bobdina
08-08-2010, 04:40 PM
Iranian president Ahmadinejad doesn't believe 3,000 people died in 9/11 attacks, wants U.S. proof
BY Meena Hartenstein
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, August 8th 2010, 2:32 PM
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took another swipe at America on Saturday, claiming the U.S. greatly exaggerated the death toll in the September 11th attacks.
"They announced that 3,000 people were killed in this incident, but there were no reports that reveal their names," Ahmadinejad told Iranian reporters at a conference in Tehran. "Maybe you saw that, but I did not."
2,995 people were killed in the 2001 attacks according to official U.S. records, Reuters reports. Those numbers include victims at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, passengers and crew on four commandeered airplanes, and the 19 hijackers.
Every year, the names of the victims are read aloud on the anniversary of 9/11. The official list will also be inscribed in a memorial at Ground Zero.
On Saturday, Ahmadinejad accused the U.S. government of inflating the casualty numbers as an excuse to wage war in the Middle East.
"What was the story of September 11? During five to six days, and with the aid of the media, they created and prepared public opinion so that everyone considered an attack on Afghanistan and Iraq as (their) right," he said.
The Iranian president also believes that "Zionists" escaped the attacks because they were warned in advance, and said, "One day earlier they were told not go to their workplace."
This is not the first time the famously Anti-American leader has trumpeted his skepticism of the events of 9/11.
In March, he said, "September 11 was a big lie and a pretext for the war on terror and a prelude to invading Afghanistan," and called the attacks a "complicated intelligence scenario and act."
And the controversy-seeking president, who recently dodged an assassination attempt, has publicly questioned the official reports of 9/11 casualties before.
"A building collapsed and they said 3,000 people had been killed but never published their names," he said in 2008. "Under this pretext they [the United States] attacked Afghanistan and Iraq and since then a million people have been killed only in Iraq."
Ahmadinejad tried to visit the World Trade Center site two years ago "to pay his respects" but was turned away by New York police.
On Saturday, he also reiterated his views that the Holocaust was invented by Jews to justify the formation of Israel.
"They made up an event, the so-called Holocaust which was later laid as the basis for the innocence of a group," he told reporters.
Despite his comments, Ahmadinejad is still aiming to come to New York in September, where he plans to attend the UN General Assembly.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/08/08/2010-08-08_iranian_president_ahmadinejad_doesnt_believe_30 00_people_died_in_911_attacks_wan.html
BY Meena Hartenstein
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, August 8th 2010, 2:32 PM
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took another swipe at America on Saturday, claiming the U.S. greatly exaggerated the death toll in the September 11th attacks.
"They announced that 3,000 people were killed in this incident, but there were no reports that reveal their names," Ahmadinejad told Iranian reporters at a conference in Tehran. "Maybe you saw that, but I did not."
2,995 people were killed in the 2001 attacks according to official U.S. records, Reuters reports. Those numbers include victims at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, passengers and crew on four commandeered airplanes, and the 19 hijackers.
Every year, the names of the victims are read aloud on the anniversary of 9/11. The official list will also be inscribed in a memorial at Ground Zero.
On Saturday, Ahmadinejad accused the U.S. government of inflating the casualty numbers as an excuse to wage war in the Middle East.
"What was the story of September 11? During five to six days, and with the aid of the media, they created and prepared public opinion so that everyone considered an attack on Afghanistan and Iraq as (their) right," he said.
The Iranian president also believes that "Zionists" escaped the attacks because they were warned in advance, and said, "One day earlier they were told not go to their workplace."
This is not the first time the famously Anti-American leader has trumpeted his skepticism of the events of 9/11.
In March, he said, "September 11 was a big lie and a pretext for the war on terror and a prelude to invading Afghanistan," and called the attacks a "complicated intelligence scenario and act."
And the controversy-seeking president, who recently dodged an assassination attempt, has publicly questioned the official reports of 9/11 casualties before.
"A building collapsed and they said 3,000 people had been killed but never published their names," he said in 2008. "Under this pretext they [the United States] attacked Afghanistan and Iraq and since then a million people have been killed only in Iraq."
Ahmadinejad tried to visit the World Trade Center site two years ago "to pay his respects" but was turned away by New York police.
On Saturday, he also reiterated his views that the Holocaust was invented by Jews to justify the formation of Israel.
"They made up an event, the so-called Holocaust which was later laid as the basis for the innocence of a group," he told reporters.
Despite his comments, Ahmadinejad is still aiming to come to New York in September, where he plans to attend the UN General Assembly.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/08/08/2010-08-08_iranian_president_ahmadinejad_doesnt_believe_30 00_people_died_in_911_attacks_wan.html