Bin Laden claims bombing attempt at Christmas

CAIRO – Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for the Christmas Day airline bombing attempt in Detroit, in a audio message released yesterday, and vowed further attacks on the US.

The message suggests that bin Laden wants to show he remains in direct command of al Qaeda’s many branches around the world.In the short recording carried by the Al-Jazeera Arabic news channel, bin Laden addressed President Barack Obama saying the attack was a message similar to that of September 11 and more attacks against the US would be forthcoming.’The message delivered to you through the plane of the heroic warrior Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was a confirmation of the previous messages sent by the heroes of the September 11,’ he said.’America will never dream of security unless we will have it in reality in Palestine,’ he added. ‘God willing, our raids on you will continue as long as your support for the Israelis continues.’On Christmas Day, Nigerian national Abdulmutallab attempted to blow up the Northwest Airlines flight he was sitting on as it approached Detroit Metro Airport. But the bomb he was hiding in his underwear failed to explode.He told federal agents shortly afterward that he had been trained and instructed in the plot by al Qaeda operatives in Yemen.Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula originally took credit for the attack, but by issuing this message, bin Laden seems to be indicating that he himself is ordering attacks, rather than just putting his seal of approval on events afterward.Analysts had previously suggested that al Qaeda’s offshoots in North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and elsewhere were operated independently from bin Laden, who is believed to be somewhere in Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.There was no way to confirm the voice was actually that of Bin Laden, but it resembled previous recordings attributed to him.In the past year, bin Laden’s messages have concentrated heavily on the plight of the Palestinians in attempt to rally support across the region.Many analysts believe that bin Laden is worried about Obama’s popularity across the Middle East with his promises to withdraw from Iraq and personal background, so the al Qaeda leader is focusing on the close US-Israeli relationship.The suffering of the Palestinians, especially in the blockaded Gaza Strip where 1 400 died during an Israeli offensive there last year, angered many in the Arab world. – Nampa-AP