Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has warned of further terrorist attacks against the United States, unless U.S. officials pledge to resolve the conflict in Palestine. Bin Laden, on an audio tape conveyed to Al Jazeera through undisclosed channels, was heard congratulating Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab for attempting to bring down a passenger jet headed to the United States on Christmas Day. Known for adopting to his cause any issue to help galvanize Muslims against the United States and its Western allies, Bin Laden appears to have temporarily shifted his focus from Iraq and Afghanistan and to the Gaza Strip.
Sources have yet to confirm whether the voice heard on the tape was that of the Al-Qaeda chief. However, a senior official in the Obama administration dismissed the threats and stated that, even assuming the tape was authentic, Bin Laden continues to present the same misguided justifications for killing thousands of innocent people as he always has. Analysts believe that the head of the terrorist organization has once again chosen to focus his efforts on the U.S. after failed attempts by al-Qaeda to establish itself in Palestine, where Hamas’ influence is preeminent.
Read more at The Irish Times.
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