Introduction
Over the past two decades, various digital communication platforms open and free to the public have cropped up. These platforms have not been limited to terrorists who have utilized these platforms to pass across their messages. These messages both public and secret bear the risk of the original sender being detected (Ouellet, Bouchard, & Hart, 2017). However, sophisticated terrorists are too smart to leave any footprints behind that would lead intelligence services into tracking them down. This is why the U.S took so long to track down bin laden who before the 9/11 attacks relied on communications both digital and hand delivered messages to allude to his intentions on the USA.
Osama Bin Laden leader of Al Qaeda in the past years before the 9/11 attacks carried out mass media campaigns set to communicate some message to the public and governments. These communications were also set to provoke reactions from governments and the public as well. These messages urged operative agents to execute attacks (Laden, 2005). Osama Bin Laden often referred to his messages as a source communicating to anyone the Al Qaeda political demands and ideology. Anti-terrorist operations before the attacks limited Osama bin laden to communicate and control his group and sympathizers (Matusitz, 2012). Other terror group leaders also communicated to their groups and encouraged them to execute attacks.
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In 2006, Osama Bin Laden stated that he did not object being friends with the United States. He, however, gave this offer on condition. In this statement, Osama alluded to preparing to execute attacks in the USA. Analysts interpreted the tone of the message as that of Al Qaeda reaffirming its global role as a jihadist movement (Ouellet, Bouchard, & Hart, 2017). Other analysts interpreted that the limited operations of Al Qaeda before the 9/11 attacks were aimed at influencing the global opinion on USA and Europe as well as spread their ideologies across the globe. Analysts argued that the group's aim was to plan, inspire and execute attacks on the USA and its allies all over the globe, particularly targeting economic infrastructure and energy infrastructure as well as to create unrest in Persia, Afghanistan and Iraq among other countries surrounding Israel (Laden, 2005). In this report, I shall look at Al Qaeda's communicative tactics before the 9/11 attacks.
On November 10th 2001, Osama Bin Laden had a public address in Jalalabad. He made a public address to about 1000 militants and Pashtun encouraging them to resist the invasion of Americans. He then vanished into the mountains after dishing out Pakistan cash, and U.S was not to be seen again in public (Ouellet, Bouchard, & Hart, 2017). However, Osama Bin Laden continued being heard on voice recordings issuing threats, pronouncements and warnings on video too from his hiding. In October 2011, Osama Bin Laden appealed for food aid to Pakistan for flood victims blaming west countries for pollution that caused climatic changes (Matusitz, 2012). In his message, Osama Bin Laden stated that he was certain that Muslim nations would rise against Americans if he happened to die in their hands.
A Taliban link to al Qaeda said that Osama Bin Laden was angry about a silencing order on him due to security purposes (Laden, 2005). However, this order made him angry after discovering that some of his followers thought that he was dead. Osama Bin Laden always loved communicating to the media. In one of his addresses, Osama only accepted this gagging order only because it gave him safety. Attending a wedding in 2001, Osama Bin Laden issued a warning of an attack that all his followers would soon hear. Osama Bin Laden talked explicitly about this plan though he did not reveal details about it. In audios collected after a raid on an Afghan compound, analysts got insight into the mindset of terrorists.
On July 2001, director of CIA had a meeting with counterterrorism Chief in a bid to monitor the steps of Al Qaeda (Ouellet, Bouchard, & Hart, 2017). The counterterrorism chief Cofer Black presented the case which consisted of top secret intelligence and communication patterns of Al Qaeda that showed the possibility of al Qaeda conducting an attack on the USA (Laden, 2005). This information though not concrete enough held a compelling case that could not be left unattended. CIA chief Tenet had the threats presented to NSA who reviewed all the presented intercepts. NSA concluded that the communications were genuine. A brief article by an intelligence executive stated that the threats by Bin laden were real.
Digital communication platforms created a great avenue for Osama bin Laden's communication to the USA and the world as a whole on his looming intentions. Osama bin Laden hinted on several occasions through Facebook and You Tube audio recordings, videos and public appearances on al Qaeda's possible attack on the USA (Matusitz, 2012). These communications were enough sources for the USA intelligence to act further on prevention of the possibility of an attack on the American soil. However, these communications were not acted upon even after being confirmed as true, they were just rubbed off, or it became too late before the intended cause of action was executed. To his affiliates, Osama Bin Laden urged and communicated to them more directly on launching attacks on America while to the world, he only hinted at possibilities of attacks but never openly revealed his planned attacks details.
References
Laden, O. B. (2005). Messages to the world: The statements of Osama bin Laden . Verso.
Matusitz, J. (2012). Terrorism and communication . Sage.
Ouellet, M., Bouchard, M., & Hart, M. (2017). Criminal collaboration and risk: The drivers of Al Qaeda’s network structure before and after 9/11. Social Networks .
