U.S. Intelligence Officials Will Probe Leak of Bin Laden Video [View All]

U.S. Intelligence Officials Will Probe Leak of Bin Laden Video

By Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 10, 2007; A13

U.S. intelligence officials will investigate allegations that the government improperly leaked a secretly obtained Osama bin Laden video, alerting al-Qaeda to a security gap in the terrorist group's internal communications network that it was able to shut, an intelligence spokesman said yesterday.

Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for the director of national intelligence, said officials are looking into the leak allegation by the SITE Intelligence Group, which passed the video on to the White House and the director of national intelligence's office before its leak.

"At this point, we don't think there was a leak from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence or the National Counterterrorism Center," Feinstein said.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, responding to a description of the leak in yesterday's editions of The Washington Post, told reporters that "this was a cause of concern that the information was leaked. And I would have to refer to the DNI's office in regards to any possible investigation into that leak."

Frances Fragos Townsend, the White House homeland security adviser, expressed concern about the leak in a news conference, saying the government needs the cooperation of private individuals and companies in stopping terrorist groups.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/09/AR2007100902055_pf.html