Who was responsible for the death of Ibn al Sheikh al Libi?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the circumstances surrounding the death of Ibn al Sheikh al Libi, a Libyan paramilitary trainer for al Qaeda, who was reported to have committed suicide in a Libyan prison in 2009. Participants explore various theories regarding his death, including the possibility of murder by Libyan authorities, the implications of his interrogation and the information he provided, and the broader political context of his situation.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Historical

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that Al Libi was reported to have committed suicide, but question the validity of this claim given his background and the context of his imprisonment.
  • Others suggest that if he did not commit suicide, it is plausible that Libyan authorities may have killed him to prevent him from leaking information that could discredit the U.S. government's justification for the Iraq War.
  • There are claims that Al Libi provided false information under torture, which was used to support the invasion of Iraq, leading to speculation about the motivations behind his death.
  • Some argue that the timing of his death, shortly after confirmation of his location by Human Rights Watch, raises suspicions about the circumstances surrounding it.
  • Participants discuss the implications of Al Libi's potential suicide, with some asserting that members of al Qaeda would not typically commit suicide, while others point to the existence of suicide bombings as a counterpoint.
  • One participant recounts a narrative involving Egyptian President Mubarak and suggests that Al Libi's torture was politically motivated to influence U.S. actions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the circumstances of Al Libi's death, with no consensus reached. Some believe he was murdered to silence him, while others consider the possibility of suicide. The discussion remains unresolved with competing theories and interpretations.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various sources, including media reports and Wikipedia, but acknowledge limitations in the available information regarding the exact circumstances of Al Libi's imprisonment and death. There are unresolved questions about the motivations of the involved parties and the accuracy of the claims made about his interrogation and subsequent death.

mohd_adam
Who killed this person !?

Libyan authorities announced on May 10, 2009, that Al Libi had committed suicide in his prison cell.

Ibn al Sheikh al Libi was a Libyan paramilitary trainer for al Qaeda. He ran al Qaeda’s Khaldan camp in Afghanistan and was captured by Pakistani officials at the end of 2001 or beginning of 2002 as he attempted to flee Afghanistan following the U.S. invasion.

After being captured and interrogated by U.S. and Egyptian forces, the information he gave was cited by the Bush Administration in the months preceding the 2003 invasion of Iraq as evidence of a connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda.

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/05/14/monitor/entry5013415.shtml
 
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Hi mohd_adam! :smile:

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_al-Shaykh_al-Libi#Repatriation_to_Libya_and_death it seems he was sent to Libya in 2006 …
Noman Benotman, a former Mujahideen who knew Libi, told Newsweek that during a recent trip to Tripoli, he met with a senior Libyan government official who confirmed to him that Libi had been quietly returned to Libya and was still in prison there, but suffering from tuberculosis.

Media reported on May 10, 2009, that Al Libi had been repatriated to Libyan custody in 2006, and that he had subsequently been found dead in Libyan custody, reportedly from suicide by hanging. …

and he was suffering from tuberculosis.

If he didn't commit suicide, then the Libyans must have killed him … why would they do that?

btw, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_al-Shaykh_al-Libi#Interrogation …
The DIA concluded in February 2002 that Libi deliberately misled interrogators. Some speculate that his reason for giving disinformation was in order to draw the U.S. into an attack on Iraq, which al Qaeda believes will lead to a global jihad. Others suggest …
 


tiny-tim said:
If he didn't commit suicide, then the Libyans must have killed him … why would they do that?
Because otherwise he might have leaked information that the whole Irag-Al Queda thing was a lie. That would embarrass (ex)President Bush and mean that Gadaffi wouldn't get invited to Texas for a barbecue.
 
mgb_phys said:
Because otherwise he might have leaked information that the whole Irag-Al Queda thing was a lie. That would embarrass (ex)President Bush and mean that Gadaffi wouldn't get invited to Texas for a barbecue.

But the USA itself has already stated that Al Libi's information was a lie …

see the quotation in blue above.
 


tiny-tim said:
But the USA itself has already stated that Al Libi's information was a lie …
That's what they want you to think...
 


Hi tiny-tim,
If Libya announced that this person died , maybe i will believe. But Libya announced that he committed suicide!
As i know, the members of Al Qaeda impossible to commit suicide. This person was tortured in Egypt , and the information he gave under torture helped Bush to attack Iraq.


Because otherwise he might have leaked information that the whole Irag-Al Queda thing was a lie. That would embarrass (ex)President Bush and mean that Gadaffi wouldn't get invited to Texas for a barbecue.
 
mohd_adam said:
As i know, the members of Al Qaeda impossible to commit suicide.

uhh? :confused: what about suicide bombings by Al Qaeda?
This person was tortured in Egypt , and the information he gave under torture helped Bush to attack Iraq.

Yes, the information he gave helped Bush to attack Iraq, and it was false information.

But he seems to have given it deliberately, not because of pressure, to get Bush to kill plenty of Iraqis.
 


what about suicide bombings by Al Qaeda?

members of Al Qaeda when they explodethemselves , they consider that fighting not suicide.


But he seems to have given it deliberately, not because of pressure, to get Bush to kill plenty of Iraqis.

I will tell you the story of the film :

Mubarak ( dictator Egypt ) wanted to give power to his son Gamal , so the egyptians tortured Ibn al Sheikh al Libi very very strong.. Ibn al Sheikh al Libi told this information only to stop torture. Mubarak used this information to help Bush because he wanted Bush to help him to make his son as a president.
 
mohd_adam said:
I will tell you the story of the film :

Mubarak ( dictator Egypt ) wanted to give power to his son Gamal , so the egyptians tortured Ibn al Sheikh al Libi very very strong.. Ibn al Sheikh al Libi told this information only to stop torture. Mubarak used this information to help Bush because he wanted Bush to help him to make his son as a president.

erm :redface: … from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mubarak …
Hosni Mubarak … (born 4 May 1928), is the 4th and current President of the Arab Republic of Egypt. He was appointed Vice President in 1975, and assumed the presidency on 14 October 1981, following the assassination of President Anwar el-Sadat.

Gamal Mubarak can't be president until Hosni Mubarak's term ends, which was always going to be long after Bush's term ended …

so how could Bush ever have helped make Gamal president? :rolleyes:
 
  • #10


mgb_phys said:
Because otherwise he might have leaked information that the whole Irag-Al Queda thing was a lie. That would embarrass (ex)President Bush and mean that Gadaffi wouldn't get invited to Texas for a barbecue.

:smile:
 
  • #11


I just love Gaddafi's speeches. Especially the ones at Arab Summits. He has a certain...style, that no one else can match.
 
  • #12


tiny-tim said:
If he didn't commit suicide, then the Libyans must have killed him … why would they do that?

I can only imagine that he either refused to show any of his own work, or engaged in some overly speculative posts. :biggrin:
 
  • #13


mgb_phys said:
Because otherwise he might have leaked information that the whole Irag-Al Queda thing was a lie. That would embarrass (ex)President Bush and mean that Gadaffi wouldn't get invited to Texas for a barbecue.

This would constitute a conspiracy. I've been informed by some medium-sized sticks on PF that people do not conspire. Please refrain from believing otherwise. We are watching.
 
  • #14


How long had he been imprisoned in Libya? A few years?

Wikipedia:
"The head of the Washington office of Human Rights Watch stated al-Libi was "Exhibit A" in hearings on the relationship between pre-Iraq war false intelligence and torture. Confirmation of al-Libi's location came two weeks prior to his death. An independent investigation of his death has been requested by Human Rights Watch."

How long had he been imprisoned in Libya? He dies two weeks after the "Confirmation" of his location. Confirmed by who? By Human Rights Watch? Who else would "confirm" his location? The Wikipedia writers are unclear. This short time span to his death relative to his apparent duration of internment I find suspicious. Did I smell the faint odor of Dr. Kevorkian passing by?

Am I on the right tack or reading too much into too little? There's not much to go on...
 
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