Osama again denies role in attacks

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, SEPT. 16. The Saudi dissident, Osama bin Laden, wanted by the United States in connection with the terrorist attacks, has once again ``categorically denied'' his involvement even as the Taliban chief, Mullah Omar, ruled out handing him over.

``I categorically say that I did not do it,'' Osama said in a statement faxed to a Peshawar-based news agency, Afghan Islamic Press (AIP). It is for the second time in the last five days that he has denied involvement in the terrorist strikes.

The agency claimed that the hand-written statement in Arabic was faxed to it in the morning by one Mr. Abdul Samad, who claimed to be an aide in Osama's political office.

In his statement, Osama, who is in Afghanistan as the ``official guest'' of the Taliban regime, said, ``I live in Afghanistan and have vowed (obedience) to the Amir-ul-Momineen, (official title of Mullah Omar, the spiritual leader of the Taliban regime) who does not allow such activities.''

It is a mystery as to how Osama could have faxed the message given the Taliban claim that he had been stripped of his fax, mobile phone and other communication gadgets after he was blamed for the bombings of U.S. missions in 1998.

Two days after the attacks in New York and Washington, a section of the Pakistani media carried a statement of the Saudi billionaire. One Urdu newspaper, Ausaf, claimed it received the statement through one of Osama's aides who travelled by road from Kandahar.

A Pakistan news agency, PPP, reported that FBI officials were investigating about who delivered the letter to newspapers. The report triggered a row here and questions are being asked as to how a foreign agency could question the sources of journalists in another country.

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