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| Terror Networks |
| Security is factor in delay between Binny's tapes |
| 2006-01-20 |
| While some analysts said bin Laden's reluctance to make himself more visible could be a sign of health problems -- his last videotape was aired in October 2004, days before the U.S. presidential election -- others surmised that he was more worried about his security. "Every audio or video tape is potentially traceable by intelligence services," said Paul R. Pillar, former deputy chief of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center. "We hope they will make a mistake, but they are extra cautious." A senior government counterterrorism official agreed that security was a factor behind the infrequent surfacings. "This tape was in the pipeline for a while, because they took their time to get where it could be aired," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on the record. Whether for security or other reasons, the official said, bin Laden has largely delegated Zawahiri, his second-in-command, "to be the public face" of al Qaeda. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |