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9/11 suspects: We are terrorists to the bone
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-03-11 10:56 Their lawyers, Army Maj. Jon Jackson and Navy Cmdr. Suzanne Lachelier, said they had not met with their clients to discuss the document and cannot say what may have motivated the men to sign it — or even vouch for its authenticity. They said the judge should not have released it. Pentagon spokesman Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon called the filing "merely another attempt by these detainees to garner publicity." Others said the statement provide some insight into the defendants.
Brian Jenkins, a senior adviser on terrorism at the RAND Corp., said the statement appears to be aimed at attracting support and recruits abroad by portraying the men as Muslim warriors defending a religion under siege. "You have to continue to campaign even while you are in captivity, and the way to do that is to broadcast your beliefs so you will inspire others," Jenkins said. Flagg Miller, a professor of religious studies at the University of California, Davis, said he was struck by the language of the Sept. 11 defendants, who write more harshly than the top al-Qaida leaders seeking to portray themselves in a more diplomatic light as defenders of world justice. Miller said he was struck by such phrases as "We are terrorists to the bone," which suggests a dramatic attempt to shock the public and sow fear. "It's saying 'If this is where the roller coaster is going, then we're going to ride it to the end," said Miller, who has been analyzing thousands of hours of tapes of Osama bin Laden. "This is a performance, and they are good at it."
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