October 10, 2007

DNI Launches Probe Into Bin Laden Video Leak

Yesterday's revelations that the September leak of an intercepted Osama bin Laden video prompted al-Qaida to close a loophole that allowed surveillance on the group have sparked an official inquiry.

A Washington, D.C.-based private firm that monitors al-Qaida communications, SITE Intelligence Group, had secretly gotten a copy of the video and shared it with the White House. Within hours, SITE argues, multiple government agencies had downloaded the video and it was all over the media -- leaked from the government sources.

Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for the director of national intelligence, said in a Washington Post article today that officials will look into the leak allegation, but he doesn't think the leak came from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence or the National Counterterrorism Center.

Frances Fragos Townsend, a White House homeland security adviser, emphasized during a news conference yesterday that the video was released to the whole intelligence community, not just the White House, but she didn't deny responsibility for the leak.

"We here at the White House are unable to conduct an investigation, and I leave this to the Director of National Intelligence to ascertain what's the appropriate way of dealing with this and understanding what happened, so we can ensure it doesn't happen again," she said.

And White House spokeswoman Dana Perino echoed that sentiment yesterday, saying the leak was a "cause of concern" and said those providing sensitive information to the government should "feel comfortable that... their sources will be protected."

SITE founder Rita Katz first brought the allegations public in the Washington Post yesterday. The fallout from the leak is that al-Qaida was tipped off to the security breach, destroying "a years-long surveillance operation that the company has used to intercept and pass along secret messages, videos and advance warnings of suicide bombings from the terrorist group's communications network."

"Techniques that took years to develop are now ineffective and worthless," Katz said.

SITE offers its services to a variety of companies and agencies as well as the White House, but Katz added that information about this particular video was offered to administration officials in advance for free. She sent a link to a private company Web site, which had a copy of the video and a transcript translated into English, to White House counsel Fred Fielding and to Michael Leiter, principal deputy director of the United States National Counterterrorism Center.

In yesterday's story, the Post reported that government officials wouldn't go on the record about the story, but none disputed Katz's version of events.

Posted at 9:10 AM
Posted to: Al-Qaida, Bush Administration, Terrorism
Share via