USA Today : Bin Laden video finally makes militant websites

Bin Laden video finally makes militant websites

September 8, 2007

CAIRO (AP) — The new video message from terror mastermind Osama bin Laden appeared on militant Islamist websites Saturday, a day after it was released by U.S.-based terrorist monitoring organizations.

A note accompanying the video explained it had been a conscious decision to release the video to television channels before posting it on websites, the traditional means the al-Qaeda organization has used to disseminate its message.

"As a requested strategy the video has been sent to TV channels before posting it to the net. And it is not true that some websites claimed that they have received it in another way," it added, apparently referring to the Washington-based SITE Institute that monitors terrorist messages, and provided the tape to The Associated Press.

In the video, bin Laden makes no overt threats and does not directly call for attacks. Instead, he addresses Americans, telling them the Iraq war has failed and urging them to turn away from capitalism and democracy and convert to Islam.

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