NYT - German's Claim of Kidnapping Brings Investigation of U.S. Link

[LeftCoast]

MUNICH - On the afternoon of Dec. 31, 2003, Khaled el-Masri was traveling on a tourist bus headed for the Macedonian capital, Skopje, where he was hoping to escape the "holiday pressures" of home life during a weeklong vacation.

When the bus reached the Serbia-Macedonia border, Mr. Masri said, he was asked the usual questions: Where are you going? How long will you be staying? Mr. Masri, a German citizen, did not think much of it, until he realized that the border guards had confiscated his passport.

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The bus moved on, but an increasingly panicked Mr. Masri was ordered to stay behind. A few hours later, Mr. Masri, a 41-year-old unemployed car salesman, said he was taken to a small, windowless room and was accused of being a terrorist by three men who were dressed in civilian clothes but carrying pistols.

"They asked a lot of questions - if I have relations with Al Qaeda, Al Haramain, the Islamic Brotherhood," recalled Mr. Masri, who was born in Lebanon. "I kept saying no, but they did not believe me."

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This is just apalling if true. My God, what has happened to our country?

[DELUSIONAL]

1. Are the bastards trying to CREATE more terrorists?

If this stuff turns out to be true -- that it was the US doing the kidnapping and is behind the torture -- picking up people because their names kind of, sort of, sound like someone names who may or may not be a real bad guy -- but no one really knows .. . .

I hope that Germany gets to the bottom of this --

Shameful . . .

[struggle4progress]

2. kick

[Rose Siding]

3. some discussion here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1133488&mesg_id=1133488

[Canuckistanian]

4. I think the bigger question is...

What the hell were "officials" from the US doing at a Macedonian border crossing?? Last time I checked, Macedonia was an independent state.

[Moderator]

5. Duplicate

Please continue discussion here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1133488