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US fears release of tape could aid terrorists
A taped confession by the self-proclaimed mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks has sparked an internal debate at the Pentagon, with some officials fearing that its release could boost morale for his supporters, a military spokesman said on Tuesday.
- AP
- Published: 00:00 May 31, 2007
- Image Credit: AP
- A Guantanamo detainee peers out through the "bean hole" which is used to allow food and other items into cells.
San Juan, Puerto Rico: A taped confession by the self-proclaimed mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks has sparked an internal debate at the Pentagon, with some officials fearing that its release could boost morale for his supporters, a military spokesman said on Tuesday.
For now, the US has decided not to release the audiotape of Khalid Shaikh Mohammad from a March hearing at Guantanamo Bay in which he claims involvement in 31 terrorist plots, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters in Washington.
"You can imagine there certainly are concerns about how an audio recording of that nature might be used by adversaries to embolden their efforts," Whitman said.
The so-called Combatant Status Review Tribunals for 14 "high value" detainees who were taken to Guantanamo last year have been held in secret. Reporters have been barred from attending them, but had been allowed to cover previous hearings for other Guantanamo detainees.
The US has already released a transcript of the hearing, but his allegations that he was tortured in CIA custody were censored by the military. The hearing was held to determine whether Khalid is an enemy combatant who should continue to be held at the detention centre at the US Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"It's one thing to have a written transcript; it's another one to have somebody's own voice," Whitman said.
The taped hearing of another so-called "high-value" detainee, alleged senior Al Qaida leader Abu Faraj Al Libi, was released by the Pentagon earlier this month.
Khalid and Al Libi were among 14 high-value detainees transferred to the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay last September after being held by the CIA in secret locations abroad. About 380 men are held at Guantanamo Bay, most accused of links to Al Qaida or the Taliban.
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