Photos of Accused 9/11 Plotter Surface

MICHAEL ISIKOFF NBC New York 08/16/2010 18:11

The first photographs of alleged Sept. 11 architect Ramzi Binalshibh in captivity showed up Monday on an al-Qaida website, showing the accused terrorist in his cell at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The high-quality color photographs were taken by delegates from the International Red Cross during a visit to Guantanamo last year for the purpose of sending them to the detainee's family, government officials and a spokesman for the ICRC told NBC News. In some, Binalshibh smiles broadly. In others, he holds what appears to be a Quran, or prays.

Two government officials confirmed to NBC that the photos did in fact appear to be Binalshibh, who as one of the prime plotters of the attacks on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon remains among the most notorious of the detainees at Guantanamo.

Commentators on the al Fallajuh Islamic Forum, a major social networking site for al-Qaida, used the photos to extol Binalshibh.

"Surprise ... a Gift to every Mujahid for the Cause of Allah. A Picture for one of the heroes of the Eleventh in Guantanamo Prison," one commentator wrote. Another added: "He's not smiling to the person with the camera but smiling at us as he knew that the picture will reach his brothers in Allah."

"These photographs are perfect for propaganda — they show Binalshibh exactly as al-Qaida would want him to be," said Evan Kohlmann, a U.S. counterterrorism expert and NBC News analyst who first spotted the images on the website.