There is a chance KSM exaggerated his claims about events other than 9/11.
Well let's have a look at the claims.
His position in Al Qaeda
1) Swore Allegiance to OBL
2) Member of AQ Council
3) Media Contact for AQ
4) Directed 9/11 for OBL
5) Operational commander for AQ operations worldwide.
6) Directly in charge of AQ's WMD development team
7) Was Commander of the Martyr's House responsible for training and execution of operations.
Why would he have need to exaggerate these, we already knew or suspected most of it.
I have separated the operations he listed into 4 groups. Those that were done and worked, and we know about. Those that we know about, but failed. Those that never progressed beyond his financing or sending teams to look into it and those that never got much off the drawing board. I've left the numbering the same as in the statement.
Successful
1 – 1993 WTC attack
2 – 9/11
3 – Classified (Beheading of Daniel Pearl?)
4 – Shoe Bomb attempt
5 – Filka Island Operation
6 – Bali Nightclub Bombing
21 – Mombassa Hotel Bombing
A total of 7 actual successful attacks, all of which AQ was at least suspected, if not known. It doesn't however include notiable attacks such as the US Embasy Bombing in Kenya, the USS Cole, the Saudi Arabian US Barracks attacks, or the Australian Embassy bombing in Indonesia.
Unsuccessful
22 – El-Al missile attack (
Al Qaeda already claimed responsibility)
28 – Assassination attempt on President Clinton (
AQ was suspected already)
29 – Assassination attempt on Pope John Paul 2nd (
KSM was already the main suspect for it)
30 – Assassination attempt on President Musarraf (
The group that did this was already beleived to have Al Quaeda finance backing and training)
These four were all suspected to have been supported and directed by AQ already, and in at least one case KSM was already the main suspect for organising it.
Surveillance of Finance only
20 – Israel surveillance and target location
23 – South Korea target location and surveillance
24 – Providing financial support for Turkey attacks
27 – Bojinka Operation
We can't prove or disprove these are they weren't more than basic operations, but why lie or exaggerate them?
Not Attempted
7 – Second Wave US attack
8 – Planned attacks on Oil Tankers
9 – Bomb Panama Canal
10 – Assassinate President Carter
11 – Bomb NY Bridges
12 – Truck Bomb Sear Tower
13 – British Infrastructure attacks
14 – Thai Nightclub bombings
15 – US Stock Exchange attack
16 – Plane attack on Elat
17 – US Embassy bombings in Indonesia, Japan and Australia
18 – Israeli Embassy bombings
19 – El-Al plane attack in Thailand
25 – Attacks on US Nuclear Plants
26 – Attack on NATO headquarters
31 – Oil company attack on Sumatra
Again, none of these operations actually happened, they were merely planned to some extent, but never carried out. Thus again, why would he lie about them?
That leaves us with 11 confirmable attacks, all 11 already admitted to or suspected to have been done by AQ. 11 attacks over the space of 10 years. It doesn't seem out of the realm of possiblity for a person who was the Operational commander for AQ operations worldwide.
