My life in al-Qa’eda, by bin Laden’s bodyguard March 30, 2008
Posted by revolution in : JihÄd, News, Yemen , trackback
By Tim Butcher in Sana’a
He served loyally at the terrorist leader’s side in the build up to the attacks on America and is wanted by the FBI and CIA. Nasser al Bahri speaks to Tim Butcher.
Osama bin Laden is a workaholic who will always be one step ahead of Western intelligence, his former bodyguard has told The Daily Telegraph.
Many have claimed intimate knowledge of bin Laden over the years. But in the case of Nasser al Bahri, a bearded and slightly portly 35-year-old taxi driver who lives in Yemen, the claim is not tainted by exaggeration.
For four years Bahri fought in Afghanistan with al-Qa’eda and served as bodyguard to a man he remembers affectionately as “the Sheikh”.
His experience makes Bahri of intense interest to the FBI and CIA, but they have so far failed to persuade the Yemeni authorities to deport him for questioning.
“The thing I remember most about the Sheikh is that he was very, very active,” said Bahri.
“From the start of the day before dawn when he began his prayers to late at night he was always doing something, never resting. We were not living in a comfortable environment but that did not stop him from all the time working, thinking and planning.
“After prayers came administration and after administration came meetings with distinguished visitors, sometimes secret visitors, but all day he never stopped.”
Here’s an old video clip of an interview with him; it has English Subtitles. Click here for that.
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