A purported al-Qaeda statement has singled out Italy as it threatened Europe with a "bloody war" following the expiry of a July 15 deadline set by Osama bin Laden for European states to pull troops out of Muslim countries.
"Today, we declare a bloody war on you. We will not stop our raids until you return to reason," said the statement posted yesterday on a militant Islamist Web site and signed "Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades -- al-Qaeda."
The authenticity of the statement, on the site www.islamic-minbar.com/forum/, could not be verified.
"After the expiry of the ultimatum by our sheikh Osama bin Laden ... and because you have not returned to reason, we declare a violent war on you as well as your people ... who, by their silence, support you," it said.
An audiotaped statement issued April 15 by the al-Qaeda terror chief gave European governments three months to withdraw their troops from Muslim states.
The ultimatum was later authenticated by the US Central Intelligence Agency.
The Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades have claimed responsibility for the March 11 train bombings in Madrid, which left 191 people dead, as well as for the November bombings in Istanbul that killed 25 people.
Abu Hafs al-Masri headed al-Qaeda military operations until he was killed in the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
The latest statement particularly targeted "the Italian government and its head Berlusconi, the vile, for their shameful and despicable attitude and for following the chief of infidels, America."
"Wait for us Berlusconi, with your other allies and supporters. Wait for the threat which we addressed to you [earlier] and that we address to Europe today," it warned.
"We will make sure that a bloodbath sweeps you away. It is you that will punish your people. And infidel Europe will, by its following of America, punish its people.
"We will strike the towns of Europe and we will start with you, Berlusconi," the message claimed, warning European leaders that war "will be bloody until you return to reason."
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January last year have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about
A Vietnamese migrant worker yesterday won NT$12 million (US$379,627) on a Lunar New Year scratch card in Kaohsiung as part of Taiwan Lottery Co’s (台灣彩券) “NT$12 Million Grand Fortune” (1200萬大吉利) game. The man was the first top-prize winner of the new game launched on Jan. 6 to mark the Lunar New Year. Three Vietnamese migrant workers visited a Taiwan Lottery shop on Xinyue Street in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan District (崗山), a store representative said. The player bought multiple tickets and, after winning nothing, held the final lottery ticket in one hand and rubbed the store’s statue of the Maitreya Buddha’s belly with the other,
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
RSS