GANGSTERS & OUTLAWS > COPS & OTHER CHARACTERS

Jonathan Idema: Our Man in Kabul

Bead on bin Laden

And it was Idema who, while working as a freelance advisor to the Northern Alliance during the early days of Operation Enduring Freedom, uncovered a controversial Al-Qaeda training tape, which was later judged by the U.S. government to be authentic. However, in her October 2004 New York magazine piece on Idema, writer Stacy Sullivan reported that the authenticity of those tapes - which had been vetted by CBS - are now being questioned.

Osama bin Laden

At the time, however, the tapes Idema provided were lauded as the first chilling glimpse into Osama bin Laden's boot camps, and the discovery got significant attention. Back then, he was a regular on the evening news on every continent, appearing often on a host of networks, including BBC and even Fox News (an organization he later sued for what he termed unauthorized use of his Al-Qaeda footage), and developing a sometimes cozy, sometimes arm's-length relationship with CBS's equally controversial news anchor Dan Rather, along with other media luminaries. In fact, Rather flew to

Afghanistan

for an on-air interview with Idema after the tapes were released.

Dan Rather

While on the ground in

Afghanistan

, Idema managed to find plenty of excitement. According to his supporters, he also found time to save the life of a wounded newsman and longtime friend Gary Scurka, field-dressing his wounds under fire and ensuring the injured man was airlifted to safety, although even that - despite Scurka's recollections - is being called into question by Idema's current detractors.