Dear Pakistani police: Would it have absolutely killed you guys to do your jobs right the first time? Like, you know, actually arresting the most wanted mass-murderer in the world when you had the chance?
It turns out that back in 2002 or 2003, when Al Qaeda chief and 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden was on the run in Pakistan's Swat Valley, he was pulled over for speeding.
Needless to say, he was not arrested and turned over to the authorities for his crimes.
The UK's Telegraph reports that the Pakistani government recently concluded its investigation into how bin Laden managed to hide out in that country undetected for about a decade. The government missed several opportunities to nab him, including when he was pulled over by a police officer for exceeding the speed limit. From their story:
According to the testimony of Maryam, the wife of Ibrahim al-Kuwaiti, on bin Laden’s two trusted bodyguards, they would make occasional visits to the local bazaar. She told investigators that on one trip their car was pulled over for speeding by a policeman, but that her husband “quickly settled the matter”. Whether the police officer was paid off or simply failed to spot the notorious passenger is not explained.
Emphasis added. Well, I sure am glad they "quickly settled the matter." It sure would have been awful if we had got bin Laden back in 2002 or 2003, right?
The Pakistani government's report is actually a rather damning account of their "efforts" to apprehend the terrorist leader, one that they say was fraught with "culpable negligence and incompetence at almost all levels of government." It's also amazing that "the entire neighbourhood, local officials, police and security and intelligence officials" somehow managed to miss the massive compound he was living on.
Now, I'm not saying everyone got bribed, but I think we can read between the lines.
Oh well. He got his in the end when Navy Seals raided his compound and killed him in 2011. I guess it would have been nice if something had happened sooner is all. Way to fuck things up, Pakistan!
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