U.S. Doubts Report of Bin Laden's Demise

Sept. 23, 2006 — -- U.S. intelligence officials are skeptical of reports that Osama bin Laden has died.

This morning, a regional newspaper in France published a classified French secret service report that said Saudi Arabia is now convinced the al Qaeda leader is dead.

The leaked memo, which was written and presented Thursday to French President Jacques Chirac, states that late last month in Pakistan bin Laden died from a "very serious case of typhoid which led to a partial paralysis of his internal organs."

The memo concludes by saying the Saudis are waiting for more details, including the location of bin Laden's burial, "before officially announcing the news."

Chirac seemed to acknowledge the authenticity of the document when he told reporters in France today he was "surprised" to see it published and was launching an investigation into who leaked it. But he added, "This information is in no way whatsoever confirmed, and therefore I have no comment on it."

But former U.S. counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke, who now is an ABC News consultant, said he doesn't believe the report of bin Laden's death.

"Unless we hear from other sources," he said, "unless we hear chatter among the al Qaeda people themselves -- and, frankly, in the end, unless we see the body -- we should not be jumping to the conclusion that he's dead."

Alexis Debat, a former French intelligence official who is now an ABC News consultant, also is skeptical.

"There is no hard information the report is true," Debat said.

In fact, a source tells Debat the report is based solely on an informal conversation between a French diplomat and low-level Saudi diplomat at social function in Islamabad. The French diplomat felt obligated to pass on the details of that chat to headquarters in Paris and it is has since caused quite a stir.

Time magazine is now reporting bin Laden is "seriously ill." The magazine quotes an anonymous Saudi source who says the fugitive terrorist has been suffering from a waterborne illness for several weeks and his condition could be terminal.

But Pakistani and Saudi officials told ABC News today that they do not believe bin Laden is dead or near death and U.S. officials say they need proof before they buy into such rumors.

After all, in the five years since the Sept. 11 attacks, there have been several reports of bin Laden's demise.

"He has been reputed to have every disease or every medical condition known to science except pregnancy," Clarke said. "And all of that has turned out to be false."

Despite the prior reports of bin Laden's death, he kept churning out audiotapes that suggest he is still alive. The last time he was seen on video was in late 2004.

That may be why one senior American military official had this reaction to the latest reports of bin Laden's death, "Please, show me the body!"

Additionally, sources tell ABC News that because of the document's classification was the low-level "confidential," there may be no real merit to the claim.

"When you classify it 'confidential,' you really are talking about information that is not sensitive," Debat said. "Obviously, if it came from a very important source, it would be classified 'secret' or 'top secret.'"

Despite his own skepticism, Debat said the report of bin Laden's death deserves more investigation.

"They should be looking into it because it's the world's most wanted, and any piece of information on his whereabouts or his health is extremely relevant," Debat said.

But, he added, "In Pakistan at any given moment, there are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of rumors about this that are ripe for being picked up by anybody -- and sometimes it's a journalist, sometimes it's a diplomat."

ABC News Radio's Andy Field and Tom Rivers also contributed to this report.