New 'Bin Laden' tape released

[Anonymous]

December 16, 2004 - 9:45PM


A man identified as Osama bin Laden bitterly criticised the Saudi regime in an audiotape posted on an Islamic web site today.

The voice sounded like the al-Qaeda terror chief's, and the tape was posted on a site known as a clearinghouse for militant Islamic comment.

The speaker said that while Saudi leaders blame "holy warriors'' for trouble in the kingdom, "the truth is that the whole responsibility falls on the shoulders of the regime.''

The speaker, in calm and even tones, accused Saudi rulers of "violating God's rules,'' a common theme of statements from bin Laden, who accuses Saudi rulers of being insufficiently Islamic and too close to the ``infidel'' United States.

"The sins the regime committed are great . . . it practiced injustices against the people, violating their rights, humiliating their pride,'' the speaker said. He also accused the Saudi royal family of mispending public money while "millions of people are suffering from poverty and deprivation.''

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AdvertisementThe main statement was preceded by Quranic verses, a rhetorical device typical of bin Laden.

On December 6, five militants shot their way into the compound of the US Consulate in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, killing five non-American employees.

Saudi Arabia cracked down on Muslim extremists after the May 2003 bombings of three residential compounds in Riyadh brought terrorism home to the kingdom, but has not been able to contain the violence.

Bin Laden, believed hiding in the mountains along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, last reached out to his followed in October, with a videotape aired on the Arabic TV station Al-Jazeera.

In that statement, he for the first time clearly took responsibility for the September 11 attacks on the United States and said America could avoid another such strike if it stopped threatening the security of Muslims.

- AP

http://www.theage.com.au/news/War-on...?oneclick=true

[Sacha]

Strange how you quote an Australian news source Casey. Is that because OZ always has the news first? :D

[exitwound]

Originally Posted by Sacha

Strange how you quote an Australian news source Casey. Is that because OZ always has the news first? :D

Aside from the obvious timezone advantages, of course....

Anyhow, I think this tape has something to do with the emerging threats that the State Department has warned about recently in the Arabian Peninsula (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, the Sinai/Egypt/Israel, Jordan, etc).

Apparently, Zarqawi and the remnants of the "Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula" group (primarily active in Saudia) have teamed up with AQ's elements in the Sinai, the same folks who recently carried out those resort attacks near the Israeli border....

[Funky Monkey]

any copies of the tape making the rounds yet? I like to get my news as direct from the source as possible.

[nancydrew]

The following is an exclusive, courtesy of ABC News

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=337793
Bin Laden Gives New Directions, Tells Al Qaeda to Target Oil

In an audiotape posted on a Web site, a man said to be Osama bin Laden praises the attackers who recently targeted a U.S. Consulate in Saudia Arabia. *(ABC News)

By BRIAN ROSS and JILL RACKMILL


Dec. 16, 2004 —*The men who attacked the U.S. Consulate in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, on Dec. 6 and killed five non-U.S. employees had planned to take American hostages, U.S. officials told ABC News.


The five men were carrying 20 sets of plastic handcuffs, large knives and video recording equipment, according to officials.


Four of the men were killed in the attack, and one was captured by authorities.


And they were praised today in a new audio statement by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden that was posted on the Internet. Intelligence officials said they had determined "with high confidence" that the tape was authentic.


"We beseech Allah to grant mercy to the mujahedeen who stormed the American Consulate in Jiddah," bin Laden said in Arabic. "Those people [the Americans] do not deserve to be secure any where in the world."


Bin Laden also called for his followers to attack oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing countries in the Gulf, as he said America and other Western countries were stealing the oil of Muslim lands.


"Stop them from getting it," he said. "Concentrate your operations on it, especially in Iraq and the Gulf. This is their death."


Dick Clarke, former White House counterterrorism czar and now an ABC News consultant, described bin Laden's message as a marked change from statements past.


"He's given a broad, new tactical direction for his attack," Clarke said. "Go after a specific oil industry in a specific country."


And officials have long feared a much more serious attack on the giant oil refinery at Ras Tanura on the Gulf, the world's largest petroleum port.


Clarke warned that the global oil situation remains precarious. "There's a very thin margin of excess in the worldwide oil capacity," he said. "Any fluctuation in the operation of a facility like Ras Tanura and the price will go through the roof and there could actually be shortages."



Bin Laden's message today also dealt extensively with his longtime nemesis, the Saudi royal family. He called on his followers to use force to remove them.

[Ono]

These ignorants will follow OBL's bidding. Awful high price we pay for the 'theft' of their fucking oil. Automatons.........all of them.

[roguestar]

Originally Posted by Ono

These ignorants will follow OBL's bidding. Awful high price we pay for the 'theft' of their fucking oil. Automatons.........all of them.

fucking a

[Master Chief]

The sad part is, even though we're not as dependent on middle-east oil as it's made out to be, an attack over there would kill our nations economy, mainly 'cuz people would know no better than to realize that it *shouldn't* drive up the price that much... a bit yeah, but not $4-$5/per gallon. Long live alternative energy!

[cranius]

Originally Posted by Master Chief

The sad part is, even though we're not as dependent on middle-east oil as it's made out to be, an attack over there would kill our nations economy, mainly 'cuz people would know no better than to realize that it *shouldn't* drive up the price that much... a bit yeah, but not $4-$5/per gallon. Long live alternative energy!

amen!

[kidcanuck]

Usama seek transformation.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...den_s_strategy