Osama bin Laden Message Surfaces in Wake of 9/11 Anniversary
Message blames U.S. support of Israel for Sept. 11 attacks.
Sept. 13, 2009— -- In a new audio message released on the internet two days after the anniversary of 9/11, Osama bin Ladin quoting Shakespeare's Julius Ceasar, asks the U.S. public to "lend me your ears" to hear his justification for the attacks.
The tape contains no specific threats to the U.S., and the al Qaeda leader says his message is to counter the White House argument that the war on terror is being waged to protect U.S. security. Bin Laden says U.S. support for Israel and "other oppressive stances" "pushed us to the events of 9/11," citing both President Obama's June 4th Cairo speech and Former President Jimmy Carter.
Bin Laden also tries to link President Obama to the Bush Administration, saying "the sour reality is that the new administration is still covering you in the shroud of darkness." Bin Laden criticizes Obama for using "the same heads of defense from Cheney and Bush," specifically naming Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and General David Petraeus.
Bin Laden makes another but more obscure literary reference to an unnamed retired CIA agent who he says is best able to explain the reasons for the 9/11 attacks. According to bin Ladin, among the agent's works is a book title "Confessions of a Killer for Hire."
The 11 minute audio message was released in a video from al Qaeda's as-Sahab's propraganda arm. The title, "Message to the American People" is superimposed over an artist's rendition of the New York City skyline with the World Trade Center towers still standing.
The last message from Osama bin Ladin was an audio message directed to the people of Pakistan, released in June 2009. The last "new " video seen of him was in September 2007 when OBL appeared in another as Sahab video release in a badly-dyed beard.
U.S. authorities are studying the just-released tape, but two independent experts who analyze al Qaeda video tapes tell ABC News that, based on comparison with past as Sahab-released messages, they believe the tape is authentic.