** The Associated Press is outraged! **
Today the AP news and propaganda organization promised it would continue to use discredited hoaxers for its Iraqi news reports!
This AP outrage started over the weekend when Flopping Aces noticed that the AP was Getting Its News from the Enemy. Specifically, the Six Sunni Torchings report had red flags all over it after the AP news report had already gone global. The story was not adding up and the accounts of the two witnesses came into question.
It is now confirmed that:
* Witness Capt. Jamil Hussein is not an Iraqi police officer!
* There were not 4 Sunni mosques torched in the attacks in the Hurriya neighborhood but only one mosque was damaged and not destroyed
* Witness Imad al-Din al-Hashemi is described as a University professor, foreign pediatrician, and a Hurriya elder depending on the article
* Witness Imad al-Din al-Hashemi says the mosque he was attending was attacked by “rocket-propelled grenades” yet there is no such damage to the mosque
* No bodies were discovered by Iraqi or Coalition investigators nor were there any pictures as evidence
* The AP later produced anonymous witnesses from the neighborhood
* The Multinational Forces Iraq and Baghdad Police did not find any reports of such an incident occurred after investigating the Hurriya neighborhood
* Multinational Forces Iraq claim that the AP source, Capt. Jamil Hussein, is not who he claims he is. He is not a Baghdad police officer or an MOI employee!
* The imam at the mosque in question where the “6 Sunni torchings” supposedly took place is accused of being a member of Saddam’s secret police by his own congregation!
* Attempts by Sunnis to smuggle arms into this mosque were foiled by Iraqi security forces back in December 2003
Stubborn Facts put a summary together of one of the AP sources who started this whole story on fire. I’ve edited and added a couple of links to this roundup on AP source- Imad al-Din al-Hashemi:
The original “four bombed mosques” has mysteriously reduced to one in the AP’s stories, without any correction or explanation. The mosque in question was “attacked” in 2003 as well, though it looks like that “attack” was actually a bomb-making accident–nice folks. Remind me not to attend services there. The imam of that mosque has been accused of having been one of Saddam’s secret police.
The other named witness in the AP accounts, Imad al-Din al-Hashemi, is cited variously as an “elder” of Hurriya, a “resident,” and as a “university professor visiting Baghdad.” In a TIME magazine story from November 3rd, he pops up in another story as “a Baghdad pediatrician” with a rabid “America spitting in our face” quote.
So does he live there, or is he just visiting? University professor, pediatrician, Hurriya elder, Indian chief, or what? Do elders live elsewhere and only stop by to visit? Heh. His accounting of the dead varies from 12 to 14 to 18 as the story progresses. Heh.
When interviewed by Reuters, al-Hashemi said they evacuated the wounded as soon as the attack moved on to other mosques–those mysterious disappearing ones, I guess–and does not say ONE WORD about burning Sunnis. Here is the Reuters version:
One witness said 14 people were killed in his mosque during Friday prayers: “It was attacked by rocket-propelled grenades,” university teacher Imad al-Din al-Hashemi said. “When the gunmen moved on to attack another mosque, we evacuated the wounded.”
But by the time he gave a phone interview to al-Jazeera.com, he’s saying he was eyewitness to the attackers dragging the six out of the mosque and burning them in front of his eyes, while (purportedly–does not appear until his NEW account) Iraqi security forces watch and do nothing. Here is the alJazeera.com version:
Imad al-Din al-Hashemi, a university professor visiting Baghdad, said he was in the Nida Allah mosque when it was attacked during Friday prayers.
“It was attacked by RPGs and many people were killed and wounded. When the gunmen moved on to attack another mosque we evacuated the wounded,” he told Reuters.
It’s amazing how this bogus story took on a life of its own.
Even after all of this embarrassment, the AP insists it will continue to use any stinking source it wants to in reporting from Iraq!
The Associated Press denounces unfounded attacks on its story about six Sunni worshipers burned to death outside their mosque on Friday, November 24. The attempt to question the existence of the known police officer who spoke to the AP is frankly ludicrous and hints at a certain level of desperation to dispute or suppress the facts of the incident in question.
In a letter from Centcom mailed out today there is going to be a showdown tomorrow:
Tomorrow Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, the official Ministry of Interior spokesmen, will begin his regularly scheduled press conference at noon tomorrow with a statement that Capt. Jamil Hussein, is not a Baghdad police officer or an MOI employee.
Yesterday, coincidently, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior issued a press release warning of spreading propaganda aimed at broadcasters.
Things are not looking so good for the Associated (with terrorists) Press.
Austin Bay has a terrific column on “Who is Jamil Hussein?” at Strategy Page.
Previously:
AP Is Busted! Uses BOGUS Source For Months in Iraqi Fables!
Lt. Maithem Abdul Razzaq- The Other Bogus AP Source
Sorry AP… Your Torched Sunni Report Is Still Very Bogus!
