53. Bin Laden vs the CIA: The Great Escape (Ep 3)

The Rest Is Classified

Goalhanger

History

4.6 • 732 Ratings

🗓️ 8 June 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

"The walls of oppression and humiliation cannot be demolished except in a rain of bullets." These chilling words from Osama bin Laden's 1996 fatwa declared war on the United States. How did this Saudi Arabian millionaire transform into a global terrorist leader, openly inviting media attention even as he plotted attacks against America? And what were the critical missed opportunities for the CIA to capture or kill him before 9/11? Today we’re exploring bin Laden's return to Afghanistan in 1996, a permissive sanctuary where he solidified Al Qaeda as a global force. Despite dwindling personal funds, he used propaganda and media appearances to generate cash and build his image as a puritanical jihadist leader. Discover his strange lifestyle at Tarnak Farms, a decrepit former Soviet agricultural station, and the shift in his ideology that led him to declare all Americans, civilian or military, as legitimate targets. Join Gordon and David as they dissect the events leading up to the devastating 1998 embassy bombings in East Africa, the controversial "Trod Pints" plan to kidnap bin Laden, and the mounting frustration within the CIA over a series of missed chances. ------------------- To sign up to The Declassified Club, go to ⁠www.therestisclassified.com⁠ or click this ⁠⁠⁠⁠link⁠⁠⁠⁠. To sign up to the free newsletter, go to: ⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/goalhanger.com/tric-free-newsletter-sign-up⁠⁠ ------------------- Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ ⁠nordvpn.com/restisclassified⁠ It's risk-free with Nord's 30 day money back guarantee Exclusive INCOGNI Deal: To get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan, go to ⁠https://incogni.com/restisclassified⁠ ------------------- Pre-order a signed edition of Gordon's latest book, The Spy in the Archive, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠via this link.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Order a signed edition of David's latest book, The Seventh Floor, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠via this link.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------------------- Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@triclassified⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It should not be hidden from you that the people of Islam had suffered from aggression,
0:11.8	iniquity and injustice imposed on them by the Zionist Crusaders' alliance and their collaborators,
0:18.5	to the extent that the Muslim's blood became the cheapest and their wealth
0:22.1	as loot in the hands of the enemies. The presence of the USA Crusader military forces on land,
0:28.4	sea and air in the states of the Islamic Gulf is the greatest danger threatening the largest
0:33.9	oil reserve in the world. The walls of oppression and humiliation cannot be demolished
0:38.8	except in a reign of bullets. The free man does not surrender leadership to infidels and sinners.
0:45.4	My Muslim brothers of the world, your brothers in Palestine and in the land of the two holy places,
0:50.9	are calling upon your help and asking you to take part in fighting against the
0:55.5	enemy, your enemy and their enemy, the Americans and the Israelis. Well, welcome to the rest
1:02.5	is classified. I'm Gordon Carrera. And I'm David McClorski. And thank you, David, for making me read
1:07.9	those slightly chilling words from Osama bin Laden and his fatwa declaring war
1:13.7	on the US, I should definitely say those were his words and not mine.
1:17.4	Is anyone just tuning in? Not the way I normally start the day.
1:21.0	It's not career and prose for those squirrels listening to the podcast.
1:24.5	I also think Gordon, it's not his poetry. So it's a step above that. But we'll get there. You didn't inflict that on me, which you've threatened to the podcast. I also think Gordon, it's not his poetry, so it's a step above that.
1:27.9	But we'll get there. You didn't inflict that on me, which you've threatened to do many times.
1:32.2	I have. But in case anyone's wondering why we're talking about Osama bin Laden, we are in the middle now of
1:37.9	this remarkable story, which looks at how Osama bin Laden made the move from being a kind of rich
1:44.1	kid, helping out fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan in the the move from being a kind of rich kid helping out fighting the Soviets
1:46.0	in Afghanistan in the 80s into a kind of terrorist cult leader. And we've seen how he's created
1:52.3	a group called Al-Qaeda or the base with a compound in Sudan and how he'd begun to set his sights
	...

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