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New bin Laden Tape Surfaces

James Joyner   ·   Thursday, December 16, 2004   ·   9 Comments

Purported new bin Laden tape surfaces (CNN)

Photo: Osama bin Laden speaks in this image made from an undated video broadcast, Oct. 29, 2004 by Arab television station Al-Jazeera. In the statement, bin Laden directly admitted for the first time that he carried out the Sept. 11 attacks, and said A new audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden and referencing the December 6 attack on the American consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, appeared on Arabic Web sites Thursday. The voice on the tape says the current instability in Saudi Arabia is due to the regime there and not the action of the jihadis there. “While the struggle in Saudi Arabia appears to be internal, it is part of the struggle between believers and non-believers” of Islam, the speaker said.

Near the end of the approximately 70-minute tape, the speaker asks for God’s blessings for “our brothers who stormed the American consulate in Jeddah.” “We pray to Allah to accept the mujahedeen who stormed the U.S. consulate in Jeddah as martyrs,” the speaker says. Also on the tape is deep criticism of the Saudi royal family. “Millions are suffering poverty, while rials (Saudi currency) pour into the hands of the Saudi royal family.”

The quality of the recording is poor, but al Qaeda expert Paul Eedle says the voice seems to be that of bin Laden.

It’s certainly the al Qaeda party line. And he has a point on the Saudi royals.

FILED UNDER: Terrorism

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About James Joyner
James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. Follow James on Twitter.

Comments

  1. The MUSC Tiger says:
    Thursday, December 16, 2004 at 09:03

    New Bin Laden Tape?
    Osama has spoken again, or so it seems. From the AP:
    A man identified as Osama bin Laden, speaking on an audiotape posted on an Islamic Web site Thursday, praised an attack earlier this month on a U.S. consulate in Saudi Arabia and criticized the Sau…

    Helpful or Unhelpful: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

  2. Our Life says:
    Thursday, December 16, 2004 at 09:05

    bin Laden… Again?
    I’d like an audio clip of the tape if anyone has it, please let me know. Fox News… The voice sounded like the Al Qaeda terror chief’s, and the lengthy tape was posted on a site known as a clearinghouse…

    Helpful or Unhelpful: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

  3. Backcountry Conservative says:
    Thursday, December 16, 2004 at 11:12

    New Bin Laden Tape
    Al Jazeera via Blogs of War An audio tape purportedly by Osama bin Laden, in which he warns of Dec. 6 attack in Saudi Arabia, was posted on an Internet site on Thursday. The recording, in which bin Laden praises…

    Helpful or Unhelpful: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

  4. John says:
    Thursday, December 16, 2004 at 11:22

    UBL is taking his shots at the Al-Saud (though it’s rather broad and totally ignores the support that family has in the kingdom).

    His real point here, though, is to offer religious argument against representative government. According to his intepretation of Islam, elections are sin. Man (as a voter) cannot exercise the authority to govern that is reserved to God and those God delegates.

    He’s condemning not only the upcoming Saudi elections, but also those in Iraq and Palestine. He fears that once people get a taste of democracy, they’re not going to be buying into his “Divine Right of Caliphs” vision.

    Helpful or Unhelpful: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

  5. The Jawa Report says:
    Thursday, December 16, 2004 at 12:46

    New bin Laden Tape Released
    A new audio tape of Osama bin Laden has been posted at an Islamic bulletin board. The tape is over 70 minutes long, but several news agencies are already in the process of translating it. Here are some of the…

    Helpful or Unhelpful: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

  6. Sortapundit says:
    Thursday, December 16, 2004 at 13:44

    Bin Laden Blames Monarchy
    Here’s one that almost passed me by in my ongoing effort to, well, avoid anything news related: a new Bin Laden tape has been released.

    “We pray to Allah to welcome the souls of the mujahidin (Islamic fighters) who attacked the American consulate …

    Helpful or Unhelpful: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

  7. Sortapundit says:
    Thursday, December 16, 2004 at 13:44

    Bin Laden Blames Monarchy
    Here’s one that almost passed me by in my ongoing effort to, well, avoid anything news related: a new Bin Laden tape has been released.

    “We pray to Allah to welcome the souls of the mujahidin (Islamic fighters) who attacked the American consulate …

    Helpful or Unhelpful: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

  8. InTheBullpen.com says:
    Thursday, December 16, 2004 at 14:27

    Bin Laden Releases Audio Tape
    Bin Laden rears his ugly head once more, this time spending more time attacking Saudi Arabia than the United States. I cannot help but point out once error made in the tape above before I give more background on it. In the audio tape Bin Laden says the…

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  9. Diggers Realm says:
    Thursday, December 16, 2004 at 14:48

    New Osama Bin Laden Audio Tape Released On Internet
    A new “tape” by Osama Bin Laden was released on the Internet. I don’t know why they call them tapes, it is the internet after all. CIA says it has “High Confidence” that the voice on the tape is Bin…

    Helpful or Unhelpful: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

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