Is that even Bin Laden??

I don't think he's even been in Saudi Arabia for well over a decade. That could easily explain any change in his accent, if there indeed is one. I am certain that this is the real bin Laden.

The black beard could mean one of many things. It could be a fake beard, meaning that as part of his life on the run he no longer has a beard. Or, it could be his real beard which has been dyed to hide a recent illness. I've also heard that it is fairly common for Muslim or Arab leaders to dye the gray out of their hair as it makes them seem more strong and powerful, rather than old and weak. Another theory which I haven't heard mentioned but which I'll throw out there for the sake of this discussion, is that his black beard is a signal to a cell or cells to go ahead with a major attack somewhere. I know that is really unlikely, but you never know!

To those who say this guy looks different than the real bin Laden, you have to realize that people's appearance will change over time. This is especially the case for someone who is the most wanted man in the world and lives a life constantly on the run. In his last video he looked very ill and didn't even move one of his arms during the entire video. Since then, he could have regained his health and been living in better conditions. This would change his appearance somewhat. His beard being dyed black may be a response by al Qaida to rumors/concerns about bin Laden's health.

And I think when analyzing these images, we need to take into account that they likely were made with completely different cameras in completely different settings with different lighting as well. They are in some cases copies of copies of copies (and so on). For untrained eyes (like ours), it is very difficult to make anykind of conclusive determination when comparing these photographs which are of relatively poor quality.

I do find humor with those who say that this is a fake bin Laden and this video was created by the US government. I think if our government was going to parade a fake bin Laden in front of the world, they would at least use a beard that has the same color as his. You can't claim our government orchestrated the 9/11 attacks and secretly flies alien flying saucers in one breath, and then say that they are too bush league to make a beard that at least resembles that of the real bin Laden. Give me 10 minutes at a Halloween store and I'll make a beard that looks more like bin Laden's than that thing! This is clearly the real bin Laden. Believe it or not guys, there isn't aways a huge government conspiracy in every single event!

Like some have said already, we should be paying more attention to the actual message and the timing of the message than we should the color of the beard or the likeness with other bin Laden photos/videos.

I'm with you on this one, Rasputin13...After reading a couple threads on this recent topic on ATS, and comparing with vids over the last 5 yrs or so, I'd have to say its the same person...

Now...

This is not to say the whole thing hasn't been doctored in oh so many ways, but IMHO, if this is the case, it points even more to OBL being a "Western" make believe and less of a monster than the US/It's allies would have you believe...

To my mind, he definitely looks older...Yes, the hair and beard are much darker (Loreal Excellence creame, anyone ? ) Perhaps he has a false beard and has used something much cruder to dye the lot ?

He does look MUCH healthier in the face compared to vids gone bye, he has more flesh around his face and is much less gaunt than previous appearances...

I think the key here is whether OBL truly is a leader of a group hell bent on destroying Western lifestyles on their own, or whether OBL is a puppet of/manufactured by the US and its allies in order to wage a war of terror (thanks Borat ) in order to erode the freedoms we used to enjoy without just cause...

Gotta make ya wonder

Peace

Is this him?

I think he die back in 2001 or was taken into hiding by BUSH Inc., living in a penthouse suite in Las Vegas.

The last thing that I think BUSH Inc. wants is an offical announcement that OBL is dead. Can you imagine the response from millions of OBL fans around the world?

Wait, the more I look at the current photo, I think that might be George Noory from C2C posing as OBL.

What do you think?

Originally posted by Jaruseleh
Ok, I'm probably going to get flamed for this, but here goes anyway.

That is OBVIOUSLY him. How can you say it doesn't look like him? It looks EXACTLY like him. And black hair dye...hmmm....anything BLACK will dye your hair black, at least long enough to shoot a 30 min. video. Not to mention OBL is a millionaire, and I'm sure he has ways of getting all kinds of info to and fro, along with some black hair dye.

Normally I'm not this chastizing, but come on people. It's obviously him....

I agree. It's him. Henna (grown there in the middle east and available in shades from black to red) has been used to dye hair for thousands of years. I think he just had a henna job to keep himself from looking old.

But he is getting old, and he seems to be getting rambly as well (as though his thought processes aren't what they used to be.)

Varying facial structure and hair color.. results in anyone who's payed attention to previous videos to believe this is fake. Study the past pls k thx.

At first I thought it looked nothing like him, but heres why I was wrong.

We've been seeing photos of him in the news and media and websites from the late 90s .. the mid 90s.. a couple from early 2000s.

In the latest one (2004) he had grey beard. now its black.

But! his face looks MORE decrepit now than it did in 2004. So, in fact, it does look to be Bin Laden with a beard trimming, after losing a fair bit of weight, and after going through some very stressful years of aging (look at his face).

So yeah, im going to go ahead and join the "It's really him" camp. He's not Santa Claus .. he gets older. heheh.

Just look at pics of our President of USA when he first took office compared to now! Lol.

[edit on 9/8/2007 by runetang]

I really think the nose is significantly broader, especially the ridge which is unusual. I also think the brow area is more pronounced and the eyebrows are more arched. I have always noticed OBL's hands and manner of gesturing. They are both very distinctive. I'll have to compare previous videos to this one and look more closely at his mannerisms.

It is not uncommon for the nose to become bigger or more bulbous during the aging process, usually with men. Earlobes too. His face appears to be more sallow and gaunt. If the CIA wanted to make a fake video of him they would probably depict an OBL in a compromising situation, or saying or doing something that would discredit and humiliate him in the Muslim world. I don't see what the U.S. government would stand to gain by faking this recent video. I don't buy in to the whole "double" situation either. We went through the same speculation during the days following the "shock and awe" bombings on Iraq when Saddam made TV appearances. There's only so much you can do with plastic surgery and make-up. I don't think there are Osama doppelgängers.

7 September 2007: The image used to promote the upcoming video message purportedly by Osama bin Laden is considered "suspect," according to analysts of the Northeast Intelligence Network and federal sources close to this agency speaking on condition of anonymity. The image presented by as Sahab, the media arm of al Qaeda, contains certain characteristics that strongly suggest that the 2007 image of bin Laden sporting a darker beard was done via computer enhancements, not hair dye. Other elements of the image promoting the video are also raising questions and are under analysis.

It appears, however, that the as Sahab image of bin Laden has been deliberately manipulated by computer, possibly in an effort to make the al Qaeda figure appear more robust than in previous footage.

PICTURE ENHANCED BY WHOM?????

www.homelandsecurityus.com...

Is it live or is it Memorex????

Also, if anyone listened to Coast to Coast last night, Douglas Hagmann, a staunch Bush supporter told quite a different story- About Osama's look^ as well as the plan to nuke a US city so that we would all blame Al Qaeda and Bush would have all the backing in the world to attack Iran.
:shk:

Sick sick sick.


[edit on 8-9-2007 by dgtempe]