Al-Qaeda releases 9/11 message

September 11, 2006

Al-Qaida released a 9/11 message to the American public today, and with it comes a threat for the American people. It calls on fellow Muslims to step up their resistance to the American people.

"Your leaders are hiding from you the true extent of the disaster," al-Zawahiri, the fugitive deputy to al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden says in a video, which appeared on Islamist Web sites late Sunday. "And the days are pregnant and giving birth to new events, with God's permission and guidance."

It appeared just moments before the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

The tape appears to be recorded recently, with many references to the Israel and Lebanon conflict, including the recent bombardment of Lebanon by Israel.

Al-Zawahiri says that attacks on the West should be considered fair, because "...the reality of international politics is the humiliation and repression of the Muslim at the hands of the idol-kings who dominate this world."

The video, which is an hour and 16 minutes long, and subtitled in English, presents a threat to Britain, which currently controls NATO troops in Afghanistan, that "Dr. Brydon won't be returning this time," which is a reference to the sole survivor of a British colonial army massacred during the First Anglo-Afghan War in 1842.

Al-Zawahiri also criticised his native country Egypt, saying that "Israel has been able to dominate Lebanon and Gaza only because Egypt has been totally removed from the conflict with Israel."

"We tell you not to concern yourselves with the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, these are doomed," he said. "You should worry about your presence in the Middle East in general, and the second place they should worry about is (their presence, red.) in Israel," Al-Zawahiri said.

CNN analyst Peter Bergen said Sunday that the al-Qaeda group was certain to make some sort of statement on Monday's anniversary.

"It would be very, very weird, in my view, if we didn't hear from either or both of them in the next few days, because this is something they want to remind Americans and their followers about -- the dreadful attacks on 9/11," Bergen said.