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Osama perfect, healthy and 'giving orders'

Pak taxi driver held by FBI says Laden is in safe hands
Last Updated : 03 May 2018, 02:00 IST
Last Updated : 03 May 2018, 02:00 IST

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A 35-page complaint affidavit against Raja Lahrasib Khan, arrested on Friday for allegedly providing material support to terrorism and funds to al-Qaeda, gives details of conversations recorded between him and an undercover law enforcement agent about his association with al-Qaeda operative Ilyas Kashmiri, also the chief of HuJI.
In conversations taped on February 23 between Khan and the undercover agent, the 56-year-old taxi driver claims that Kashmiri, whom he addresses as “Lala” told him that bin Laden is “healthy... perfect”.

“...I asked the Lala about him (Osama). And he (Kashmiri) says he’s (Osama) healthy, he’s leading,” according to the affidavit against Khan submitted in a court here.
Khan goes on to say that he thought bin Laden was “sick” or “shaheed” but Kashmiri “says no... he’s perfect, healthy, and he’s leading and he’s giving the orders... he’s OK, he’s in safe hands. That’s what, Lala said to me, you know...”

Later in a conversation around March 17, the undercover agent met Khan and an ‘Individual B’ at a restaurant here. During this meeting, Khan told the agent that he knew Kashmiri worked for al-Qaeda because he had asked him about “the big Lala. Osama...”
Khan asked Kashmiri if Osama was “alive or is he shaheed”.
“He (Kashmiri) said no, he’s OK. Allahamdullah (praise to God) he’s healthy and... he is commanding everything,” according to the conversation.
Khan also told the undercover agent that though he had never met bin Laden “personally”, he wanted to meet him.
“...Osama bin Laden. I never met... I want (to) meet him ... I wanna see him. Before the, even the war start, I was going to Pakistan. But then 9/11 happens, and I didn’t go.”

Terror hierarchy ladder
Khan said bin Laden gives orders to Kashmiri, “then Kashmiri gives the order to ‘mujahideen’... al-Qaeda and Taliban”.
In another conversation, Khan said, “I love that Osama bin Laden, he says the last 50 years we have been, tasting... now America will taste that,” and Americans will feel the pain they have been feeling.”
Kashmiri has been named along with Pakistan-American LeT operative David Coleman Headley and co-accused Tahawwur Hussain in an FBI indictment that charges them with supporting terrorism.

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Published 27 March 2010, 15:37 IST

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