Time Gets Osama bin Laden Admission NEW YORK (AP) -- Exiled Saudi billionaire Osama bin Laden appears to admit in a Time magazine interview that he instigated the terrorist bombing of two U.S. embassies in Africa. The interview seems to be the closest that bin Laden has come to admitting a role in the deadly attacks. He has previously denied any role. Time said the interview was conducted Dec. 22 at bin Laden's secret encampment in Afghanistan. He was specifically asked if he was responsible for the embassy attacks, and he couched his response in religious references -- like he did with most questions. ``If the instigation for jihad (holy war) against the Jews and the Americans... is considered a crime, then let history be a witness that I am a criminal,'' bin Laden said in the Jan. 11 issue of Time magazine. ``Our job is to instigate, and by the grace of God, we did that, and certain people responded to this instigation.'' On Dec. 24, a Pakistani news agency had quoted bin Laden as saying he was ``not involved'' in the bombing ``but I don't regret what happened there.'' U.S. officials have indicted bin Laden on charges of masterminding terrorist bomb attacks on American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania Aug. 7 that killed 224 people, including 12 Americans. He also is suspected in terrorist attacks on U.S. targets in Saudi Arabia and other incidents. The United States retaliated 13 days later with cruise missile raids on bin Laden's mountain hideout in northern Afghanistan, and a plant in Khartoum, Sudan, that was suspected of making nerve gas components for bin Laden. Asked if he knew two men in custody in the United States in connection with the bombings, bin Laden replied: ``What I do know is that those who risked their lives to earn the pleasure of God are real men. They managed to rid the Islamic nation of disgrace.'' Bin Laden said he knew one of the two, Wadi el-Hage, but had not seen or heard from him in several years. He said el-Hage ``has nothing to do with the U.S. allegations,'' and implied that the second man, Mohamad Rashed-Al'Owhali, also is innocent. Mohamed Sadeek Odeh and Al-'Owhali are charged with more than 200 counts of murder. El Hage is accused of lying about his relationship with bin Laden's organization.
