KARACHI – An alleged assassination attempt on Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was thwarted a month ago, sources told Pakistan Today on Friday. The US forces had utilised a device that could transmit signals to satellites for conducting an airstrike on bin Laden.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has set a head money of $25 million on bin Laden, and American forces search for him and Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar every day. “The Al Qaeda leadership is proud of its technical wing that discovered a 5mm chip fixed in a USB device meant to reach our leader for an interview,” Abu Al Fatah, an Al Qaeda operative said.
Fatah said the plan to kill bin Laden apparently originated in the Sudanese capital Khartoum where a man of Western appearance, who had identified himself as a correspondent of a US-based international television channel, had contacted a local Al Qaeda operative requesting that he be allowed to interview the Al Qaeda head.
“We refused the request because we were suspicious of his presence in Sudan and his interest in Afghanistan. The journalist, who called himself David Noshkay, then requested that the interview be done without him appearing in person. Noshkay forwarded a USB device with his questions, asking that we record the interview of our leader and save it on the device,” he added.
He said his organisation double checked all electronic equipment and devices, especially if it is meant for the Al Qaeda head. “When our technical wing examined the device, a 5mm chip was found stuck on it. We inspected the chip and found that it transmitted signal to satellites that aided in air strikes,” he added.
