Al-Qaida Tells Iran: Stop Promoting Sept. 11 Conspiracy Theories

The latest issue of Inspire, an English-language magazinebelieved to be produced by al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, chastises the Iranian government and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in particular for spreading "conspiracy theories surrounding the events of 9/11."

"The Iranian government has professed on the tongue of its president Ahmadinejad that it does not believe that al Qaeda was behind 9/11 but rather, the U.S. government," the magazine writes, according to a pdf copy posted by the website publicintelligence.net.

"So we may ask the question," the essay continues. "Why would Iran ascribe to such a ridiculous belief that stands in the face of all logic and evidence?"

The writer also says Iran is waging only a "lip-service jihad against the Great Satan [the U.S.]."

Just last week at the United Nations, Ahmadinejad accused the U.S. of using "the mysterious Sept. 11 incident as a pretext to attack Afghanistan and Iraq."

(H/T to ABC News' The Blotter.)

Note: NPR follows Associated Press style on the spelling of al-Qaida.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Flipboard
Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.
Related Content
  1. Some Wyoming Republicans want to limit the secretary of state after Trump's pick wins
  2. This reservation has Wyoming's strictest COVID-19 rules. Student athletes are glad
  3. Media Fascination With The Petito Mystery Looks Like Racism To Some Native Americans
  4. How Hindus In Wyoming Are Celebrating Diwali, the 'Festival Of Lights,' Amid Pandemic