Handwriting expert examines alleged Bin Laden signature on fax

Описание: (16 Oct 2002)

APTN
Saunderstown, Rhode Island - 15 October 2002
1. Dr. Seifer examining documents
2. Dr. Seifer making notations
3. Dr. Seifer examining signature
4. Dr. Seifer examining signatures

APTN
Saunderstown, Rhode Island - 15 October 2002
5. Several pages of document
6. Alleged bin Laden signature
7. Authentic signature to questionable signature

APTN
Saunderstown, Rhode Island - 15 October 2002
8. Dr. Seifer explaining the verification process
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Mark Seifer, Handwriting Expert:
"Because there are differences, that actually would suggest that it could be genuine. Because a genuine person is not going to make it the exact same every time. Where as a forger is going to say, 'well gee, I better put this extra loop here because it's here.' So actually, because there are some differences would lend you to conclude that there is a possibility that it could be a legitimate signature."
10. Dr. Seifer examining signatures
11. Dr. Seifer's eyes
12. Dr. Seifer making notations
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Mark Seifer, Handwriting Expert:
"I would take the two originals and really sit there with a microscope and a magnifying glass and actually compare the ink patterns, the pressure patterns. Those kind of things really can't be copied. You can copy the overall symbolic stuff and his signature wouldn't be too difficult because it's very design like and it's large. But to get the pressure patterns, the speed, the rhythm, those kind of things you can't copy and really, that would be the only way to determine if it was an original signature."

APTN
Saunderstown, Rhode Island - 15 October 2002
14. Pan right to left, document
15. Extreme close up, signature in question
16. Medium shot, signature in question

STORYLINE:

An American hand-writing expert says the most recent faxed statement from someone purporting to be Osama bin Laden could be genuine.

But Californian graphologist Dr. Mark Seifer says further examination of the original would be needed to be certain.

The fax was sent on Monday to Arab television channel Al Jazeera.

The writer, purporting to be the Saudi-born dissident, praises the attack on a French oil tanker in Yemen on October 6 and the killing of an American serviceman in Kuwait two days later.

Dr. Seifer, who earned his PhD from the Saybrook Institute in California, is an expert in forgery detection, signature comparison and disguised handwriting.

He analyses mostly court cases, to determine whether signatures on questionable documents are real or fraudulent.

The fax was compared with other published versions alleging to be Bin Laden's handwriting.

In an interview with APTN, Dr. Seifer said the signature could be genuine because there are differences between the signatures.

"A genuine person is not going to make it the exact same every time," the expert said.

In detecting a forgery, Dr. Seifer said that what to look for was the least significant aspects of a writing.

For example, a forger would generally copy the overall design, but could not copy with precision the way certain letters connect together.

According to Dr. Seifer, there are many ways to forge a signature.

One of the possibilities is that the new Bin Laden signature could have been traced.

Seifer said this can be done on the computer.

The result is visually stunning and that the possibility of tracing cannot be ruled out.

APTN cannot independently authenticate the signature on the al-Jazeera fax nor confirm that the sender was indeed the world's most wanted fugitive.

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...