Man Unknowingly Tweets the Osama Raid

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Man Unknowingly Tweets the Osama Raid

Posted by samzenpus on Monday May 2, 2011 @03:24AM from the all-seeing-twitter-eye dept.

Sohaib Athar, a.k.a. @ReallyVirtual, had no idea the helicopters he was complaining about on twitter were part of the top secret mission that killed Osama bin Laden Sunday night. 10 hours before bin Laden's death was announced Athar posted: "Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event).” From the article: "During the raid, Athar speculates that he was two or three kilometers away from the shooting that took place. Once news broke that bin Laden had been killed in Abbottabad, Athar tweeted, 'Uh oh, now I’m the guy who liveblogged the Osama raid without knowing it.'”

29 of 354 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

This is good to know by ls671 · 2011-05-02 03:24 · Score: 3, Interesting

This is good to know. Otherwise his tweet might have ended up on some conspiracy theorist sites with a "black helicopters" tag or something...
A very interesting point is that it is said one of the 4 choppers was hit by enemy fire which I haven't heard about yet. President Obama said "no Americans were injured" so I would assume it was only a minor hit.
On another topic, CNN just announced a few minutes ago that there is a DNA match confirming the body was indeed Osama. They also announced that the FBI has updated its most wanted list, it makes sense I guess...

--
Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
1. Re:This is good to know by rwven · 2011-05-02 03:31 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Nah, it was a US helicopter that went down, but it was a minor incident. The "window shaking bang" was when the seals blew up the chopper on the way out (since it apparently couldn't fly). There's been a lot of news coverage on that topic. :-P
2. Re:This is good to know by moco · 2011-05-02 03:52 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  one of the 4 choppers was hit by enemy fire
  
  sources said that it was hit by a giant swatter
  
  --
  moi
3. Re:This is good to know by AHuxley · 2011-05-02 03:57 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  http://stocksthatpay.com/?p=16697 with a pic "U.S. helicopter, which was destroyed to protect intelligence"
  
  --
  Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
4. Re:This is good to know by Anonymous Coward · 2011-05-02 04:10 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Read carefully. He tweeted 10 hours before his death was *announced* by Obama. In that 10 hours, the raid took place, OBL was killed, the body was brought to Afghanistan, positively ID'd and perhaps even already given a seamans grave.
5. Re:This is good to know by elrous0 · 2011-05-02 04:23 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I thought Marines were only capable of grunts.
  
  --
  SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
6. Re:This is good to know by similar_name · 2011-05-02 04:28 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  But where is the death certificate?
7. Re:This is good to know by John+Napkintosh · 2011-05-02 04:35 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Donald Trump is hard at work on this.
  
  --
  
  Long signatures suck.
8. Re:This is good to know by lennier1 · 2011-05-02 04:59 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Force Recon Marines have been observed to speak up to a dozen words. Guess that's what makes them the elite of their branch.
9. Re:This is good to know by sorak · 2011-05-02 05:49 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  But where is the death certificate?
  Damned good question! And it better be the long form, too, by golly.
  But if it says this went down in Hawaii, I'm calling bullshit!
Re:Huh. by NotAGoodNickname · 2011-05-02 03:32 · Score: 4

Directly contradict how? The man says a helicopter, a big bang. How does that contradict anything?
Re:I can't find it by recoiledsnake · 2011-05-02 03:40 · Score: 4, Informative

Here it is http://maps.google.com/maps?q=osama+bin+laden+&hl=en&view=map&mcsrc=google_reviews&num=10&ie=UTF8&start=20&cid=11196890339658103699&t=h&ll=34.184471,73.246193&spn=0.010331,0.01929&z=16&iwloc=A

--
This space for rent.
Call me Crazy... by MonsterTrimble · 2011-05-02 03:48 · Score: 3, Insightful

But why would they take the body, promptly bury it at sea, then tell the world? I understand that they would want to minimize the impact in the islamic world by not defiling his body in any way which was recorded, but it seems like this would be something you show on television, that it's REALLY him. Who knows, maybe they made a deal with him and he's now in South America to live out his days in (even more) luxury. But that's the George Noory in me.
And I'm also quite mystified why so many people are celebrating this. It took almost 10 years, trillions of dollars, the invasion of two countries (neither of which he was found in), and an untold number of lives lost to find a 6 foot 6 inch multi-millionaire (with diabetes!) living in a private luxury compound (in a well populated city) which was at least eight times larger then anything nearby. I don't think there is too much to celebrate here.

--
I call it 'The Aristocrats'
1. Re:Call me Crazy... by corbettw · 2011-05-02 03:53 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  The statement I saw was that they dumped him in the ocean to deny his followers a crypt they could go to to revere him. And since both the ISI and al Qaeda have confirmed he was killed, I don't think the deathers are gonna get a lot of followers on this latest conspiracy theory (but then again, there are a lot of crazy and stupid people out there, so I could be wrong).
  
  --
  God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.
2. Re:Call me Crazy... by mspohr · 2011-05-02 03:55 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  So why did we invade and occupy Iraq and Afghanistan? It seems to me that all we needed were a good investigation and a team of crack Navy Seals.
  Can we stop killing people now?
  
  --
  I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
3. Re:Call me Crazy... by AHuxley · 2011-05-02 04:12 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Re And I'm also quite mystified why so many people are celebrating this.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Minutes_Hate
  
  --
  Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
4. Re:Call me Crazy... by vlm · 2011-05-02 04:18 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  And I'm also quite mystified why so many people are celebrating this. It took almost 10 years, trillions of dollars, the invasion of two countries (neither of which he was found in), and an untold number of lives lost to find a 6 foot 6 inch multi-millionaire (with diabetes!) living in a private luxury compound (in a well populated city) which was at least eight times larger then anything nearby. I don't think there is too much to celebrate here.
  Some of the guys I work with were all high five-ing and cheering, and I'm like "dude, you know we lost, right?" ... wake me when I can fly on an airplane without my wife and daughter being molested by govt agents, when we've got at least some of our civil rights back, when my tax dollars aren't paying for a concentration camp, etc. So the leader of the guys who won, is now dead. Who cares, as if its going to improve anything for us.
  Roosevelt died right around the end of WWII ... were any of the Germans dumb enough to celebrate, despite their obvious loss? Yeah we're totally screwed here, uh huh, but the boss of the other guys is dead, so lets party like its 1935 again?
  
  --
  "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
5. Re:Call me Crazy... by WSOGMM · 2011-05-02 04:27 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  So why did we invade and occupy Iraq and Afghanistan? It seems to me that all we needed were a good investigation and a team of crack Navy Seals.
  Can we stop killing people now?
  I really like your use of "we" in this post, because we really are the ones killing people. People seem to think we are separate from our government.
6. Re:Call me Crazy... by i+kan+reed · 2011-05-02 04:29 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  To be completely fair to the US, it's fairly reasonable that if someone commits an act of war from inside your country, you wash your hands of them immediately, otherwise there's a kind of tacit acknlowedgement that said act of war falls within your jurisdiction. Not the best excuse ever, but better than the excuse Iraq got.
7. Re:Call me Crazy... by h4rr4r · 2011-05-02 04:57 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Clearly we should just be barbarians too. Why don't we smack some civilian planes into their buildings why we are at it.
  Your kind are why we have these problems. If petty folks like yourself would grow up on both sides we would not have these issues.
8. Re:Call me Crazy... by egburr · 2011-05-02 06:02 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  49% of us *are* separate from our government. It only takes 51% to vote our leaders in.
  Ok, so that's not exactly true, but in spirit it's close enough. Many of us disagree with a lot of things the government does, but we're effectively powerless to change it. We can vote, but only the majority gets represented. We can revolt, but who has the better weapons, funds, and infrastructure? Until a vast majority of people are ready to revolt, it won't really matter; and, by then they really could just vote the leaders out instead.
  So, although our government is theoretically "the people", most of "the people" really have no say in what goes on.
  Maybe if our government were more open and kept us better informed about what was happening and why things are done the way thy are done, there may be more agreement that those things are necessary. As it is now, though, we are generally treated like kids asking "why" and getting just "because I said so" as the answer. Is it really surprising that so many people don't trust our government?
  
  --
  
  Edward Burr
  Having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing section in a swimming pool.
How they finally found Osama by Old97 · 2011-05-02 04:00 · Score: 4, Funny

Osama had an iPhone and it kept track of his location. Good job, Steve!

--
Very often, people confuse simple with simplistic. The nuance is lost on most. - Clement Mok
Re:I can't find it by mayko · 2011-05-02 04:04 · Score: 5, Funny

Awww... No street view?
Dude on vacation by vlm · 2011-05-02 04:10 · Score: 5, Insightful

I read about this dude, he's on vacation, "trying to get away from it all" and after all this breaks he's complaining that he can't get away from it all.
Dude, your problem is your idea of "getting away from it all" is warped, in that you're twittering every 30 minutes when you see a F-ing airplane. Give your cellphone a burial at sea, then chill on a lawn chair (they have those in pakistan, right?) with a religiously appropriate mood enhancing substance and enjoy the solitude.

--
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
Re:I can't find it by milgram · 2011-05-02 04:10 · Score: 5, Funny

Why didn't we just search Google for his location? It is even marked! ;)
Re:I can't find it by StormReaver · 2011-05-02 04:12 · Score: 4, Funny

U.S. Intelligence really sucks for not being able to find this place. Google Maps clearly labels it, "Osama bin Laden's Compound", yet the U.S. still couldn't find it?
Re:I can't find it by jank1887 · 2011-05-02 04:29 · Score: 4, Funny

the reviews for that place are awesome:
- Free HBO, but "death to America! " chants were getting old. Better options nearby.
- Cold and drafty at night, walls full of holes.
- I heard that this place is now available (prior residents left suddenly and unexpectedly).
Re:I can't find it by guruevi · 2011-05-02 05:15 · Score: 5, Funny

The US Military went over it's bandwidth cap with AT&T and was confined to 56k for all their web traffic.

--
Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
Re:All the reports say it was one week ago... by snl2587 · 2011-05-02 05:52 · Score: 5, Insightful

Remember that the 24-hour news channels rarely fact-check anything, preferring instead to report "breaking news". This has the nasty side-effect of turning hearsay into well-reported "facts", which then stick around and confuse people.