|
|
 |
 |
New tape might be from al-Qaida figure
By Associated Press
Published April 7, 2004
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A man claiming to be a senior al-Qaida figure the United States believes is operating in Iraq has released a tape calling for the country's Sunni Muslims to fight Shiites and claiming responsibility for high-profile attacks there.
The 33-minute audiotape appeared Tuesday on a Web site known as a clearinghouse for militant Islamic messages. The speaker introduced himself as Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian also known as Ahmed al-Khalayleh, who is thought to be a close associate of Osama bin Laden. It was the first tape attributed to him to be made public.
The tape's authenticity could not be verified. A U.S. official told the Associated Press that experts are looking into it but that it was too early to judge its authenticity.
Middle East counterterrorism officials said they were examining the tape. An official in Amman, Jordan, told the Associated Press preliminary indications from people familiar with Zarqawi's voice and the tone of the threat suggest it is his.
Terrorism experts say even when such statements cannot be traced to al-Qaida, they serve the group's cause by inspiring sympathizers.
Zarqawi's whereabouts are unknown, but the Web site on which the tape appeared had a transcript heading that said Zarqawi was in Iraq.
The tape appeared hours before a Jordanian court convicted Zarqawi in absentia and sentenced him to death for the 2002 killing of a U.S. aid official in a terror conspiracy linked to al-Qaida. U.S. officials have offered a $10-million reward for his capture, saying he is trying to build an network of foreign militants in Iraq.
A statement circulating in Iraq and signed by anti-U.S. groups last month claimed Zarqawi was killed by American bombs in northern Iraq. A senior U.S. official denied the report.
[Last modified April 7, 2004, 01:35:46]
World and national headlines
10 years later, Rwanda recalls horror
Pick-your-gender baby kits fight 'snake oil' claims
Spare hair, bits of spit part of feds' drug screening plan
Obituaries of note
New tape might be from al-Qaida figure
HaitiAristide official is jailed in Feb. political killings
HealthFrequent sex might reduce cancer risk
IraqFierce fighting kills 30 troops in 3 days
For U.S. workers in Iraq, a new sense of foreboding
Nation in briefTrain derails in rural Mississippi, killing at least 1
ReligionVatican upbeat on priest numbers
SpaceStill-working rovers a success, NASA says
World in briefChina quashes freedom hopes in Hong Kong
© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111
|
|
|
