The news story making waves that the Iranian government allegedly tried to have the Saudi Arabian ambassador assassinated on US soil strikes me as squirrelly and self-interested. Said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, "The idea that they would attempt to go to a Mexican drug cartel to solicit murder-for-hire to kill the Saudi ambassador? Nobody could make that up, right?" Well, nobody but government officials who rely on a lazy, compliant media to repeat their spin countless times before vetting the facts. (See Bruce Ivins' story, and Steven Hatfill's for classic illustrations, or since these charges could start a war, maybe the Gulf of Tonkin is a better example, or Bush II's claims that Iraq had chemical weapons.)
As it turns out, the suspects did not go to any "Mexican drug cartel" at all, but the case is based on a paid informant from Corpus Christi unaffiliated with any cartel who had state charges dropped in exchange for his services. In reality, the feds could have used an informant pretending to be from the Italian mob, the Crips, Bloods, you name it, since the only link to drug cartels is the cover story they fabricated.
Reported the Texas Tribune, the corporate intelligence service Stratfor says, "It seems unusual that the Iranians would approach a Mexican cartel to carry out the assassination, when the Iranians probably have the capability themselves," and that "at this point the cartels have not been directly linked to the plot."
Why would the Iranian government seek the Saudi ambassador's assassination, and if true, why would they choose to do it on American soil? It makes no sense. I don't yet know what to believe about these allegations, but one thing I know for sure: Only a fool would agree that "Nobody could make that up."
MORE: From Sylvia Longmire and Pete Guither. Amy Davidson at the New Yorker says one thing the story has going for it is an indictment. Read the full complaint here (pdf).
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13 comments:
Yikes, first the unimpressive Hurartee (sp) mad militia militants case and now another possible hyped up bust.
I hope that there is none of the...
-trolling or free lance informant meets IQ challenged wanna bes
-Informant's earns far more than his usual minimum wage jobs pays if and only if he finds bad guys.
-After repeated contact with informant and lots of rambo talk, videos and movies, the nit wits tenatively agree to a hare brained plot.
in this one.
Grits, I'm with you on this one.
Iran doesn't need to use some jerk to bring about the assassination of the Saudi ambassador in this country. Their secret agents can easily kill him during one of his many trips to the Saudi kingdom.
And when a DEA informant pretends to be a member of a Mexican drug cartel, it certainly does not mean that a drug cartel was involved in the plot.
i agree grits! specially when you consider just how OFTEN our govt has been caught with it's hands in the old cookie jar LIEING through it's teeth about just about ANYTHING!
A Round Rock man.
ROUND ROCK, Texas (AP) — One of the men accused of working for the Iranian government to assassinate the Saudi ambassador has lived in Texas for decades.
Federal officials list Manssor Arbabsiar’s residence as a two-story stucco and brick home at the end of a cul-de-sac in Round Rock north of Austin. Nobody answered the door Tuesday at the home decorated for Halloween.
Conspiracy Theory, say it with me - Conspiracy Theory! I find it hard to Believe Scott would slip into the fringe nut cases zone putting forth a Conspiracy Theory like he presents in this article. Next thing we can expect is Scott to start quoting than nut case Conspiracy Theorist Alex Jones of Infowars.com (also in Austin TX) in his blog. Back away from the caffeine loaded coffee and put the XL size mug down Scott. Dude, is that a couple of black crown vics watching your house? Tin Hats anyone???? Hey Scott I bet the Illuminati is behind the plot......
well prison doc! sorry but like cops say about ex cons! your history speaks for itself. If your a lieing sack of crap! don't be suprised when something happens people don't come see you FIRST!
sorry our govt is now that ex-con!
pity the ex! isn't real YET!
10:48, you're right, from now on I'll believe every word anybody from the government tells me, because after all we all know none of them would ever lie. The Gulf of Tonkin story was legit, Steve Hatfill was guilty, and Iraq turned out to have chemical weapons, right?(/sarcasm)
In truth, I proffered no conspiracy theory but only expressed skepticism at a conspiracy theory put forth by the government that seems implausible and not supported by the evidence. The claim that Iranians were working with a drug cartel is at a minimum an overstatement and, less generously, a flat-out misrepresentation. That was the cover story given by their snitch, but it was just that, a cover story. An Iran-cartel connection, from the evidence presented so far, just doesn't exist and is being over-hyped by Hillary Clinton (a war-mongerer who's helped get us into three wars so far). We've already been down this road where leaders take the nation to war based on lies, and for that reason I'll need more evidence before I believe the conspiracy theory that the US government is proffering.
Just a thought:
Maybe this trumped up case is meant as retaliation against Iran for the hikers who strayed over the border into Iran and were held prisoners for several years. So, after the hikers returned to the US, we imprision the usual Iranian in a tit-for-tat.
My thought is just speculation, but who knows?
Washington Post
October 12
ORPUS CHRISTI, Tex. — When Mansour Arbabsiar visited an old friend this August in Sanandaj, the capital of Iran’s Kurdistan province, the accused conspirator in the alleged plot to kill the Saudi ambassador was a picture of optimism.
“I’m going to make good money,” Arbabsiar told Tom Hosseini, a store owner in Corpus Christi, who has know Arbabsiar since the late 1970s, when both came to the United States as students. Arbabsiar, who had fistfuls of crisp new $100 bills...
What was he doing in Round Rock?
Scott I was just messing with you on the Conspiracy Theory blurb. I am very proud of you in that you know history, not some BS story the government floated. I must admit I was a little surprised you are on to the professional liars to the extent you project in your blog post. Good for you Scott. I am glad to see people are waking up to the lies and corruption in government. The USA might just survive if enough people wake up. I did slip in a plug for Infowars.com which has extended coverage of this topic today.
FTM
"Why would the Iranian government seek the Saudi ambassador's assassination......"
Maybe you should bone up on that and it would make much sense to you.
NPR
WikiLeaks Cable Hints At Motive For Alleged Iran Plot
by MIKE SHUSTER
October 15, 2011
Saudi-Iran Hostilities
In a cable from the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh to the State Department — dated April 20, 2008, and made public earlier this year — Jubeir, who is close to Saudi King Abdullah, made reference to the king's frequent exhortations to the U.S. to attack Iran. Then Jubeir used a particularly evocative phrase, says Alterman.
"Ambassador Jubeir told American officials that the king of Saudi Arabia told you to 'cut off the head of the snake.' That refers to a potential attack in Iran," Alterman says.
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