Frontline: Son of al Qaeda
Terence McKenna
Producer
Friday, April 23, 2004; 11:00 a.m. ET
Growing up in the 1990s, Abdurahman Khadr's playmates were the children of his father's longtime friend, Osama bin Laden. How Khadr was raised to be an al Qaeda terrorist -- and how he ultimately decided to become a U.S. informant in the war on terror -- is the focus of the Frontline report "Son of al Qaeda." Through interviews with Khadr as well as his mother and siblings, the one-hour documentary recounts his journey from terrorist trainee to informant, offering a revealing glimpse inside the world-and mindset-of al Qaeda followers.
Producer Terence McKenna will be online Friday, April 23 at 11 a.m. ET, to discuss the documentary.
Submit your questions and comments before or during the discussion.
"Son of al Qaeda" airs Thursday, April 22 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings).
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Ann Arbor, Mich.:
Do you think that Khadr will face reprisals from either the CIA or those who sympathize with bin Laden over the information he has divulged about these groups and their methods?
Terence McKenna: He feels relatively safe in Canada from reprisals from al Qaeda. He'd be a deadman if he tried to go back to Afghanistan or Pakistan or any other place where al Qaeda is still powerful. He doesn't really worry about reprisals from the CIA.
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Washington, D.C.:
Precisely what did Abdurahman and his sisters say was the reason for the Muslin hostility towards the United States?
Terence McKenna: Abdurahman mother and sister speak a lot about Muslim hostility toward the U.S. His mother, Maha, is a Palestinian Canadian. She identifies very strongly with the Palestinian cause. She believes that Israel has been killing Palestinians with help and weapons provided by the U.S. for many years. And that's why she feels hostility towards the United States. This, of course, is an attitude which is widely shared in the Muslim world. I think there's also widespread resentment of the U.S. because it is considered so rich, so powerful, and so willing to impose its will on the rest of the world.
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New York, N.Y.:
Thank you for a fascinating Frontline. But how do we know the subject was telling the complete truth?
Terence McKenna: All of us who were dealing with him were worried from the beginning that he might be making up this story. We were all very much on our guard about about that. We all had the feeling that the more you listen to him, the more you believed him. He was remarkably consistent in the details of his story. He provided us the name of some of the agents he dealt with and we were able to establish that they were real American agents working on the war on terror. Some of their names appear in official court records on other al Qaeda cases.
My last question to him at the end of many hours of interviews was with regard to polygraph tests. I mentioned to him that he claimed that he was polygraphed on two occassions by the CIA and had passed those tests. I asked him if we would be willing to face another for us to show that he was telling the truth now. He agreed without hesitation. He said, "Bring it on. I'm ready to do it right now, today, now, anytime you say."
I took that as a pretty strong indication that he was confident about the truthfulness of his story. And, of course, as you see in the documentary he passed the polygraph test.
We have forces in the intelligence services in the U.S. and Canada that we were also able to use to confirm his story. Obviously, we can't speak publicly about those details.
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Bend, Ore.:
Does Khadr think the current push by U.S. troops to find bin Laden in Afganistan will
succeed in these tribal areas he grew up in ?
Great show last night. I think it's important to show, as your report did very well, the depth of feeling of what Bin Laden supporters actually think of their movement and actions.
Thanks.
Terence McKenna: Khadr has not been in the tribal homelands where bin Laden is supposedly hiding for several years. He does not have a detailed knowledge of the attempts to catch bin Laden.
When I was in Pakistan I did interview a general in the Pakistani military who is working on the military campaign to catch bin Laden. He was quite convinced that if bin Laden is in Pakistan it will only be a matter of weeks or months until they catch him. He did express the opinion, however, that he thinks it much more likely that bin Laden is actually hiding on the Afghanistan side of the border because there are many more hiding places available to him inside Afghanistan. He was also of the opinion that the American military would have to deploy many more soldiers and a much greater effort to truly expect to find bin Laden in Afghanistan.
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Lyme, Conn.:
As I have read of varying estimates of the size of al Queda, does Abdurakman Khadr provide any information as to how many members there are, at least that he has seen?
Terence McKenna: Khadr dealt with hundreds of people that he would consider part of al Qaeda when he lived in Afghanistan and Pakistan. One of the key factors here is that al Qaeda did not issue membership cards. Many muslim extremists around the world have now attached themselves to the al Qaeda cause -- even if their activities are not directly controlled by bin Laden or his associates. At the 9/11 Commission hearings former head of counter-terrorism at the White House, Richard Clarke, said that Islamic extremism had now become a multi-headed monster that was multiplying in strength and in numbers quickly and was becoming much more difficult to fight every day.
I don't think anybody could put a real number on the people who support al Qaeda.
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Arlington, Va.:
Someone like Mr. Khadr is what everyone in Washington is now screaming about that we desperately need--potential moles. Why wasn't he treated better and recruited on a long term basis?
Terence McKenna: I guess you would really have to ask the CIA. But as Khadr's own family say, he is a very hard person to get along with and especially to control. He himself talks about his rebellious nature and I'm sure the CIA people who dealt with him came to realize his stormy personality.
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Washington, D.C.:
One must ask why he would be interviewed at all. Obviously he is a marked man. Airing the documentary in the western world, as worthy as it is, preaches to the choir. Any chance of exposure in Middle East or Indonesia?
Terence McKenna: We have had some inquiries from Middle Eastern broadcasting companies which are interested in broadcasting the documentary, but no firm deal has been made.
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Seymour, Ind.:
I just wanted to applaud Abdurahman Khadr for his extreme bravery. My fiance and I just watched "Frontline: Son of al Qaeda" and we were both overwhelmed by the content of the program. It is astonishing that Khadr would place his life on the line to help us, Americans. Yet, I was sickened to hear that our government shunned him after his extraordinary assistance to our country. I want him to know that sometimes our government's intentions are not a reflection of the hearts of the people of our nation. As I am bewildered and frightened by the immense hate of al Qaeda towards us, I am also ashamed at how our government left such a brave man as Abdurahman Khadr out in the cold.
Please let Abdurahman Khadr know that his thoughts, his compassion, and his life are appreciated by us, citizens of America. I want him to know that many of us are confused by this war; confused as to why we are so hated and why we are fighting. I am a firm believer in non-violence. Thus, it is hard for me to know and understand why so many people hate Americans. Yes, we pay taxes, but we do not make the final call on our government's decisions. All we can do is hope and pray that the democratic system does justice to our choices.
I believe that many Americans feel overwhelmed and generally frightened by the events taking place in the last four years, and we hope for the best, we hope for peace. Yet, as a believer in God, I am not sure whether the battle has just begun. Maybe these times and events are yet to be fully understood.
Please let Abdurahman Khadr know that he currently is in my thoughts and prayers. I believe he has already fought and won a great battle within.
Terence McKenna: I will make sure that your feelings are passed along to Abdurahman. I have already sent him a message this morning to check in with the "Join the Discussion" portion of the Frontline Web site.
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Ann Arbor, Mich.:
How greatly would the capture of bin Laden affect the threat of Islamic terrorism against the United States and its allies? Is it reasonable to believe that his death may lead to an uptick in attacks in the short run?
Terence McKenna: There are widespread fears that the capture or killing of bin Laden will only lead to an upsurge in anti-American feeling because he is so widely seen as a Robin Hood figure in the muslim world.
On the other hand, I have spoken to senior police officials in Europe who have imprisoned numerous al Qaeda subjects. Those police officials have told me that the al Qaeda suspects in custody are refusing all cooperation. Both police officials believe that the capture or killing of bin Laden will have a huge psychological effect on both al Qaeda suspects in custody. They believe that such an event would cause many al Qaeda suspects to drop their resistance and start cooperating with police authorities. It's difficult to know which side to believe.
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San Francisco, Calif.:
In such an indoctrinated family, how did he come to think
for himself?
Terence McKenna: I think that he was an extremely rebellious teenager who challenged the authority of his father, of his family, of Osama bin Laden and of al Qaeda. I think that rebellious nature is the greatest factor which ended up saving him.
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Bethesda, Md.:
Mr. McKenna,
I have been a Frontline fan ever since I saw "So, you want to buy a President?" six years ago at Tufts University. Keep up the great work!
Last night's episode was very interesting. I was wondering though, is Abdurahman Khadr afraid for his safety in Canada? It's seems that he has made many enemies on both sides, especially with Al-Queda. I was surprised that he didn't try to hide his identity or location.
Terence McKenna: For a long time, Khadr has been living with extreme stress. He was worried that he would somehow be taken back into custody and maybe even forced to do work for American or Canadian intelligence services. He felt that going public with his story would provide him with a defense. Once again, he believes that he is probably safe if he stays in Canada but he knows that he can't go back to Afghanistan or Pakistan or other places where al Qaeda is strong.
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