Tapes of Alleged Al Qaeda Test Shown

CNN on Sunday broadcast excerpts of tapes it said it had obtained in Afghanistan that appear to show Al Qaeda members testing chemical weapons on dogs.

The cable TV channel said it had obtained 64 videotapes made over a decade, nearly all of them shot before the Sept. 11 attacks blamed on Osama bin Laden’s network.

“Among the most frightening scenes in the collection of tapes are those of testing of a poison gas on three dogs,” CNN said. “The disturbing images show the dying moments of the defenseless, enclosed animals.”

It quoted a senior Bush administration official involved in weapons issues as saying he was “very troubled” by the footage, particularly as it related to chemical weapons.

The official told CNN that the video of chemical tests on the dogs suggested “a very strong desire to acquire the capability to use such weapons against humans.”

“This tape is unquestionable documentation that [Bin Laden] has some capability,” the official said. The tape showed “some level of sophistication and indicates they were trying to get results.”

One tape shows men wearing Afghan-style sandals rushing out of an enclosure where one dog is penned. A white liquid that gives off a gas seeps in, and the dog begins showing physical discomfort.