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Magazine reports suspect held bin Laden passports

Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 27, 2002

BERLIN -- Passports for three of Osama bin Laden's wives were found in the apartment of a Yemeni arrested last month in Pakistan and believed to have been the key contact person between the Hamburg cell of Sept. 11 plotters and al-Qaida, a German news magazine reported Saturday.

Der Spiegel, which did not cite sources, said passports for an unspecified number of bin Laden's children also were found when Ramzi Binalshibh was arrested in Karachi last month. Binalshibh is in U.S. custody.

Binalshibh says he doesn't know where bin Laden is, Der Spiegel reported, but admitted having met bin Laden's eldest son at a party in March. The report did not identify the relatives involved.

Pakistani security officials confirmed they did find passports purportedly belonging to some members of bin Laden's family, but they were unsure whether they were genuine.

Al-Qaida tape calls Australia enemy of Islam

LONDON -- Osama bin Laden singled out Australia as an enemy of Islam because it helped East Timor win independence from Indonesia, according to a videotape broadcast Saturday by the British Broadcasting Corp.

In the brief clip, which showed only a closeup of bin Laden's face, he said the "crusading Australian forces were on the Indonesian shores and they actually went in to separate East Timor, (which) is part of the countries of the Islamic world."

Bin Laden spoke in Arabic on the taped message the BBC said was made in November.

It was not immediately known how the BBC program Panorama got the tape.

A Panorama investigation into possible al-Qaida links to the Oct. 12 bomb attack on the Indonesian island of Bali was broadcast in Britain on Oct. 20 and on the BBC World channel Saturday. More than 90 Australians are believed dead or missing in the bombings.

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