Who is John Christopher Turner?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

John Christopher Turner found himself in the news yesterday. The Star did some reporting on his family, still living here in the area, and his apparent role in saving lives during yesterday's brazen attack on a hotel compound where UN workers were staying.

I spoke with Chris Turner six years ago, when he was promoting a special airing on the Discovery Times Channel called "Al Qaeda 2.0." The special was based on the book of the same name by journalist Peter Bergen. Somewhere in his travels in, Bergen had stumbled upon Turner, who told me he had been visiting the Pashtun region between Pakistan and Afghanistan (also known as "Hashistan," for obvious reasons) since 1967.

Here's the part that made the TV show:

BERGEN (narr.) In Washington we met with Chris Turner, an American photographer who has been visiting the tribes along the Afghan-Pakistan border for the past two decades. Turner used his tribal connections to visit the region twice since the 9/11 attacks. He claims that he met with al Qaeda members hiding in the region. He even took pictures of them.

BERGEN: (looking at picture) So, who is this guy?

TURNER: So, he is an al Qaeda operative who was quick to tell me that this is what he was.

BERGEN: How did it come up?

TURNER: As soon as I sat down he pointed an AK 47 on me and he said you have to leave now.

BERGEN (narr.) Here is Chris Turner wearing the turban and long beard, typical of the tribal areas, accompanied by the man who identified himself as a member of Al Qaeda, even more surprising -- running a drug operation.

(Well, not so surprising now, but this was 2003.)

TURNER: He was there to supervise and organize the heroin trade, which has become a major line of revenue for these people.

BERGEN: And you are convinced he was Al Qaeda?

TURNER: He said he was he made it very plain ... and I never forget the word ... he pointed the finger and said al Qaeda #1 al Qaeda #1. ... Al Qaeda, unlike the image we have of them here they are highly thought of in this tribal territory. Bin Laden was Robin Hood. He stood up against the mighty American machine and brought it to its knees. And for these people he is a hero.

Now Turner is in the news for allegedly having fended off gunmen with an AK-47 while holed up with hotel guests that the insurgents were trying to kill.

According to my story, which appeared March 25, 2003, "Al Qaeda 2.0" was the first program to launch the new Discovery Times Channel, a venture between Discovery and the New York Times that, alas, did not survive. It's now been rebranded Investigation Discovery.

Comments

[Mark Jeffries]

Or as I like to call Investigation Discovery, the all-"48 Hours Mystery" or all-reality show versions of CBS drama series channel.

[Sanity]

Congrats to that brave fellow. He deserves praise