Thu, Feb 13, 2003 - Page 1 News List

New bin Laden tape stirs up Iraq debate

THREATS Even though the terrorist leader referred to Saddam Hussein's regime as infidels, US officials took it as further proof of Iraq's ties with al-Qaeda

AP , DOHA, QATAR AND WASHINTONn

Yasser Thabet, a broadcast editor at al-Jazeera, said the station received the tape by the same channels as previous bin Laden statements, but he did not give details.

Bin Laden's previous statements have not gone nearly as far in expressing solidarity with Iraq, counterterrorism officials in Washington said.

In Washington, CIA Director George Tenet said intelligence information suggests al-Qaeda may launch attacks as early as this week in both the US and on the Arabian peninsula.

"The intelligence is not idle chatter on the part of terrorists and their associates," Tenet told Congress. "It is the most specific we have seen, and it is consistent with both our knowledge of al-Qaeda's doctrine and our knowledge of plots this network -- and particularly its senior leadership -- has been working on for years."

Tenet said the information suggests the attack may involve a "dirty bomb" -- a weapon that spreads radioactive material over a wide area -- or chemical or poison weapons.

The speaker urged other Muslims not to cooperate with the US in a showdown against Iraq. He criticized Arab governments that support UN efforts to rid Iraq of alleged weapons of mass destruction.

"Anyone who helps America, from the Iraqi hypocrites [opposition] or Arab rulers ... whoever fights with them or offers them bases or administrative assistance, or any kind of support or help, even if only with words, to kill Muslims in Iraq, should know that he is an apostate," the speaker said.

The speaker also called on Muslims to rise up and "break free from the slavery of these tyrannic and apostate regimes, which are enslaved by America." He singled out Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the tape shows that Saddam and bin Laden are "bound by a common hatred" of America and its Arab allies.

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