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FBI Interrogator Says Cookies Convinced Al-Qaeda Suspect To Talk 11

Ali Soufan, a former FBI interrogator, says that Osama Bin Laden's bodyguard, Abu Jandal, talked about the 9/11 attack only after he was given sugar free cookies. Jandal is diabetic and was unable to eat the regular cookies given to him with his tea. Noticing this, Soufan offered the suspect sugar-free cookies at their next meeting. Soufan says it was this act of kindness, not rougher methods, that opened up a dialogue between the two. "We had showed him respect, and we had done this nice thing for him. So he started talking to us instead of giving us lectures," Soufan said.

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FBI Interrogator Says Cookies Convinced Al-Qaeda Suspect To Talk

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  • by snl2587 ( 1177409 ) on Friday May 29, 2009 @04:40PM (#28144315)

    What's that old saying, again? "Kill 'em with kindness"?

    And I really just have to ask: is there any proof at all that perpetrating the American Inquisition has actually helped the country or the world a single bit?

    • Is there any proof it hasn't?

      Not just being pedantic, the problem with preventing "crime" is that it is hard to proof you prevented it. There have been no more attacks on US soil, some would say that is evidence that the tactics worked. Others would say this doesn't proof anything.

      We do know the tactics in use BEFORE 9/11 did NOT work.

      Remember, this, the best fire marshall is one who is going to find it very hard to convince anyone he has done anything. The best after all makes into law sprinklers and al

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by SpecBear ( 769433 )

        If the fire marshal is getting the job done through vigorous inspections to make sure everyone's up to code, then nobody's going to question him. A fire safety inspection isn't something that offends the sensibilities. And, more importantly, it isn't illegal.

        But what if this effective fire marshal claimed that the reason the city was so safe from fires was that he was torturing his employees to ensure their compliance? "I beat them regularly to keep them in line, and they get the job done. I could stop

  • by Locke2005 ( 849178 ) on Friday May 29, 2009 @05:17PM (#28144703)
    Just imagine what kind of information they could have gotten out of him if they had thrown in some soy milk!

    It's been said many times, but I'll repeat it here: torture may be effective at getting people to "talk", but it doesn't produce reliable information. What it produces is people who will say anything they think will stop the torture. If you are attacking a country because you feel it is corrupt and is crusading against your ethnic group or religion, being tortured by that country will only reinforce that belief and convince you that your cause is just.
  • Okay, I'm all against torture or interrogation or whatever it's called this week, but I have to point out that maybe the suspect responded well to this kind of an act of kindness because the norm is to get locked up, beaten and waterboarded. When, for a change, you are offered cookies, the gesture carries more weight because it's a contrasting act of benevolence after numerous acts of brutality.
    • Okay, I'm all against torture or interrogation or whatever it's called this week, but I have to point out that maybe the suspect responded well to this kind of an act of kindness because the norm is to get locked up, beaten and waterboarded. When, for a change, you are offered cookies, the gesture carries more weight because it's a contrasting act of benevolence after numerous acts of brutality.

      My thoughts exactly. Aka "good cop - bad cop"

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