In Mystery Photos #1, Osama Bin Laden appears to be significantly heavier, especially in the face, in the November 9th "smoking gun" video, than in the photograph taken with the Pakistan editor Hamid Mir on November 8th. If he had not gained this weight overnight, there may be a chronological problem with at least part of the November 9th video. Since no provenance has yet been established for the video, another point of reference is needed.

Hence, Mystery Photo #2. An important clue here is the identity of the co-star of the video, an apparent paraplegic sheik, seated on the pillows next to OBL.
The mystery guest has assumed at least three problematic identities to date. Initially, he was identified as "Sheik Sulyman," since that was a name mentioned on the tape, but U.S. officials, after re-analyzing the tape, re-identified the Sheik. This time, he was "Ali Sayeed al-Ghamdy," a former Islamic theology professor once imprisoned by the Saudi government. Adel al Jabar at the Saudi embassy in Washington, D.C confirmed it was al Ghamdy, an identification based on the physical resemblance of the "Sheik" in the videotape and photographs of Al Ghamdy. Reportedly, the Saudis then determined that al-Ghamdy had not been in Afghanistan on November 9th which, if so, meant it was either a misidentification or the video had been made at an earlier date or in another place.

Subsequently, the mystery sheik was re-identified as Khaled al-Harbi. Al-Harbi, according to the Middle East Times, was a former mujahideen fighter who had lost his legs in battle in Chechenya. It is not clear why OBL would call a mujahideen fighter "Sheik"-- a title given to a Muslim religious official or tribal leader. Nor was it clear why OBL would call him "Sulyman" on the video. (The New York Times suggested that it might have referred to a Sulyman who was al-Harbi's son.)

Given this identity crises, it is necessary to determine: 1) whether OBL's co- star was the tape-mentioned Sheik Sulyman, the seditious cleric, Al Ghamdy, or the legless Chechen veteran, al-Harbi-- and 2) when this person paid a visit to OBL.

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