Alleged bin Laden tape calls for new violence

Osama bin Laden

Al-Jazeera, a television news service based in Qatar, broadcast an audiotape Tuesday that supposedly contains the voice of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. The tape calls for new attacks against Americans, and it encourages Muslims to rise up against a possible U.S.-led war in Iraq.

In the 16-minute audiotape broadcast, the voice warned Arab countries against helping the U.S. in any military action against Iraq. It said that if Arab states supported the U.S. in any way by helping Americans "to kill the Muslims in Iraq," the countries would be operating outside the beliefs of what the voice called "this Islamic nation."

The message also called for Iraqis to fight against the U.S., but it did not voice support for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Instead, it called Saddam's political party members "infidels." However, the voice purported to be bin Laden's did say that it is "okay" for Saddam's socialist party to fight alongside Muslims in resisting a U.S.-led attack. "This is an attack against [the Iraqis], and they should go for jihad against this crusade," it said.

The voice called its enemies "crusaders" and accused them of trying to invade Iraqi land and take wealth from Muslims. The term "crusaders" has been used before by Osama bin Laden. It is likely a reference to the Crusades which took place between the 11th and 14th centuries, during which European Christians declared wars on parts of the Middle East. Their objective at that time was to recapture the Holy Land from Muslims.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told members of Congress that he had reviewed a transcript of the tape. He charged that the tape showed a "partnership" between bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist network and the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. And he said that the connection "between terrorists and states that are developing weapons of mass destruction can no longer be looked away from and ignored." Last week, Powell said that Iraq has provided members of al Qaeda with a place to stay and training.

A State Department spokesman said that even though Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein may be separated by different ideologies - schools of thought regarding religious or world issues - they do have in common their hatred of Americans.

U.S. officials have not yet confirmed that the tape is from bin Laden. They will first technically analyze it to determine if the voice is indeed his. Two journalists who are familiar with bin Laden's voice and manner of speaking say the voice does sound like that of al Qaeda's leader.