Bechtel tied to bin Ladens

money.cnn.com...

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The Bush administration launched a war on terror because of the alleged acts of Osama bin Laden. Ironically, one of the companies the administration has picked to rebuild Iraq after the latest phase of that war has ties to bin Laden's family, according to a published report.

Bechtel Corp., a private construction firm based in San Francisco, recently was awarded a State Department contract, potentially worth more than $600 million, to help rebuild Iraq's infrastructure after the recent U.S.-led war there.

The Bush administration pushed for that war, in part, because it said the regime of Saddam Hussein, former leader of Iraq, had ties to the al Qaeda terror network, headed by bin Laden, the group allegedly responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States.

According to an article in the May 5 issue of New Yorker magazine, several bin Laden family members -- part of a large, Saudi Arabian family that made a fortune in the construction business -- invested about $10 million in a private equity fund operated by former subsidiary of Bechtel before Sept. 11.

Fremont Group, a San Francisco-based private investment firm, once was a unit of Bechtel, and its board still includes Bechtel CEO Riley P. Bechtel and former U.S. Secretary of State and former Bechtel President George P. Shultz, along with several current Bechtel directors.

Bechtel could not be reached for comment.

Fremont spokeswoman Pat Harden confirmed bin Laden's family had invested $10 million in a Fremont fund, but she said the family had no ownership stake in Fremont and its investment was made "well before the events of Sept. 11."

"Our concern is that it be clear they're investors, like many, in one of our many private equity funds," Harden said, noting that the Patriot Act of 2001 requires such investors to be screened for connections to terrorism. "This is all totally legal and above-board."

Harden didn't know exactly when bin Laden's family invested in the equity fund. Fremont general counsel Rick Kopf told the New Yorker bin Laden's family had invested nothing in Fremont since Sept. 11.

None of bin Laden's family members has been charged with any crimes, and the family denounced Osama bin Laden in the mid-1990s. Some family members also have publicly denounced the Sept. 11 attacks.

Saying they feared for their safety, about two dozen family members living in the United States left the country as soon as airports re- opened after Sept. 11.


Hmmmmmmm.... Gee, makes you wonder huh. Hmmmmmmm....

Anyone care to comment on this? I would like to know what everyone thinks.

Sure...and with the article's own words...

"None of bin Laden's family members has been charged with any crimes, and the family denounced Osama bin Laden in the mid-1990s. Some family members also have publicly denounced the Sept. 11 attacks"

You, like the article, seem to be trying to link the company with Osama, when it's clear that the link is instead to his family, which has already denounced him (and way before 9/11 I might add), and sees him as a "black sheep".

Originally posted by Gazrok

You, like the article, seem to be trying to link the company with Osama, when it's clear that the link is instead to his family, which has already denounced him (and way before 9/11 I might add), and sees him as a "black sheep".

I wonder if the CIA also thought he was black sheep when they trained him. Hmmmmmm....

likewise, we armed Saddam.

At those times, the enemy of our enemy was our friend (no matter how dispicable they were...) Not that I approve, but them's the breaks.....

Boy, the economy IS tough!! that wild and crazy bin laden will do ANYTHING to get a government contact!

CIA backed the mujahadeen which faught the soviets,
And the Soviets helped the allies defeat Hitler. By that reasoning, you might believe the Great Purges were a CIA inside job, right?

I still haven't seen anything conclusive that the CIA directly trained Bin Laden.

Originally posted by Bob88
Boy, the economy IS tough!! that wild and crazy bin laden will do ANYTHING to get a government contact!

CIA backed the mujahadeen which faught the soviets,
And the Soviets helped the allies defeat Hitler. By that reasoning, you might believe the Great Purges were a CIA inside job, right?

I still haven't seen anything conclusive that the CIA directly trained Bin Laden.

I like to hear someone make sense. This quote makes sense. Who here can prove that Bin Laden sought or recieved training from the CIA or any agency for that matter??????

We can tie his fighters in Al-Quida and in other cores and factions to the Pakistani ISI, but the CIA is different. The only thing the CIA has shown or told us is that they supplied weapons to the Mujahadeen Forces, they never said any thing otherwise. Yet what they tell us is what we are expected to believe. Or better yet, what they tell us is what we know. So if they are telling us what they know, are they telling us all they know???? For any attempt to attain documentation from the CIA without their approval would be considered subversive and criminal wouldn't it????? So one must ask, would the CIA be so stupid to incriminate themselves by saying that they did train Bin Laden????










No.


Yet one must ask yet another question: Would Bin Laden need training?????


I think not.

and any amount of research will show that the CIA not only supplied weapons (mostly in the form of Stinger missiles), but also training to the Mujahadeen, as well as logistical support, and recon support. I'll give Info that much...

However, as I mentioned...different time and circumstances...as Bob also pointed out...

I saw a great docu on the History Channel a while ago about the CIA involvement with the Mujahadeen Forces. Even went onto say they were flown to Britain and were trained by the SAS in the Scottish Borders. Why would an ex CIA agent lie about that?
As for Salami bin Liner who knows. It was a good docu anyway.

Maybe we should only let select people invest in our markets...but wouldn't that be the fascist state we all fear in the first place?

Originally posted by Lexus Panther
Why would an ex CIA agent lie about that?

Hmmm, I don't know about you but I have noticed that the CIA use lying as SOP. Anyone here CIA that is willing to confirm?