Outstanding report by the New York Times

Michael Moss's look at a suspected Al-Qaeda recruiter who traveled back and forth between Waziristan and Germany is a great use of the Times' column inches. It's balanced, informative, and thorough. Moss raises questions of torture and interrogation, as well as noting how political tension in Pakistan is setting terror suspects free, but the real star of this show is Aleem Nasir, a gem dealer under suspicion by three different governments.

Moss got him to sit down for a video interview and asks him about all the odd little details of his story--about how he burned his hand while off in Waziristan, why he took two sets of night vision goggles with him (he had a friend who's a shepherd, you see), that kind of thing. Moss also mentions Nasir's connection to the recent German arrestees through the same radical Bavarian Imam. Yet there's no hard evidence of his guilt (except the confession Pakistan's ISI beat out of him) so all that can be done is to keep an eye on him.

I'll say this: if he's guilty, and I think he is, this guy is one cool customer. He's throwing up this outlandish series of excuses with great aplomb. I hope they keep an eye on him.

Even though I still believe the Times' top brass ought to be prosecuted for leaking military secrets, and I believe the institution is ridiculously and uselessly biased, I have to admit they have some great writers and reporters working for them and I'm happy to recognize them when I see them.

Previously on JYB: Another Al-Qaeda link with a gem dealer--and a fired State Department official who was a little too close to that action.