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February 16, 2007
Intel Officer: Al-Masri Still At Large. 'No DNA Match'
PJM has it that we shouldn't believe the media reports that the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq was captured yesterday, at least not yet:
Based on his appearance alone, Iraqi officials at the scene became convinced that they had the al Qaeda leader. The officials at the Interior Ministry phoned Arab news outlets, which trumpeted the news. English-language wire services, such as Reuters, regularly monitor foreign broadcasts for news items. Within hours of the firefight at a desolate concrete house near Baghdad, the "news" had traveled the world. Meanwhile, the truth was trying to get its boots on. Apparently U.S. military intelligence first learned of al-Masri's "capture" from reporters seeking comment.More ...U.S. intelligence officials demanded DNA tests to confirm the identity of the prisoner. U.S. has DNA reference samples of virtually all al Qaeda leaders, including al-Masri. Blood samples from family members are one source of such reference DNA samples.
A crestfallen intelligence official told Pajamas Media: The prisoner's DNA did not match that of al Masri's.
Related: Hunting al-Masri; Al-Qaeda's Strelas (updated with video)
Posted by Richard at February 16, 2007 7:39 AM
