[ 2011-05-19 ]

New tape 'by Bin Laden' released
A recording purported to have been made by Osama
Bin Laden shortly before he died has been released
by al-Qaeda.

In the message, he praises the revolutions in
Tunisia and Egypt and speaks of a "rare historic
opportunity" for Muslims to rise up.

The 12-minute audio message appeared on a video
posted on Islamist websites, and has been
translated by the US monitoring group SITE
intelligence.

Bin Laden was shot dead by US Navy Seals at a
Pakistan compound on 2 May.

Speculation is mounting that al-Qaeda has
appointed a former Egyptian army colonel, Saif
al-Adel, as temporary leader to replace Bin Laden.


Adel was once Bin Laden's security chief, and is
suspected of involvement in the 1998 US embassy
bombings in East Africa, training the Somali
fighters who killed 18 US servicemen in Mogadishu
in 1993, and instructing some of the 11 September
2001 hijackers.

He fled to Iran from Afghanistan after the US-led
invasion in 2003, and was reportedly held under
house arrest near Tehran. Reports at the end of
last year said he may have been released and made
his way to northern Pakistan.

Some Western analysts have expressed scepticism
over reports of his appointment. Bin Laden's
long-time deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, also Egyptian,
is thought to be the front-runner for the role.

'Serious crossroads'

In the recording, Bin Laden refers to the
revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt but makes no
mention of the uprisings in Syria, Libya and
Yemen.

"I think that the winds of change will blow over
the entire Muslim world, with permission from
Allah," he says.

"There is a serious crossroads before you, and a
great and rare historic opportunity to rise up
with the Ummah (Muslim community) and to free
yourselves from servitude to the desires of the
rulers, man-made law, and Western dominance," he
also says.

"So, what are you waiting for? Save yourselves and
your children, because the opportunity is here".

Al-Qaeda is generally perceived to have been
caught off guard by the Arab Spring uprisings that
began in January in Tunisia and swiftly followed
in Egypt - toppling the long-time leaders of both
countries.

Analysts say that while both al-Qaeda and the West
back the uprisings sweeping across several Arab
nations, they seek very different outcomes.

The West hopes they will lead to democratic
reforms, while al-Qaeda wants to see new
governments based on their interpretation of
Islamic law.

Source - BBC

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