Zawahri says two London bombers trained in Qaeda camp

DUBAI - Al Qaeda deputy Ayman al Zawahri said two London bombers received training in al Qaeda camps, according to a video posted on the internet today.

Exactly one year ago, four suicide bombers attacked the London transport system, killing 52 people. Zawahri identified Shehzad Tanweer and Mohammad Sidique Khan as both receiving training in al Qaeda camps.

"Shehzad's motivation for going to the bases of Qaeda al Jihad was the repression which the British are perpetrating in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine," he said in the video which was posted on a website generally used by insurgents.

"And that's why Shehzad came to the bases of Qaeda al Jihad group and spent a period of time with Mohammad Sidique.

"And they ... returned to Britain where they passed on what they had learned to their brothers and planned ... their successful strike which sent Britain into a spin," Zawahri said.

The video also showed footage of Tanweer, who warned of more attacks unless forces pulled out of Afghanistan and Iraq, financial and military support was halted to Israel and the US and Muslim prisoners were freed.

"You will never experience peace until our children in Palestine, our mothers and sisters in Kashmir, and our brothers in Afghanistan and Iraq feel peace," Tanweer said.

The 31-minute feature-like video showed masked men apparently conducting scientific experiments in dishes and testing a small explosive device.

It also showed interviews with two wounded people who seemed to be an Iraqi and a Palestinian, who talked about violence from foreign soldiers that surrounded them.

The video commentary also alluded to the London bombings.

"And after completing their training and preparation the knights departed for the field of operations."

The footage appeared to be from the same video that Al Jazeera television had aired part of on Thursday.

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden could also be heard in parts of the video. Some of his remarks were similar to ones made in an earlier audio tape in January.

"... The Mujahideen have been able, with the will of God, to penetrate time and time all security measures undertaken by the oppressive countries of the alliance as evidenced by what you have seen in terms of bombings in the capitals of the most important European states in this alliance of aggression."

The video also featured an excerpt from an American-sounding bearded Caucasian man wearing a black turban, identified as Brother Azzam the American.

Intelcentre, a US-based group that monitors Islamist websites, had previously said it expected an appearance from a man with that name in the video. It said he was also known as Adam Yahiye Gadahn, an Islamic convert from California wanted for questioning by the FBI.

"What I am saying is that when we bomb those cities and civilians like they do ours or destroy their infrastructre and means of transportation like they destroy ours or kidnap the non-combatants like they kidnap ours ... no sane Muslim should shed tears for them," the man said.

His segment seemed to be recently recorded since he referred to the Iraqi town of Mahmudiya, which has been the focus of attention over allegations of the rape and murder of an Iraqi teenager and killing of her family by a US soldier there.

- REUTERS