Bin Laden aide exhorts Muslims to attack US and Jews

7.30am

DUBAI - Qatar's al-Jazeera television station has aired an audio tape purportedly from Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant in which he urged Muslims to wage holy war against Americans, Jews and Western interests.

The broadcast followed United States warnings of imminent al Qaeda strikes in the Unites States, Middle East and Africa and a heightened state of alert throughout the world for possible terror attacks.

The tape by Ayman al-Zawahri appeared to have been made in the early days of the US-led war on Iraq and made no mention of the recent wave of suicide bombings which killed at least 75 people in Morocco and Saudi Arabia, bin Laden's birthplace.

In the recording, the latest purported message from al Qaeda leaders who remained silent during the Iraq war, Zawahri told Muslims to strike at the embassies and commercial interests of several Western nations, including Britain and Australia.

"The crusaders and the Jews only understand the language of murder, bloodshed... and of the burning towers," Zawahri said, referring to New York's World Trade Centre towers which were levelled by suicide plane hijackers in September 11, 2001.

These attacks, which also targeted US landmarks in Washington and in which about 3000 people died, are blamed on al Qaeda and prompted the US-led war on Afghanistan to root out the militant group.

"Carry arms against your enemies, the Americans and Jews... Attack the missions of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Norway and their interests, companies and employees. Turn the ground beneath their feet into an inferno and kick them out of your countries," Zawahri said.

It was not clear why Zawahri mentioned Nato member Norway, which did not send troops to fight in the Iraq war. Its main role in the Middle East has been to help mediate between Israelis and Palestinians.

"Do not allow (them) and other crusaders -- the murderers of your Iraqi brothers -- to live in your countries and enjoy their wealth and spread corruption," he said.

A US intelligence official said the Central Intelligence Agency was analysing the tape. The analysis would take some time because "the audio quality is not great", the official said.

Al Qaeda operatives have been blamed for last week's triple suicide attacks in the Saudi capital Riyadh that killed 34 people, mostly foreigners.

Morocco said it had found no link yet between the group and last week's suicide bombings in Casablanca that killed 41 people, including 13 attackers.

Considered to be bin Laden's right hand man, Zawahri is an Egyptian eye doctor who set up a militant group that tried to topple the Egyptian government in the 1990s.

Before the Iraq war, which heightened anti-US feelings in the Middle East, bin Laden urged Muslims to use all means, including suicide bombings, to avert the conflict.

In the excerpts broadcast on Wednesday, Zawahri said: "O Iraqi people, we have defeated those crusaders several times before," he said.

"Know that you are not alone in this battle. Your mujahideen (holy fighters) brothers are following the enemies as well and are lying in wait for them."

Shortly after the release of the tape, leaders and representatives of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman -- all key US allies who met in Saudi Arabia for a scheduled meeting -- expressed concern about the rising threat of international terrorism and called for intense global efforts to combat it.

- REUTERS