Former Head of CIA's Bin Laden Unit Says the U.S. Misunderstands the Al Qaeda Leader
Nov. 17, 2004 — Michael Scheuer, a former CIA analyst who headed the agency's Osama bin Laden unit, tells ABC News' Peter Jennings in an interview that the U.S. government has a fundamental misunderstanding of the al Qaeda leader.
Scheuer, who published the book "Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror" under the name "Anonymous," started profiling bin Laden in the mid-1980s. He resigned from the CIA this month so he could speak freely about what he regards as a general failure to understand bin Laden.
Following is an excerpt of the interview:
Peter Jennings: Can you tell me, first of all, what do you think of Osama bin Laden?
Michael Scheuer: He is a dedicated pious Muslim. An apparently devout family man. He is also that odd combination of a 12th century religious person, and a modern, almost the CEO-type, officer. He manages an entirely unique multinational organization and does it very well. His actions, of course, are reprehensible in our perception. And we need to kill him and defeat him.
Jennings: Why is his "piety," or his "religion," if you will, relevant to our security?
Scheuer: It's relevant, sir, because, many Muslims in the Islamic world regard as an "assault on their religion" — certainly our presence on the Arabian peninsula remains a grievous offense to many, many Muslims, whether they support bin Laden or not.
Jennings: Because that's where two of the holy places are located.
Scheuer: And the homeland of the prophets, sir. It's the first holiest place in Islam. With the war in Iraq, we now occupy the second holiest place in Islam. And with the Israelis holding Jerusalem, they occupy the third holiest place. So in a sense, we have managed to portray ourselves as the "invaders of Islamic sanctities."
