Interviews of Osama bin Laden
Encyclopedia
Since the early 1990s, several interviews of Osama bin Laden
have appeared in the global media. Most prominent among these, according to the theorist Noam Chomsky
, was an interview by Middle East
specialist Robert Fisk
. Like the videos of Osama bin Laden
, the interviews' authenticity is sometimes regarded as suspect.
Bin Laden himself mentioned some of the interviews directly in the 2004 Osama bin Laden video
, saying "you can read this, if you wish, in my interview with Scott in Time Magazine in 1996, or with Peter Arnett on CNN in 1997, or my meeting with John Weiner in 1998."
on December 6, 1996. This was the first he had ever given to a Western journalist.
Fisk again interviewed Bin Laden on March 20, 1997; Bin Laden said of his operations at the time "We are still at the beginning of our military action against the American forces."
reporter John Miller
asks further questions.
, in 1999 secured a four-hour interview with bin Laden in Afghanistan's Helmand province
. During Yusufzai's late-night conversation, bin Laden appeared to be in good health, though he admitted to a sore throat and a bad back. He continually sipped water from a cup, and Yusufzai caught him on videotape walking with the aid of a stick. This latter footage was erased by bin Laden's bodyguards.
The interview appeared in the January 11, 1999 issue of Time Asia.
is said to have interviewed Osama bin Laden weeks after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. In the interview bin Laden is said to deny his involvement in the attacks; the interviewer, however, has never been identified, so there is no proof of the interview's authenticity.
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
have appeared in the global media. Most prominent among these, according to the theorist Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
, was an interview by Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
specialist Robert Fisk
Robert Fisk
Robert Fisk is an English writer and journalist from Maidstone, Kent. As Middle East correspondent of The Independent, he has primarily been based in Beirut for more than 30 years. He has published a number of books and has reported on the United States's war in Afghanistan and the same country's...
. Like the videos of Osama bin Laden
Videos of Osama bin Laden
There were several video and audio recordings released by, or claiming to be produced by, Osama bin Laden between 2001 and 2011. Most of the tapes were released directly to Arabic language satellite television networks, primarily Al Jazeera....
, the interviews' authenticity is sometimes regarded as suspect.
Bin Laden himself mentioned some of the interviews directly in the 2004 Osama bin Laden video
2004 Osama bin Laden video
On October 29, 2004, at 21:00 UTC, the Arab television network, Al Jazeera, broadcast excerpts from a videotape of Osama bin Laden addressing the people of the United States, in which he accepts responsibility for the September 11, 2001 attacks, condemns the Bush government's response to those...
, saying "you can read this, if you wish, in my interview with Scott in Time Magazine in 1996, or with Peter Arnett on CNN in 1997, or my meeting with John Weiner in 1998."
The Independent, 1996 and 1997
Bin Laden gave an interview to the Independent newspaper's Robert FiskRobert Fisk
Robert Fisk is an English writer and journalist from Maidstone, Kent. As Middle East correspondent of The Independent, he has primarily been based in Beirut for more than 30 years. He has published a number of books and has reported on the United States's war in Afghanistan and the same country's...
on December 6, 1996. This was the first he had ever given to a Western journalist.
Fisk again interviewed Bin Laden on March 20, 1997; Bin Laden said of his operations at the time "We are still at the beginning of our military action against the American forces."
ABC: 1998
A recorded interview in May 1998, a little over two months before the U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, shows bin Laden answering questions posed by some of his followers at a mountaintop camp in southern Afghanistan. In the latter part of the interview, ABCABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
reporter John Miller
John Miller (journalist)
John Miller is an American journalist and a former government official.He is the former Associate Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analytic Transformation and Technology...
asks further questions.
Time: 1999
Rahimullah Yusufzai, a journalist for Pakistan's The News, TIME, and ABC NewsABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, in 1999 secured a four-hour interview with bin Laden in Afghanistan's Helmand province
Helmand Province
Helmand is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation....
. During Yusufzai's late-night conversation, bin Laden appeared to be in good health, though he admitted to a sore throat and a bad back. He continually sipped water from a cup, and Yusufzai caught him on videotape walking with the aid of a stick. This latter footage was erased by bin Laden's bodyguards.
The interview appeared in the January 11, 1999 issue of Time Asia.
2001: Ummat
The Daily UmmatDaily Ummat
Ummat is an Urdu-language, Islamist newspaper published From Karachi, Pakistan.Ummat is known for interviewing Osama bin Laden shortly after the 9/11 attack. In the interview he declared: "I have already said that I am not involved in the 11 September attacks in the United States. As a Muslim, I...
is said to have interviewed Osama bin Laden weeks after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. In the interview bin Laden is said to deny his involvement in the attacks; the interviewer, however, has never been identified, so there is no proof of the interview's authenticity.