Toronto Star : Threats made against embassies in new Al Qaeda video

Threats made against embassies in new Al Qaeda video

Paul Schemm | Associated Press | August 5, 2007

CAIRO, Egypt – An American member of Al Qaeda threatened foreign diplomats and embassies across the Islamic world in a new video Sunday, saying they would targeted as "spy dens."

The one hour, 17 minute video also featured a computer-animated recreation of a March 2006 suicide attack that killed U.S. diplomat David Foy in Karachi, Pakistan, and testimony from a man who claimed to be the bomber.

"We shall continue to target you, at home and abroad, just as you target us, at home and abroad, and these spy dens and military command and control centers from which you plotted your aggression against Afghanistan and Iraq," said Adam Gadahn, a Californian also known as Azzan al-Amriki.

Gadahn was charged with treason in the United States last fall and has been wanted since 2004 by the FBI, which is offering a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction. He last appeared in a video in May, threatening the United States with an attack worse than those of Sept. 11, 2001.

The authenticity of the video, which was first carried on the Web site of terrorism expert Laura Mansfield, could not be independently confirmed but it featured the logo of Al Qaeda's media production house, as-Sahab.

The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group also said it had obtained a copy of the video. Militant Web forums have been announcing the imminent arrival of a new video featuring Gadahn for days.

In the video, which had Arabic subtitles, Gadahn wore a traditional Arab red-and-white checkered scarf and spoke in English. It was not known when the footage was filmed because he did not describe any specific events.

"Years of bitter trial and experience have revealed the danger (embassies) pose and shown that the only way to deal with them when they refuse to leave of their own accord is to expel them by force," Gadahn said.

Al Qaeda's No. 2, Ayman Zawahri, also appeared in the terror group's latest video, outlining what he described as the crimes of Western countries against the Islamic world. As he spoke, the video showed images of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as mosques being destroyed.

The March 2006 attack that killed Foy, which was claimed by Al Qaeda, also killed three Pakistanis and wounded about 50 others a day before U.S. President George W. Bush made an official visit to Pakistan.