NYT says Zardari repeated a long debunked hoax

NEW YORK - At the heals of some of President Asif Ali Zardari's statements that raised eyebrows during his recent U.S. visit, a leading American newspaper has questioned his claim that Oliver North, who is best known for his involvement in the 1986 Iran-Contra scandal, that North installed a security system for his home “because he was ‘scared of Osama bin Laden.’"

"The president of Pakistan apparently believes an Internet hoax alleging that Oliver L. North warned of the dangers posed by Osama bin Laden 20 years ago," The New York Times said in a dispatch on Wednesday,, referring to his interview with FOX News.

That rumour involving North, who worked for the National security Council under President Ronald Reagan, emerged on the Internet shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "It has been thoroughly debunked by a number of reliable sources, including the United States Senate’s Web site and Mr. North himself," the newspaper said.