Purported al Qaeda tape vows ‘fierce’ attacks on US interests

DUBAI – An audio tape said to be from a senior Saudi al Qaeda leader warned the militant group would carry out “fierce” attacks this year against US interests and urged Muslims to avoid American civilian and military sites.

But the tape by Abdulaziz al-Muqrin, audible on Tuesday through a link on the Dirasat Islamist Web site, which carries statements said to come from senior Qaeda and Taliban officials, said last week’s suicide car bombing of a security building in the Saudi capital Riyadh was not the work of al Qaeda. The tape was signed off by Muqrin, who is said to have recently taken over leadership of al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia, a key US ally and the world’s largest oil exporter, after the killing of former top operative Khaled Ali Ali Haj.”The Jews, the Americans and crusaders (Christians) in general will remain the targets of our coming attacks and this year, God willing, will be fiercer and harsher for them,” said the voice on the tape which was clearly audible.”And the apostate Saudi government will be incapable of protecting their (US) interests or providing security for them,” said the seven-minute tape which began with Koranic verses.It was not immediately possible to verify its authenticity but the language and style were similar to previous al Qaeda statements and the voice to that on an earlier videotape purportedly by Muqrin, also carried on Dirasat on April 18.The latest tape warned Americans to leave the Arabian peninsula and Washington to withdraw its troops and bases from Muslim states and to end its occupation of Muslim land and its support of Israel.”We warn Muslims to stay away from Americans and their civilian and military sites so that they will not be harmed when the infidels are targeted,” the tape said.”We reiterate our previous declared commitment of the jihad (holy war) policy of al Qaeda to target the crusaders, Jews and apostates…We will show them what we are capable of,” it said.Al Qaeda is widely blamed for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.The tape said Muslim leaders who allied themselves to the “American crusaders” should not expect to be spared from militant attacks.The man hailed the Riyadh attack as long overdue to punish “apostate” Saudi rulers who allied themselves to the enemies of God, but said al Qaeda did not carry it out.”We are not responsible for the bombing of the emergency security building in Riyadh although we believe it is an expected result of the infidel, unjust and oppressive policy of the apostates (Saudi rulers) who spread corruption and divert the country’s resources and capabilities to the Christian-Jewish alliance,” the tape said.”The apostate leaders should not assume that they will be spared by the nation’s honourable men who refuse to live under an infidel rule which allows what God forbids, forbids what God allows, spreads corruption and violates the legitimate rights of people enshrined by their religion.”After the Riyadh attack, a Saudi militant group, the so-called Al Haramain Brigades, said in a statement posted on the Internet that it was behind the Riyadh attack and that they were followers of bin Laden and were filling in for al Qaeda which was preoccupied fighting “crusaders”.In the attack a suicide bomber destroyed a building housing Saudi security and police, killing at least five people including a senior police officer and wounding 148 people.- Nampa-ReutersThe tape was signed off by Muqrin, who is said to have recently taken over leadership of al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia, a key US ally and the world’s largest oil exporter, after the killing of former top operative Khaled Ali Ali Haj.”The Jews, the Americans and crusaders (Christians) in general will remain the targets of our coming attacks and this year, God willing, will be fiercer and harsher for them,” said the voice on the tape which was clearly audible.”And the apostate Saudi government will be incapable of protecting their (US) interests or providing security for them,” said the seven-minute tape which began with Koranic verses.It was not immediately possible to verify its authenticity but the language and style were similar to previous al Qaeda statements and the voice to that on an earlier videotape purportedly by Muqrin, also carried on Dirasat on April 18.The latest tape warned Americans to leave the Arabian peninsula and Washington to withdraw its troops and bases from Muslim states and to end its occupation of Muslim land and its support of Israel.”We warn Muslims to stay away from Americans and their civilian and military sites so that they will not be harmed when the infidels are targeted,” the tape said.”We reiterate our previous declared commitment of the jihad (holy war) policy of al Qaeda to target the crusaders, Jews and apostates…We will show them what we are capable of,” it said.Al Qaeda is widely blamed for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.The tape said Muslim leaders who allied themselves to the “American crusaders” should not expect to be spared from militant attacks.The man hailed the Riyadh attack as long overdue to punish “apostate” Saudi rulers who allied themselves to the enemies of God, but said al Qaeda did not carry it out.”We are not responsible for the bombing of the emergency security building in Riyadh although we believe it is an expected result of the infidel, unjust and oppressive policy of the apostates (Saudi rulers) who spread corruption and divert the country’s resources and capabilities to the Christian-Jewish alliance,” the tape said.”The apostate leaders should not assume that they will be spared by the nation’s honourable men who refuse to live under an infidel rule which allows what God forbids, forbids what God allows, spreads corruption and violates the legitimate rights of people enshrined by their religion.”After the Riyadh attack, a Saudi militant group, the so-called Al Haramain Brigades, said in a statement posted on the Internet that it was behind the Riyadh attack and that they were followers of bin Laden and were filling in for al Qaeda which was preoccupied fighting “crusaders”.In the attack a suicide bomber destroyed a building housing Saudi security and police, killing at least five people including a senior police officer and wounding 148 people.- Nampa-Reuters