established a safe haven in the 10,500-square-mile area that comprises the provinces along the border with Afghanistan.

It also could signal a new phase of Iran’s relationship with Al Qaeda. For the last year, public messages from the terrorist organization’s second in command, Ayman al-Zawahri, have accused Iran of collaborating with America in fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq. Leaders of the Iraqi tribal uprising against Al Qaeda, however, have said Iran has collaborated with their foes.

While Al Qaeda, a Sunni Salafist organization, regards the Shiite theocracy of Iran as an apostate form of Islam, the two sides in the past have worked together through Iran’s Quds Force, an elite unit of the Iranian army. In 2001, following the American invasion of Afghanistan, most of Al Qaeda’s leadership fled to Pakistan. But others, including Sa’ad bin Laden and Saif al-Adel, fled to eastern Iran.  (continue reading at The New York Sun , hat tip National Terror Alert)

Comments

[Katie]

It has been shown that Iran's missiles and rockets are very poor. They can barely get their missiles to fly with a small payload and their rockets fizzle. So the only way for Iran to attack the West and Israel is through their terror networks. Unfortunately they don't have many in the US. So for Iran to attack the US with a dirty bomb, they have to turn to groups like al Qada.

The last al Qada warning was for an attack during October in Great Britain. Could this be a dirty bomb with nuclear material supplied by Iran? For the record, you can trace nuclear material. It is hard, but the technology has been there for a while.

[Emma]

Iran isn't going to let Sa'ad bin Laden escape if they were holding him. He left because he could. Doh!

[MK]

The sunnis and shiites might hate each other's guts, but when it comes to us infidels and Jews, they'll put aside any difference to knock us off

[Always On Watch]

MK is correct. The terrorist organizations of different tribes will indeed unite against their common enemies -- the Jews and the infidels.

There may be a change in leadership going on inside AQ. We wouldn't necessarily know if OBL is dead.

[A.C. McCloud]

Sounds like a signal of coming attractions. With our current tedious financial position and a possible socialist in the wings to run America, what better time to pull off a medium sized attack similar to the Madrid bombings, to push the west further into a withdrawal posture? It probably wouldn't be in America because they'd risk electing McCain, but if they can create enough panic then people might run to a protector.

[J]

So then Saad is going to be our next poster boy? And he's now an "Iranian terrorist?"

Swell.... I'll stay glued to Mr. TV and see if I get to see his picture before the end of October. I'll bet SITE will happily supply us with a mean looking one.