Biological Weapons a “Priority” for Osama bin Laden, Taliban Source Says

A ranking Taliban source has said that terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden has made the use of biological weapons in a future terrorist attack a “priority,” Newsweek reported today (see GSN, Aug. 21).

In April, bin Laden held a meeting in Afghanistan that included representatives from the Taliban, senior al-Qaeda operatives and leaders from Islamic militant groups based in the disputed Russian region of Chechnya and Uzbekistan, according to a former Taliban deputy foreign minister.  During the meeting, bin Laden said he was working on “serious projects,” including attacks with biological weapons, a ranking Taliban source said.

“His priority is to use biological weapons,” the source said of bin Laden.

Al-Qaeda currently possesses biological weapons, the source said, adding that only transportation and launch problems remain to be solved. 

“Osama’s next step will be unbelievable,” the source said.

U.S. forces in Afghanistan still do not know precisely where bin Laden is hiding, according to a U.S. Army spokesman.

“We don’t know where he is,” said Col. Rodney Davis, spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan.  “And frankly, it’s not about him.  We’ll continue to focus on killing, capturing and denying sanctuary to any anti-coalition forces, whether they are influenced by bin Laden or not,” Davis said.

Some U.S. officials suspect that the war on terrorism has severely damaged bin Laden’s ability to communicate with his followers, reducing his involvement to a symbolic role.

“Bin Laden’s operational role is not as important as it was to al-Qaeda and the Taliban,” a senior U.S. diplomat in the Afghan capital of Kabul said.  “But symbolically he is still very important,” the diplomat added (Yousafzai/Moreau, Newsweek, Sept. 2).

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Hatfill Sues U.S. Justice Department Over Anthrax Investigation

Former U.S. Army biologist Steven Hatfill, who has been the public focus of the FBI’s investigation into the 2001 anthrax attacks, filed a lawsuit last week accusing the U.S. Justice Department of violating his constitutional rights, according to the New York Times (see GSN, July 3).

In his lawsuit, Hatfill accused Attorney General John Ashcroft and other Justice officials of ruining his life and of violating his privacy by publicly releasing information about him to hide the lack of progress in the anthrax investigation, the Times reported.  By identifying Hatfill as a “person of interest” in the investigation, Justice has destroyed his reputation and made him “not only unemployed, but as a practical matter unemployable,” the lawsuit says, calling for unspecified monetary damages from Ashcroft, Justice, the FBI and others.

The Justice Department refused to comment on Hatfill’s lawsuit, according to a department spokesman.  The spokesman said, however, that departmental counsel found in January that Ashcroft had not engaged in professional misconduct or violated Justice rules by publicly identifying Hatfill as a “person of interest” (Judith Miller, New York Times, Aug. 27).

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