Former Italian President, Minister, First Minister, and currently Italian Senator-for-Life, Francesco Cossiga, declared that, to his knowledge, "Tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, the most important Italian magazine and newspaper editor will give proofs that the new Osama bin Laden video [sic] [...], in which there are threats against former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, is nothing but a fake, produced in Mediaset [Berlusconi's TV network] studios in Milan [...]. The trap has been forged in order to obtain solidarity towards Berlusconi[...]"
He then says that: "Palazzo Chigi [headquarters of the Italian government] circles, nerve center of Italian intelligence, note that the video's falsity is proven by the fact that Osama Bin Laden reportedly confesses that Al Qaeda made the September 11 attacks against the twin towers in New York, while all democratic circles in Europe and America, above all those of the Italian left-wing, know that the disastrous attack has been planned and executed by the CIA and Mossad, with the help of the sionist world, in order to accuse arab countries and force western powers to intervene both in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is why there has been no word of solidarity to Berlusconi from the Quirinale [home of the Italian president of the republic], from Palazzo Chigi nor from members of the left wing coalition"
In Italy, Cossiga is well known for his links with the USA and NATO intelligence services. This is the reason why Italian European parliament member Giulietto Chiesa wonders if Cossiga is actually trying to prevent the scoop he speaks about, or he is trying to "send messages" to the US government.