Bandar bin Sultan Mystery

UPDATE..

Looking at the stat counter this post has drawn curious response from all around the world, including several people from Saudi Arabia.   The fact that anyone would even reach a post like this from a stupid little Tennessee blog only illustrates how sparsely populated the search engine is on this story; or that the stories currently there aren't telling anyone anything.  So people have to keep drilling down further.

Anyway... thanks for dropping by.  You may be interested in a profile of the man who first picked up this story on the Voltaire Network--the same guy who wrote a book shortly after 9/11 claiming a 757 didn't fly into the Pentagon. 


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Bandar, the Ambassador Sultan who came to Washington.  He's been written about in scores of books over the years described as a flamboyant prince who liked football and parties and had the ear of many presidents.  He was recalled to Saudi Arabia in 2005 and just recently made head of Saudi intelligence.

And there are rumors he is dead--killed by the Syrians.

The House of Saud knows but ain't tellin'.  Somebody else probably knows as well, and they ain't telling either, and there likely won't be any leaks to prosecute.  While no major US papers have engaged in the speculation a lesser known publication has waded into the pool:

ASPEN — With the GOP's heavy hitters in the Roaring Fork Valley this week, to be punctuated by Mitt Romney's public appearance Thursday at Basalt High School, the area has been infiltrated by elected officials, Secret Service members and lots of really important people.

But from where we're sitting, many readers have voiced their fascination with the mystery on the other side of the globe involving the alleged assassination of Prince Bandar bin Sultan.

Among other things, the Saudi Arabaian is a former part-time Aspen resident known for his generosity locally, his close friendship with President George W. Bush, his powerful influence on the Beltway as ambassador to the U.S. and being a key figure in questionable arms deals. On Wednesday, we rehashed the headlines blaring from some Middle Eastern websites about the rumored killing of Bandar, now the head of his country's central intelligence agency, purportedly by Syrians aiming to take revenge on him after the July 18 bombing in Damascus that killed four of Syria's top security officials.

The last time Aspen was big news was when Scooter Libby's letter to Judy Miller was made public. The Institute there gives the feel of a Bilderberger Council of Foreign Relations New World Order retreat, even if one doesn't believe in such stuff.   So it's not surprising some local scribe would print this story, saying nothing, just to get the story in the press and repeat the Twitter comment "Bandar Bush" (wink, wink).

That's basically what I'm doing here, too.  Clearly bin Sultan's death at the hands of the Syrians or Iranians would indeed be earth-shaking, which is good enough reason to keep the lid on it if there's any there there.  But I have no clue or any coherent speculation.  So I'll let the 'information clearinghouse' take it from here.

MORE  8/3/12

While we wait it's worth noting that Pepe Escobar, the writer linked above writing for Asia Times, had a very interesting column in late August 2001 that essentially suggested that Bush and company were ready to open a can of kickass on bin Laden in Afghanistan, or at least rumors were flying to that degree.  The gist of his column was that he needed to hurry up and take out UBL fast, or else.

This is not the first time we've heard about this--the BBC reported it a number of years ago.  The story was never widely discussed.  If true--and like Harry Reid's charge it cannot be confirmed--then it brings into question a few interesting questions.