But of course.

On the other hand, if we are to believe this absurd story, Azahari bin Husin may have had good reason to blow himself up, considering the U.S. military trained Detachment 88 and these “anti-terror” goons have a fondness for torturing people.

For some reason cornered suspected terrorists have an uncanny propensity for blowing themselves up or otherwise killing themselves. For instance, Sameer Mohammed Ahmed al-Hada, said to work for al-Qaeda and wanted in connection with the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, “accidentally” blew himself up in the Yemeni capital Sana’a in February 2002. According to the Guardian, when “security forces besieged his home and tried to arrest him, he attempted to throw a grenade at them, but it exploded and killed him.” It’s strange how this guy could blow a hole in a U.S. military ship but couldn’t figure out how to use a simple grenade. Go figure.

In July, 2003, Turki Nasser al-Dandani, said to be the “top al-Qaida fugitive wanted in the Riyadh suicide bombings” in Saudi Arabia, “killed himself as police moved in to capture him.” Of course, a simple bullet to the head would have sufficed, but obviously these guys from al-Qaeda like to go out with a bang.

In April 2004, Serhane ben Abdelmajid Fakhet, the suspected ringleader of the Madrid bombings, “blew himself up along with four other suspects during a police raid, Spain’s interior minister” told the BBC. Of course, as fits the pattern, Fakhet “The Tunisian” killed himself and the others as police closed in. In addition to customarily reciting “Allah akbar,” no doubt Fakhet screamed, “You’ll never take me alive, flat foot!” a second or two before pushing down the plunger connected a pile of explosives he had stashed in his apartment (see this image of the explosion).

Of course, since Jemaah Islamiyah, the group said responsible for the Bali bombing in September, was long ago penetrated by the CIA and Mossad, according to Sayed Abdullah, who operates an intelligence services firm in Indonesia, it makes perfect sense Azahari bin Husin killed himself—or rather was killed by somebody else. Dead men tell no tales—and no doubt Mr. bin Husin had a rather interesting tale to tell, as the Madrid bomb suspects likely did as well.

But then, since all Muslims are naturally crazy and their religion drives them to murder and suicide—never mind that, as Robert Pape of the University of Chicago points out, suicide bombings occur almost exclusively in places occupied by foreign troops, such as in Iraq or Palestine—we should simply accept the all too convenient conclusion Azahari bin Husin killed himself and as well accept that he was responsible for the Bali bombings, as the corporate media tells us. No further inspection or discussion is required.

“It is obvious the CIA and the Mossad, assisted by the Australian Special Action Police (SAP) and the M15 of England, are all working towards undermining Muslim organizations in an attempt to weaken the Muslims globally,” Sayed Abdullah told Kazi Mahmood.

Or rather the above culprits—in cooperation with the Likudites in Israel and various neocons in the United States, Britain, and Australia—are working the “Muslim terrorism” angle into a lather as a pretext to start World War Four, as the neocon and former CIA director James Woolsey likes to call the muscle end of the “Clash of Civilizations,” or rather one so-called civilization ganging up on a more or less defenseless civilization and pummeling it with all manner of high-tech munitions and various horrific chemicals (as in Fallujah) and radiation (as in Iraq, Afghanistan, Serbia, and soon enough, courtesy of winds in the upper atmosphere, out own backyard).

It really is curious how instrumental terrorists—from Osama to al-Zarqawi to bin Husin—are either invisible, end up dead, or dramatically kill themselves.

Instead of al-Qaeda big wigs, we are stuck with dirt farmers and taxi cab drivers kidnapped in Afghanistan and Pakistan and these hapless folks fill up Bush’s rape and torture gulag.

Really important guys sleep with the fish.