# Bin Laden under arrest?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 13, 2001, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225 "2001-09-13T01:38:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TexasSpur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@TexasSpur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TexasSpur)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/1 "2001-09-13T01:38:47Z")
Don’t know if I believe this or not. Also, have no idea which board to post this under. [http://au.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/20010913/aapworld/1000336445-1141825578.html](http://au.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/20010913/aapworld/1000336445-1141825578.html) ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/2 "2001-09-13T01:48:00Z")
So far the intelligence community has responded with a resounding “bullsh\*t” to that claim. Erek ---
**Author:** ![TexasSpur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@TexasSpur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TexasSpur)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/3 "2001-09-13T01:55:05Z")
Well, I was thinking they would just say they arrested him, but then they won’t turn him over because there is no proof in their minds. However, just the fact that they are saying it makes me think they are somewhat scared of our retaliation. ---
**Author:** ![RoboDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bbe5ce/32.png) [@RoboDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RoboDude)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/4 "2001-09-13T02:01:29Z")
House arrest? Kowing them, it’s probably more like protective custody. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/5 "2001-09-13T02:06:19Z")
If they arrest him and hand him over, we can’t have the pleasure of bombing him, his compound, his cars, his equipment, his wealth, and his cronies back to the stone age. Golly, that doesn’t reveal any of _my_ leanings, does it? ---
**Author:** ![Semp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Semp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Semp)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/6 "2001-09-13T02:27:29Z")
If it’s true it sounds like a dodge, buying time. However, the Taliban is no doubt hearing from any friends that they still have that it isn’t worth it giving him cover. He might be a friend that helped them get into power in Afghanistan in the first place, but keeping him safe could lead to the end of their rule outright. Pakistan is the only reason the Taliban can field an army against the northern insurgents, and if the US decides to lean on India to apply additional pressure to the Pakistanis, they might find themselves in too tough a position with too many possible fronts to cover. The more I think about it, the most likely possibilty of bin Laden winding up in American hands is him being turned over. The Taliban people are reprehensible and arguably barbaric, but they aren’t as stupid as many would like to think. They are more concerned with Afghanistan than bin Laden. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/7 "2001-09-13T02:33:34Z")
So what if they hand over bin Laden himself? We still need to go in and mop up the war machine left behind. There is little more to be done but begin the bombing. This is war. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/8 "2001-09-13T03:36:00Z")
> [@](#): > > If it turns out that Tuesday’s attacks were the work of Osama bin Laden’s supporters, the sense that the Americans are once again reaping a dragons’ teeth harvest they themselves sowed will be overwhelming. > > It was the Americans, after all, who poured resources into the 1980s war against the Soviet-backed regime in Kabul, at a time when girls could go to school and women to work. \*\*Bin Laden and his mojahedin were armed and trained by the CIA and MI6. \*\* From the Guardian, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/wtccrash/story/0,1300,551086,00.html](http://www.guardian.co.uk/wtccrash/story/0,1300,551086,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![milroyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@milroyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milroyj)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/9 "2001-09-13T04:12:15Z")
If true, while doubtful, I think it’s a ploy. Let’s say the Taliban even goes so far as to turn bin-dipweed over. Ok fine, we take him, and _then_ proceed with the elimination of Kabul. That’s the point. It’s not about one terrorist leader, or one terrorist group. It’s a country or countries that have, and are, supporting these atrocities. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/10 "2001-09-13T05:54:31Z")
A splendid idea. Those pesky innocent Kabulese noncombatant civilians are doing nothing but cluttering the place up. Who needs 'em? ---
**Author:** ![milroyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@milroyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milroyj)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/11 "2001-09-13T06:02:13Z")
Matt, I agree this is horrible. But we have to MAKE THIS STOP! Arresting him simply won’t do the trick. A VERY MAJOR attack MUST be carried out, hopefully to prevent this from happening again, anywhere. (What if Montreal is next?) ---
**Author:** ![vorfod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a87d85/32.png) [@vorfod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vorfod)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/12 "2001-09-13T06:09:03Z")
**milroyj:** a major attack won’t stop it from ever happening again - it will justify the actions that the terrorists are taking. Especially if the US uses the threat of force to make the Taliban turn OBL over (which would be unprecedented), then still bombs Kabul. That would just make America the bully and Great Satan that the extremist nutjobs claim it is. ---
**Author:** ![Hazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Hazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazel)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/13 "2001-09-13T06:25:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by matt\_mcl \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > If it turns out that Tuesday’s attacks were the work of Osama bin Laden’s supporters, the sense that the Americans are once again reaping a dragons’ teeth harvest they themselves sowed will be overwhelming. > > > > It was the Americans, after all, who poured resources into the 1980s war against the Soviet-backed regime in Kabul, at a time when girls could go to school and women to work. \*\*Bin Laden and his mojahedin were armed and trained by the CIA and MI6. > > \*\* > > From the Guardian, [They can't see why they are hated | Seumas Milne | The Guardian](http://www.guardian.co.uk/wtccrash/story/0,1300,551086,00.html) \*\* Here’s an item from MSNBC– > **[MSNBC News - Breaking News and News Today | Latest News](https://www.msnbc.com/)** > > MSNBC breaking news and the latest news for today. Get daily news from local news reporters and world news updates with live audio & video from our team. _Bin Laden comes home to roost: His CIA ties are only the beginning of a woeful story_ by Michael Moran, MSNBC “At the CIA, it happens often enough to have a code name: Blowback. Simply defined, this is the term that describes an agent, an operative or an operation that has turned on its creators. Osama bin Laden, our new public enemy Number 1, is the personification of blowback. And the fact that he is viewed as a hero by millions in the Islamic world proves again the old adage: Reap what you sow.” ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/14 "2001-09-13T11:21:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by milroyj \* > \*\* (What if Montreal is next?) \*\* Nice try. But I don’t think for one second that the death of an innocent, non-combatant montréalais, including myself, would justify the death of an innocent, non-combatant Kabulese any more than the death of an innocent, non-combattant New Yorker would. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/15 "2001-09-13T15:22:05Z")
I think one of the best things that could happen now is that Afghanistan hands over Bin Laden (and possibly several of his top soldiers) to the U.S. to stand trial. That is the most civilized way of handling things, and I hope it works out that easily. However, even if it does, that is only the first step. Bin Laden’s organisation and training camps would remain, and it would be up to Afghanistan to crack down on terrorist actions stemming from inside its borders. I find this unlikely, but not completely impossible. With even Pakistan chiming in with their support of the U.S., Afghanistan could be left in a position of having no (or very very few) allies in this matter. With enough pressure from what amounts to just about the entire friggin’ world, they might take actions toward reducing terrorist activity within their borders. (At least, I find that the most likely senario that is also somewhat satisfactory. If I had my druthers, some omnipotent being would torture those responsible in Hell for several eternities.) ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/16 "2001-09-13T15:57:33Z")
The official statement of the Taliban emissary to Pakistan may be found [here](http://www.irna.com/en/tnews/010913214207.etn03.shtml). > [@](#): > > “We call for judicial inquiry into the attacks and punishment of those who have done this”, Zaeef said. > He ruled out involvement of Osama bin Laden in the attacks and said he (Osama) is unable to carry out such well-organized attacks. > “We have controlled all activities of Osama and he can not contact anyone”, he said. ---
**Author:** ![Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vinnie_Virginslayer)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/17 "2001-09-13T16:08:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CrankyAsAnOldMan \* > \*\*If they arrest him and hand him over, we can’t have the pleasure of bombing him, his compound, his cars, his equipment, his wealth, and his cronies back to the stone age. > > Golly, that doesn’t reveal any of _my_ leanings, does it? \*\* A little ashamed to say it, but I was thinking the same thing, Cranky. 🙂 _ **WE WANT WAR, DAMMITT!!!** _ :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Tymp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Tymp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tymp)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/18 "2001-09-13T17:56:50Z")
I don’t want war if it can be avoided. If the current threat of impending horrific and overwhelming retaliation has broken the spirit of the Taliban and the terrorists they harbor to the point that they are willing to surrender their golden boy, I think we should graciously accept. Then, with total willingness to use terrible force, we should place a huge military presence in their country. We could dismantle their violent and aggressive leadership. We can expose the people of Afghanistan to the realities of the Western world, which they have been denied, and we can break the spirit of the anti-American fanatics by stripping away every bit of viscous pride among their people without any massive, painful retaliation. If they surrender their own, they will have demonstrated that they are completely cowed. They will have admitted that they understand how easily they could be wiped off the plant. They will not resist much once they get to that point. We could then sit “peacefully” in their land, slowly and methodically exposing, containing and eliminating the dangerous individuals. I say we completely redefine their existence for them as they have demonstrated an inability to establish an appropriate identity as human beings. If we bomb and attack them, we will do nothing but spark a new level of hatred that will lick its wounds for a while and emerge as something even more terrible in the future. I don’t want war. I want a solution. ---
**Author:** ![Wildest\_Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Wildest\_Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wildest_Bill)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/19 "2001-09-13T18:05:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BlackKnight \* > \*\*I think one of the best things that could happen now is that Afghanistan hands over Bin Laden (and possibly several of his top soldiers) to the U.S. to stand trial. What a waste of time and money. If you don’t want to torture him, just shoot him and cohorts in the head and toss’em in and feed em to the pigs. ---
**Author:** ![Tymp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Tymp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tymp)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225/20 "2001-09-13T18:16:45Z")
**Wildest Bill** , You are an impediment to the American way of life. Your rhetoric is that of a terrorist and not an American. Please cease and desist or join the ranks of our enemy, Hatred. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bin-laden-under-arrest/81225.md?page=2)