French Want Probe Into Bin Laden Leak
Chirac: Osama's Death 'In No Way Whatsoever Confirmed'
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Saudi intelligence agents believe Osama bin Laden died of typhoid, according to a French intelligence report leaked to a newspaper, Saturday Sept. 23, 2006. (AP)
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Chirac said he was "a bit surprised" at the leak and has asked Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie to investigate how a document from a French foreign intelligence service was published in the French press.
The regional newspaper L'Est Republicain on Saturday printed what it described as a copy of a confidential document from the DGSE intelligence service citing an uncorroborated report from a "usually reliable source" saying that Saudi secret services are convinced the leader of the al Qaeda terror network had died.
The DGSE sent the document, dated Sept. 21 or Thursday, to Chirac and other top French officials, the newspaper said.
"This information is in no way whatsoever confirmed," Chirac said Saturday when asked about the document. "I have no comment."
Officials from Afghanistan to Washington expressed doubts about the report and a Saudi Interior Ministry official refused comment.Bin Laden: Dead Or Alive? Read CBS News's Exclusive Report.
"We have no response to the question of whether bin Laden is dead or alive," the Interior Ministry official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
A senior White house official says of the information, "I wouldn't hold your breath," reports CBS News White House correspondent Jim Axelrod.
A senior official in Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry said he is "very skeptical of the truthfulness" of the document, noting past false reports of the death of bin Laden. He was not authorized to address the issue and asked that his name not be used.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Tasnim Aslam, called the information "speculative," saying that Pakistan like other countries was "clueless about him."
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bin Laden: Dead Or Alive? Read CBS News's Exclusive Report.
Michelle Obama tells how her role as the First Lady has changed her perspective.





People walking down the street with protests signs all over the world. You think they speak for everyone? WRONG!
They are a very small percentage of the population. You know knowing what the majority thinks. Obviously your head stuck deep, where you can see reality.
Your a punk. Your living in the 1960's.
The world doesn't care about protestors. Lock'm up and throw away the key, lol
Come on, be a big maucho man, with a tiny stick in your hand and waive it in my face. I'd love to teach you about life.
I can't wait till you respond.
Your such a joke. No wonder I'm fed up with people like you. You try pushing your views on the world.
It has never, and will never ever work.
In my eyes, your the problem.
Doctorgraz for every American calling OBL a "vile murderer" there are many more non-Americans who can justifiably say the same of Bush. If the best we can do is be better at killing others than they are at killing us then we are doomed. Such thinking is inevitably self-destructive.
Does Chavez have WMD, does he have ties to al-Qaeda, does he have al-Qaeda training camps in his country?
Well I guess it is time for our "free and unbiased news media" (ROTFLMAO) to create another boogie man for the chimp to use.
That having been said I wish the ***'s body would be displayed like Il Duce's in the town square. That would be fun.
- by iloveusa-2009 September 23, 2006 11:45 AM EDT
- He died as he lived: like a dog
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