Wednesday's Most Intriguing People
Tweets by Pittsburgh's Rashard Mendenhall, shown here days before the Super Bowl in February, have caused a firestorm.
May 4th, 2011
11:25 AM ET

Wednesday's Most Intriguing People

Rashard Mendenhall

The Pittsburgh Steelers running back is in hot water after he made some controversial statements about Osama bin Laden's death via Twitter.

"What kind of person celebrates death? It's amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We've only heard one side..." Mendenhall tweeted Monday, referencing bin Laden.

Steelers President Art Rooney II released a statement Tuesday, published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, condemning Mendenhall's remarks, ESPN reports.

"I have not spoken with Rashard so it is hard to explain or even comprehend what he meant with his recent Twitter comments," Rooney said. "The entire Steelers organization is very proud of the job our military personnel have done and we can only hope this leads to our troops coming home soon."

Zarar Ahmed

The 12-year-old from Abbottabad, Pakistan, was Osama bin Laden’s neighbor and regularly visited the al Qaeda leader’s family, reports the London Evening Standard. Zarar described the security of the compound, as well as the family members he met, in an interview with Sky News. Bin Laden’s family included two wives: one who spoke Arabic and one who spoke Urdu. There were three children, a girl and two boys, Ahmed said. The family gave him two rabbits, he added.

The man who killed Osama bin Laden

He’s the most iconic person you will never know, according to the Washington Post’s Manuel Roig-Franzia. This week, the Post offered a composite of the "humble warrior" who killed the world’s most-wanted terrorist.

He is a "tactical athlete." Ripped, with a lot of upper-body strength, gnarled hands, long arms and a flat tummy, said Richard Marcinko, a Navy SEAL veteran and a founder of the elite Team 6, which reportedly led the attack. One minute, the professional is mowing his lawn. The next, he is on assignment — and there’s no crew cut. “He’s bearded, rough-looking,” Marcinko said. “You don’t want to stick out.”

The SEAL is probably between 26 and 33 years old, Marcinko said: young enough to be meet the physical demands but highly experienced in counterterrorism. He is a man; there are no female SEALS. He is also probably white, though the SEALs have diversified recently, Marcinko added.

The shooter also keeps tabs on his actions, said Stew Smith, another SEAL interviewed. Smith recently met with five other SEALs who could account for 250 terrorist kills between them. Still, this is THE kill, and his colleagues know it. “This is playing the Super Bowl and getting the Oscar in one breath,” Marcinko said. “He wants credit — but only among his peers.”

Jose Rodriguez

The CIA’s former counterterrorism czar told Time magazine that the intelligence that led authorities to Osama bin Laden's compound was obtained by using "enhanced interrogation techniques" on both Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and Abu Faraj al Libbi. The tactics included waterboarding, sleep deprivation and "other techniques," said Rodriguez, who is writing a book. Abu Faraj was not waterboarded, Rodriguez told Time in his first public interview.

An Obama administration official has denied Rodriguez's assertion that "enhanced interrogation techniques" were used.

“There is no way that information obtained by (enhanced interrogation techniques) was the decisive intelligence that led us directly to bin Laden,” National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said. “It took years of collection and analysis from many different sources to develop the case that enabled us to identify this compound and reach a judgment that bin Laden was likely to be living there.”

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Filed under: Al Qaeda • Most Intriguing People • Osama bin Laden • September 11 • Terrorism
soundoff (18 Responses)
  1. nur amabo nur

    BREAKING NEWS: police in full riot gear use tear gas, sound weapons on college students, make mass arrests at W I U during annual street party. U tu be (mass arrests, tear gas, sound weapons used against W I U students).

    May 4, 2011 at 11:34 am | Report abuse |
  2. Shallen

    Well put Mr. Mendenhall. Obviously you have done your research and refuse to be included in the flock of sheeple that run around in this country and spout regurgitated lies that have been force fed to the un-attentive public.

    May 4, 2011 at 11:39 am | Report abuse |
  3. grasan

    You are a f@#*ing idiot. Shut up and play football.

    May 4, 2011 at 12:17 pm | Report abuse |
    • Luzanira

      Give the guy a chance! Has any other piesrdent, or any other politician anywhere for that matter, been judged a success or failure after less than a year in office? Considering the mess he inherited, in both domestic and foreign affairs, he has done very well. He has come closer than any previous piesrdent to passing healthcare reform, he has made some progress on climate change albeit not enough and he has done much to restore America's reputation around the globe, as the post below on his multilateral foreign policy notes. The economy will take some time to turn around, but it would be even worse than it is but for his interventions. Also, consider the contrast between the response to the earthquake in Haiti and the response to Hurricane Katrina.The point is that he has made a good start on fulfilling his election promises and has been consistent with his policies. Only children and fools expect instant results and magic wands, something he never promised.The American people should appreciate him. Good luck to him and all his endeavours.

      March 15, 2012 at 12:51 am | Report abuse |
  4. Trier

    Perhaps Rashard was hoping for a similar conversion to that of Saul who became the apostle Paul. Saul went from mass murderer of those that he believed God hated to then become Paul – a enlightened man showing the powerful demonstration of God's love and grace for sinners everywhere. It has happened before with a nice outcome.

    May 4, 2011 at 12:34 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Tarek

    GAY PEOPLE HAVE RIGHTS. WE CANNOT BE IGNORED. I HAVE 3 BOYFRIENDS. I AM GAY AND LOVE IT.

    May 4, 2011 at 1:11 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Frank

    People of the United States of America,
    Apparently Rashard has just come back from a Crack and Hashish out of body experinence that he was in for the last 10 years.I guess he never saw OBL Video Taped messages or 911 Videotape of World Trade center attack and that killed 3K and OBL taking credit for that,He if the perfect Football player,numb and brainless from the shoulders up.

    May 4, 2011 at 1:53 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Riza Atta

    I cannot wait for the attacks to begin! glow you worms!

    May 4, 2011 at 7:57 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Tarek

    ACTUALLY I DETEST GAYS!!! IM FRED PHELPS IN DRAG

    May 4, 2011 at 8:00 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Riza Atta

    Fank likes to felch my bung hole

    May 4, 2011 at 8:13 pm | Report abuse |
  10. bob

    I agree with Rashard. Osama was shot while unarmed

    May 4, 2011 at 10:00 pm | Report abuse |
  11. Tarek Hamzi

    Actually I love young gay hot guys. I'm GAY. Plz do me and do me now. I hate women.

    May 4, 2011 at 10:05 pm | Report abuse |
  12. Patty

    Idiot!! What do gays have to do with this blog??? Get a brain
    Dummy....

    May 5, 2011 at 12:46 am | Report abuse |
    • Biia

      I had tried Twhirl but looks like I am more comfortable with TweetDeck/Opera Twitter Widget/bit.ly boaemorklkt(for links!)I like the simple looks and clutter free interface(TweetDeck interface with all hose groups etc. is not that clean) of Twhirl though.

      March 12, 2012 at 8:20 am | Report abuse |
  13. Tiffany Wilde*

    I support this persons opinion. It's his first amendment right and not only that. By law Osama Bin Laden was innocent.

    May 5, 2011 at 6:30 am | Report abuse |
  14. Cate

    I agree with Rashard and think some Americans need to find another format of celebration over the death of a human soul. I think this is NOT classy as some Americans jump up and down like animals over the loss of human life as our neighbors seem to do as they kill Americans in the name of their god! It's a tragedy for the 3000 people lost at ground zero, and we should continue to mourn the loss of these beautiful people who will never be replaced. We should celebrate for the amazing accomplishment for our Military and finding Bin Laden, but not jumping up and down on national tv in celebrating over this evil's mans death.

    May 5, 2011 at 9:41 am | Report abuse |
  15. Spartacus

    This guy needs to have the FULL WEIGHT OF THE ENTIRE NFL come down very very hard.
    Running this guy out of the UNited States would not be a severe enough punishment...
    I am more offended by this then I was by Clinton and Obama sending 18 Billiopn to Pakistan in January of this year.
    he represents a lot of people who need to be deported first and dealt wiht a little more severly after, like never, ever allowing these people back into the United States.
    Free Speech by Damned...I take far greater than great offense to this idiot;'s comments.
    And the reson is they perpetuate the myth that the U.S., Goivernemtn deliberately braught down the Twin Towers on 911. This should be a crime...legislation should be enacted in the exact samne way that the swastika was banned in Germany!!! And the rest of the world.
    It is just 100% unacceptable that people like this one be allowed to perpetuate their copmplete and utter ignorance.
    This person has ZERO BUSINES SLIVING AND BEING PERMITTED TO WORK IN THE UNITED STATES.
    LET HIM GO LIVE IN SOMALIA IRAN IRAQ, or PAKISTAN!

    May 8, 2011 at 7:47 pm | Report abuse |
    • Gor

      I want one of these so bad, I can just see me walking aonurd the store checking what product has a special price on it.

      March 14, 2012 at 9:21 pm | Report abuse |
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