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October 29, 2004
bin Laden's Election Contribution
Alleged Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden appeared Friday in a new video tape aired by Arabic satellite television station Al-Jazeera. Bin Laden claimed responsibility for the Sept. 11 attacks and conveyed a message of warning to the West: leave the Muslim world alone.
Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported the story Friday but omitted a part of bin Laden's message. In the video, the native Saudi blames the American-Israeli alliance against the people of Palestine and Lebanon for the violence Al-Qaeda has committed against the U.S.
Ha'aretz led their story with bin Laden's reference to the 1982 Israeli bombings in Lebanon. They did not mention Israel's aggresion against Palestine, which was central to bin Laden's message. The paper instead says: "He also said that the United States could face renewed attacks because the reasons for mounting the Sept. 11 strikes still existed."
Ha'aretz (Israel): http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/495321.html
Al-Jazeera broadcasts tape by bin Laden
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent and News Agencies
Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden said in a video tape aired late Friday that one of the reasons his organization carried out the September 11 attacks was because of Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon.
He also said that the United States could face renewed attacks because the reasons for mounting the Sept. 11 strikes still existed. The video tape was aired on the Qatari-based Al Jazeera satellite television channel.
In his clearest comments yet taking responsibility for the attacks three years ago, he said just days before President George W. Bush faces re-election: "Despite entering the fourth year after Sept. 11, Bush is still deceiving you and hiding the truth from you and therefore the reasons are still there to repeat what happened."
He said he thought of the idea of attacking the U.S. skyscrapers when he saw Israeli aircraft bombing tower blocks in Lebanon in 1982.
"While I was looking at those destroyed towers in Lebanon, it sparked in my mind that the tyrant should be punished with the same and that we should destroy towers in America, so that it tastes what we taste and would be deterred from killing our children and women," bin Laden said on tape.
Kerry, Bush spar over bin Laden tape
John Kerry criticized President George W. Bush for failing to capture bin Laden while Bush accused the Democrat of "shameful" second-guessing in the face of threats by America's deadly foe.
The broadcast of the bin Laden tape Friday jolted the campaign's closing days, accentuating the terrorism theme with a reminder of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and Kerry revived his contention that Bush missed an opportunity to capture or kill bin Laden during the Afghan war.
"I believe I can run a more effective war on terror than George Bush," Kerry asserted. Bush told an Ohio rally: "My opponent continues to say things he knows are not true." He said, "It's especially shameful in light of the new tape from America's enemy."
Bush and Kerry both made hurried TV appearances after the tape emerged.
"Let me make this very clear," Bush said in Toledo, Ohio. "Americans will not be intimidated or influenced by an enemy of our country. I'm sure Senator Kerry agrees with this."
Kerry said, "My reaction is that all of us ... are completely united."
Separately he criticized Bush for not capturing bin Laden, adding pointedly, "I believe I can run a more effective war on terror than George Bush."
Spokesman Joe Lockhart, responding to the Bush campaign's charges that the Democrat was politicizing the video, said Kerry made the critical comments of Bush during a round of satellite broadcast interviews, shortly after being told a bin Laden tape might be coming out later in the day.
"In fact it was unknown to everyone on his staff what was on the tape, and even frankly if there really was an authentic tape," Lockhart said.
Kerry has asserted throughout the campaign that U.S. forces could have run down bin Laden in the Tora Bora mountains in late 2001 if they had gone after him on the ground, and he has blamed Bush for the decision to let Afghan forces lead that chase.
"He didn't choose to use American forces to hunt down Osama bin Laden," Kerry said in an interview with WISN in Milwaukee. "He outsourced the job."
Bush responded, at a rally in Columbus, Ohio, that Kerry's account "does not square with reality," and he quoted his Afghan war commander, the now-retired Gen. Tommy Franks, as saying intelligence reports at the time were unclear about bin Laden's whereabouts.
Official: No change in U.S. alert level
The United States will make no immediate change in its terrorism alert level following the airing of the video tape, a White House official said on Friday.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the tape was believed to be authentic.
"Our intelligence community has said that they believe it is authentic and that it was taped recently. The intelligence community continues to analyze the tape. If there is actionable intelligence, we will act on it," he said.
A U.S. official said the videotape did not appear to contain a specific threat.
Another official said the tape was being taken seriously and law enforcement officials were considering what extra steps they could implement to protect the United States on election day on Tuesday.
"Right now everyone involved in antiterrorism efforts is on higher alert," the official said. "This has now given us new concern for election-day security."
McClellan said there were no immediate plans to elevate the U.S. terrorism alert level in response to the bin Laden tape.
"That is something that we analyze all the time. We are on a heightened state of awareness already. And there is no change in it at this time," he told reporters.
McClellan said Bush was notified late on Friday morning about the tape by national security adviser Condoleezza Rice while he was traveling aboard Air Force One.
He said U.S. authorities "are doing everything we can to disrupt and prevent attacks from happening".
"Our military will remain on the offensive to prevail in the war on terrorism, and that's where our focus is."
Posted by Lubna Takruri at October 29, 2004 11:04 PM