Perilous Times
New Bin Laden tape warns U.S. of more attacks
January 24, 2010 8:59 a.m. EST
The CIA has in the past confirmed Al Jazeera reports on tapes from
Osama bin Laden.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* NEW: White House aide says tape tries to justify "slaughter of
innocent people"
* Tape allegedly of Osama bin Laden claims al Qaeda behind terror
attempt
* "The United States will not dream of enjoying safety" bin Laden
purportedly says
* Tape aired on the Arabic-language news Web site Al Jazeera
(CNN) -- A new audio tape allegedly from al Qaeda leader Osama bin
Laden claims responsibility for an attempt to blow up a plane en route
to Michigan on Christmas Day and warns the United States of more
attacks.
The tape, which aired on the Arabic-language news Web site Al-Jazeera
on Sunday, says "the United States will not dream of enjoying safety
until we live it in reality in Palestine."
The tape continues: "It is not fair to enjoy that kind of life while
our brothers in Gaza live in the worst of miseries."
CNN could not independently confirm the authenticity of the message,
but the CIA has in the past confirmed Al-Jazeera reports on tapes from
the al Qaeda leader.
White House senior adviser David Axelrod told CNN's "State of the
Union" on Sunday that while there was no immediate confirmation that
the message was authentic, it "contains the same hollow justification
for the slaughter of innocent people."
In another section of the audio tape that Al-Jazeera broadcast, the
voice says: "God willing our attacks will continue as long as you
support the Israelis and may peace be on those who follow guidance."
Bin Laden also claims responsibility for the foiled attack on Delta
flight 253 in December.
"The message intended to be sent to you was through the hero fighter
Omar Farouq, may God release him, confirming an earlier message that
the [September] 11th heroes delivered to you and it was repeated before
and after [that event]," he says.
A Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has been charged with
attempting to blow up the Delta Airlines plane as it approached Detroit
from Amsterdam, Netherlands.
A security expert said there's a possibility bin Laden did not know
about the attempted attack in December and al Qaeda branches may be
using it to prove themselves to the group's leadership.
"They were able to get their man on an American plane on an American
soil so it is successful by all means," said Mustafa Al-Ani at the Gulf
Research Center. "The strategy is there, outlined by the mother
leadership and now we will see the branches doing their best to please
their leadership and implement al Qaeda vision in their own ways."
Sunday's message would be bin Laden's first in seven months. In 2009,
he had six messages. The last one, on September 25, was "to the
European people."
In that message, he urged the countries to reconsider their involvement
in the Afghanistan war.
"Today Europe is suffering an economic crisis, and its export
reputation doesn't hold true anymore, while America is bleeding
economically because of all the wars it is involved in," his last
message said. "Think about how Europe will fare when America pulls out
of Afghanistan. You will be left to suffer alone the rage of the people
you oppressed."
Bin Laden is thought to be hiding in the Pakistan-Afghanistan mountain
region, according to intelligence experts.