# When did the government know bin Laden was a threat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 22, 2001, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-government-know-bin-laden-was-a-threat/83195 "2001-09-22T11:02:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-government-know-bin-laden-was-a-threat/83195/1 "2001-09-22T11:02:32Z")
I never heard his name before the 1993 WTC bombings. How/when was it determined that he engineered that? And was he seen as dangerous beforehand? I’m assuming the government at least knew who he was before 1993. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-government-know-bin-laden-was-a-threat/83195/2 "2001-09-22T22:21:01Z")
Dunno, dear–I was searching Google for you, and I ran across this interview from a while back (1998 I guess), and now I’m totally creeped out and I’m going to go hug my kids. ☹ [http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/dailynews/terror\_980609.html](http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/dailynews/terror_980609.html) > [@](#): > > **John Miller** : You have said, “If the Americans are so brave they will come and arrest me.” Do you think that is something my country will try? > > **Osama Bin Ladin** : We have seen in the last decade the decline of the American government and the weakness of the American soldier who is ready to wage Cold Wars and unprepared to fight long wars. This was proven in Beirut when the Marines fled after two explosions. It also proves they can run in less than 24 hours, and this was also repeated in Somalia. We are ready for all occasions. We rely on Allah. In other words, “No, ya’ll are too chicken.” > [@](#): > > **John Miller** : Mr. Bin Ladin, you have issued a fatwa calling on all Muslims to kill Americans where they can, when they can. Is that directed at all Americans, just American military, just Americans in Saudi Arabia? > > **Osama Bin Ladin** : …We are surprised this question is coming from Americans. Each action will solicit a similar reaction. We must use such punishment to keep your evil away from Muslims, Muslim children and women. American history does not distinguish between civilians and military, and not even women and children. They are the ones who used the bombs against Nagasaki. Can these bombs distinguish between infants and military? America does not have a religion that will prevent it from destroying all people. > > Your situation with Muslims in Palestine is shameful, if there is any shame left in America. In the Sabra and Shatilla massacre, a cooperation between Zionist and Christian forces, houses were demolished over the heads of children. Also, by testimony of relief workers in Iraq, the American led sanctions resulted in the death of over 1 million Iraqi children. > > All of this was done in the name of American interests. We believe that the biggest thieves in the world and the terrorists are the Americans. The only way for us to fend off these assaults is to use similar means. > > We do not differentiate between those dressed in military uniforms and civilians; they are all targets in this fatwa. Especially since American officials were released after the Khobar bombing, asking all American civilians to contact the security department in the embassy with information on Muslims and activists. The fatwa includes all that share or take part in killing of Muslims, assaulting holy places, or those who help the Jews occupy Muslim land. So–it’s okay for him not to differentiate between military and civilians, but it’s not okay for “American history”. Right. :rolleyes: He begins to sound exactly like Tim McVeigh talking calmly about “collateral damage”. Creep. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![moggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@moggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moggy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-government-know-bin-laden-was-a-threat/83195/3 "2001-09-22T23:03:25Z")
DDG, I saw part of that interview on a couple of news programs- it gave me the heebie-jeebies every time I saw it. I thought the same things you did. Very scary. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-government-know-bin-laden-was-a-threat/83195/4 "2001-09-22T23:14:15Z")
American investment in Afghanistan to counter the Soviet invasion is somewhat responsible for the rise in popularity of the Taliban and groups espousing Osama’s philosophies. Like too much American foreign policy, Osama became a threat when he was percieved to stop supporting American goals in the tradition of Noriega or Ho Chi Minh. I am not trying to excuse his disgraceful actions nor speak ill of the innocents who died in recent disasters. However, threats are always a matter of interpretation and the U.S. has long supported unsavoury characters and regimes, as have many other countries to further their own interests. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-government-know-bin-laden-was-a-threat/83195/5 "2001-09-22T23:28:15Z")
Thanks, guys. But I was looking for a year, or at least a time period, when he was first noticed, and when he got red-flagged. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2001, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-government-know-bin-laden-was-a-threat/83195/6 "2001-09-23T02:45:48Z")
He was “connected” to the 1993 WTC bombings, because evidently one of the bombers “knew him”, but it looks like he might not have been actually “red flagged” until 1996, when he declared war on the U.S. I dunno, I don’t have the patience to wade through a lot of “history Bin Laden” websites. [http://www.state.gov/www/regions/africa/fs\_bin\_ladin.html](http://www.state.gov/www/regions/africa/fs_bin_ladin.html) > [@](#): > > Bin Ladin’s network has publicly and repeatedly articulated a clear and violent anti-U.S. agenda: > > In August 1996, bin Ladin issued a “declaration of war” against the United States. I would assume that the CIA has at least known who he was since 1979, as he was a wealthy Saudi who involved himself in helping the Afghans against the Russians, during that war. His resume. [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/binladen1.shtml](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/binladen1.shtml) [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/binladen2.shtml](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/binladen2.shtml) [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/binladen3.shtml](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/binladen3.shtml) His “network” has been around for years, but it doesn’t look like it was specifically anti-U.S. until 1996. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2001, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-government-know-bin-laden-was-a-threat/83195/7 "2001-09-23T03:38:55Z")
Thank you for the links, and answers!