h/t to Crooks and Liars
This is an anti-torture, anti-war on terror diary, and the true story of Binyam Mohamed, a caretaker and accused terrorist. This story will tell you the depths that we sank to under our former presidential administration, and hopefully of the need to publicly ask forgiveness of those who have suffered under the guises of the 'War on terrer'
This is the true story of a young man, who for the want of a little diversion on the intertubes was made subject to rendition, visiting a number of US 'black sites' around the globe where he was no doubt tortured for several years.
The original story, Food writer's online guide to building an H-bomb...the 'evidence' that put this man in Guantanamo, comes from the U.K.'s Daily Mail.
A British ‘resident’ held at Guantanamo Bay was identified as a terrorist after confessing he had visited a ‘joke’ website on how to build a nuclear weapon, it was revealed last night.
Binyam Mohamed, a former UK asylum seeker, admitted to having read the ‘instructions’ after allegedly being beaten, hung up by his wrists for a week and having a gun held to his head in a Pakistani jail.
It was this confession that apparently convinced the CIA that they were holding a top Al Qaeda terrorist.
The article doesn't say how he first came to be in that Pakistani jail, but nonetheless that isn't quite the point here.
Now this 'joke website' turns out to have reprinted an article by none other than Barbara Ehrenreich, Rolling Stone journalist Peter Biskind and a scientist named Michio Kaku. Read that sentence again, then read the following:
Making and owning an H-bomb is the kind of challenge real Americans seek. Who wants to be a passive victim of nuclear war when, with a little effort, you can be an active participant? Bomb shelters are for losers. Who wants to huddle together underground eating canned Spam? Winners want to push the button themselves. Making your own H-bomb is a big step in nuclear assertiveness training -- it's called Taking Charge. We're sure you'll enjoy the risks and the heady thrill of playing nuclear chicken.
oops, I did it now. I quoted the first paragraph of the article that got this young man tortured for seven years and sent to Guantanamo. What's that I hear, helicopters?
Now from the Daily Mail again:
Despite its clear satirical bent, the story led the CIA to accuse 30-year-old Mohamed, a caretaker, of plotting a dirty bomb attack, before subjecting him to its ‘extraordinary rendition programme’.
During his eight-year imprisonment, Mohamed has allegedly been flown to secret torture centres in Pakistan, Morocco, an American-run jail known as the Dark Prison near Kabul in Afghanistan and, finally, to Guantanamo Bay.
The Foreign Secretary is refusing to release classified documents relating to Mohamed’s detention.
Now my question is this, did the CIA even check the web site? If so, why was this man taken away in the middle of the night? Did they really think that he was so stupid as to take the article seriously? If so, why would they still consider him a risk? Maybe they were stupid enough to take it seriously.
And if the first paragraph of the criminal training article wasn't enough, how about the part on how to centrifuge the uranium...
First transform the gas into a liquid by subjecting it to pressure. You can use a bicycle pump for this. Then make a simple home centrifuge. Fill a standard-size bucket one-quarter full of liquid uranium hexafluoride. Attach a six-foot rope to the bucket handle. Now swing the rope (and attached bucket) around your head as fast as possible. Keep this up for about 45 minutes. Slow down gradually, and very gently put the bucket on the floor. The U-235, which is lighter, will have risen to the top, where it can be skimmed off like cream. Repeat this step until you have the required 10 pounds of uranium. (Safety note: Don't put all your enriched uranium hexafluoride in one bucket. Use at least two or three buckets and keep them in separate corners of the room. This will prevent the premature build-up of a critical mass.)
That's it, I really can't do any better than that. That says it all in a nutshell. And if you are brave enough to read the rest of the article, you may do so here.
[*Update*]
And in case you are wondering, the article includes some safety tips too:
A few precautions:
- While uranium is not dangerously radioactive in the amounts you'll be handling, if you plan to make more than one bomb it might be wise to wear gloves and a lead apron, the kind you can buy in dental supply stores.
- Plutonium is one of the most toxic substances known. If inhaled, a thousandth of a gram can cause massive fibrosis of the lungs, a painful way to go. Even a millionth of a gram in the lungs will cause cancer. If eaten, plutonium is metabolized like calcium. It goes straight to the bones where it gives out alpha particles preventing bone marrow from manufacturing red blood cells. The best way to avoid inhaling plutonium is to hold your breath while handling it. If this is too difficult, wear a mask. To avoid ingesting plutonium orally follow this simple rule: never make an A-bomb on an empty stomach.