Clinton Says He OKd Arrest of Bin Laden
Former President Clinton said his administration authorized the arrest and, if necessary, the killing of Islamic militant Osama bin Laden but lacked sufficient information to carry it out.
Government sources have said the Clinton administration in 1998 gave the CIA approval to conduct covert operations targeting Bin Laden, who Washington believes masterminded the bombings that year of two U.S. embassies in East Africa.
“I authorized the arrest and, if necessary, the killing of Osama bin Laden and we actually made contact with a group in Afghanistan to do it,” Clinton told reporters in New York after a news briefing by Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.
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