Bin Laden's son leaves Iran for Pakistan?

NY Times:

A son of Osama bin Laden who spent years under Iranian house arrest has left Iran and is now probably operating inside Pakistan, a senior American intelligence official said Friday.

The son, Saad bin Laden, is one of a number of senior operatives of Al Qaeda detained inside Iran in recent years. American officials have long puzzled over the exact circumstances of their captivity, but they believe that Iran was holding the militants in part as a deterrent against a Qaeda attack on Iranian soil.

Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, told reporters on Friday that Saad bin Laden was probably in Pakistan. He gave no details about whether Mr. bin Laden had escaped from custody, whether his departure reflected a deal between Iran and Al Qaeda or whether he was simply let go by Iranian officials.

Mr. McConnell’s announcement came as the Treasury Department imposed financial sanctions on Friday on Saad bin Laden and three other people believed to be Qaeda operatives and thought to be in Iran.

Mr. bin Laden’s move into Pakistan had been reported on militant Web sites and in some news reports last year, but Mr. McConnell was the first American official to publicly confirm that he was no longer in Iran.

Saad bin Laden is one of Osama bin Laden’s older sons and is believed by officials to have been captured in Iran while escaping Afghanistan after American troops invaded the country in 2001. In addition to Mr. bin Laden, the Iranians have also been holding Saif al-Adel, a Qaeda operations chief, under house arrest.

American counterterrorism officials said Friday that other members of the group besides Mr. bin Laden had left Iran, but gave no details. They said it was not clear whether Iran was providing assistance to Al Qaeda, which has used the mountainous tribal areas of Pakistan as its most important base. Al Qaeda’s relationship with Iran has been rocky at best over the years. Its second-ranking official, Ayman al-Zawahri, accused Iran last September of collaborating with the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“The relationship is very complex — to describe them as being on the same team is a simplistic representation,” said an American counterterrorism official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Some officials said that Iran had viewed the Qaeda operatives in their custody as bargaining chips. The Bush administration at various times tried to persuade the Iranian government to turn over the Qaeda operatives in its custody, but the overtures were rebuffed.

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Psychologist might say the Iranians were conflicted about their al Qaeda visitors. While they both share a hatred of the US they also are not fond of each other.

If bin Laden's son is in Pakistan he could become a Hellfire magnet once he is spotted. That could explain why the Iranians might let him go without having the responsibility of turning him directly over to the US.