Many of the Osama bin Laden tapes have been released directly (by mail or messenger) to Arabic language satellite television networks like Al Jazeera or Al Araabiya:
October 29, 2004
Main article: 2004 bin Laden video
On 29 October 2004, Arab television network Al Jazeera broadcast a video tape, 18 minutes in length, of what appears to be Osama bin Laden, addressing citizens of the United States. According to the English translation distributed by the media, he seems to suggest that the September 11, 2001 attacks were his idea and that he agreed with Mohammed Atta on how to carry them out. The release of the tape was reportedly timed to come just four days before the 2004 U.S. presidential election.
January 19, 2006
Main article: 19 January 2006 Osama bin Laden tape
On 19 January 2006, Al Jazeera broadcast an audiotape of Osama bin Laden again addressing citizens of the United States [5].
April 23, 2006
On 23 April 2006, Al Jazeera broadcast parts of an audiotape. On this tape bin Laden accuses the Western world of waging a Zionist crusade against Islam [6]. He comments on Hamas, Darfur and the situation in Iraq:
"Purported bin Laden tape denounces West's response to Hamas
Message calls for supporters to fight peacekeepers in Sudan
(CNN) -- A newly broadcast audiotape believed to be from Osama bin Laden slams the West for cutting off funds to the Palestinian Hamas-led government and calls on al Qaeda followers to fight a proposed international force in Sudan.
In the tape, aired Sunday in part on Arabic-language TV network Al-Jazeera, the speaker repeatedly blasts a "crusader-Zionist war" against Islam, citing other activities in Chechnya and Somalia.
Al-Jazeera, which is based in Qatar, said the new tape is from bin Laden. And White House spokesman Scott McClellan said U.S. officials believe it is bin Laden's voice. (Watch new anger at U.S. citizens from the taped speaker -- 2:50)
"The intelligence community has informed the president that they believe this is authentic," he said.
"The al Qaeda leadership is on the run and under a lot of pressure," he said. "We are advancing, they are on the run, and we won't let up. We will prevail and it's important to use all tools at our disposal." (CNN analyst Peter Bergen: Bin Laden wants to show he's still influential -- 5:21)
On the tape, bin Laden says "the opposition to the Hamas government is proof of the crusade against Muslims."
Bin Laden and other al Qaeda figures use the term "crusaders" to refer to Christians.
He also says on the new tape that any such war "is the joint responsibility of the people and the government."
Responding to the tape, Hamas spokesman Sam Abu Zuhri said Hamas has "a different ideology" than that of al Qaeda.
The remarks about the halting of funds suggest the tape is relatively recent. The United States and some other Western nations have officially stopped contributions to the Palestinian government since Hamas assumed power March 30. Humanitarian aid isinstead donated through nongovernmental organizations.
The militant wing of Hamas has carried out numerous terrorist attacks in recent years, killing many civilians. Israel and the U.S. State Department consider Hamas a terrorist organization, though it also operates an extensive social services network in the territories.
The United States and European Union have called on the Hamas-led government to end terrorist attacks and recognize Israel's right to exist.
Tape calls for Sudan war
On the tape, bin Laden slammed U.S. and British efforts and their past actions in Sudan, where bin Laden lived in the mid-1990s before being expelled by the Sudanese government.
"I call on the mujahedeen [Islamic fighters] and their supporters, especially in Sudan and the Arabian peninsula, to prepare for a long war against the crusaders and plunderers in western Sudan. Our goal is not defending the Khartoum government but [to] defend Islam, its land and its people," the speaker said.
A civil war has destroyed much of western Sudan and left hundreds of thousands dead. Arab militias have carried out torture, widespread killings and rapes, particularly in the nation's Darfur region.
The United States and many human rights groups have declared a "genocide" in the region, although the United Nations stopped short of that term. Sudan denies a genocide and widespread accusations that the militias have government backing.
A U.N. peacekeeping force is set to take over efforts from the African Union in September.
Al-Jazeera reported that on the tape, bin Laden also refers to the controversy over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, saying, "I am urging Muslims to boycott the products of Western countries, including the United States, which backed Denmark" after the cartoons were published by a Danish newspaper.
This section of the tape was not played on Al-Jazeera, however.
No recent appearances on video
Unlike recent messages, the tape attributed to bin Laden says he holds American and Western citizens -- not just their governments -- responsible for conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Any war is the joint responsibility of the people and the government," the tape says.
The most recent previous audiotape attributed to bin Laden was heard in January. In it, the speaker says plans for terror attacks are under way -- and also offers a "long-term truce."
"The war against America and its allies will not be confined to Iraq," the voice on the January tape says, adding that "Iraq has become a magnet for attracting and training talented fighters." (Full story)
"It's only a matter of time," the voice says, referring to attacks. "They are in the planning stages, and you will see them in the heart of your land as soon as the planning is complete."
The last videotaped message from bin Laden was seen just before the U.S. presidential election in 2004. That was his first known videotaped message in three years.
Analysts have speculated on the reasons that only audiotapes have been released since then. Bin Laden has been rumored to have faced health troubles or to have been wounded in an attack, although nothing conclusive has been found.
He is believed to be hiding somewhere in the mountainous region of the Pakistani-Afghan border. The United States has posted a $25 million reward for his capture.
Several Democratic U.S. lawmakers on Sunday pointed to the tape as a sign that the Bush administration has wasted efforts in Iraq instead of adequately cracking down on al Qaeda. (Full story)
CNN's Caroline Faraj, Octavia Nasr, Nic Robertson and Henry Schuster contributed to this report.
Find this article at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/04/23/binladen.tape/index.html"
May 23rd, 2006
On May 23rd 2006 Al Jazeera broadcasted a 5 minute audiotape from bin Laden. On this tape bin Laden commented on the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay and the imprisoned journalists Sami al-Hajj and Tayssir Alouni. He denied that any of these (apart from a few Guantanamo Bay prisoners) were connected with Al-Qaeda. [8]
"Alleged bin Laden tape: Moussaoui not part of 9/11
Voice on tape says two Guantanamo detainees knew of plot
(CNN) -- A Web site message purportedly from Osama bin Laden says admitted al Qaeda follower Zacarias Moussaoui had nothing to do with the attacks of September 11, 2001.
"I am certain of what I say, because I was responsible for entrusting the 19 brothers -- Allah have mercy upon them -- with those raids, and I did not assign brother Zacarias to be with them on that mission," the taped statement says.
"And his confession that he was assigned to participate in those raids is a false confession, which no intelligent person doubts is a result of the pressure put upon him for the past four and a half years."
If the tape is confirmed as authentic, it would be the first time that bin Laden has claimed to have personally assigned the jobs for 9/11. (Watch what's on the tape about 9/11 terrorists -- 2:13)
The audio message, addressed to the American people in Arabic with English subtitles, was posted on a Web site that typically carries such messages.
Earlier this month, a federal jury sentenced Moussaoui to life in prison without parole for his connection to the attacks. Although he was not charged with direct involvement in the plot, prosecutors had sought the death penalty.
Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent, pleaded guilty more than a year ago to six counts of terrorism conspiracy related to the attacks.
He was caught two weeks before September 11 when he aroused the suspicions of a flight instructor in Minnesota from whom he was taking flying lessons.
Although he had previously said he had no knowledge of the attacks, Moussaoui testified during his sentencing trial that he was to have piloted a fifth plane.
He said Richard Reid, who tried to blow up an airplane in December 2001 with explosives hidden in his shoes, would have been part of his crew.
Prosecutors at the trial agreed to a defense stipulation that al Qaeda leaders never assigned Moussaoui and Reid to work together on any terrorist operation.
"If Moussaoui was studying aviation to become a pilot of one of the planes, then let him tell us the names of those assigned to help him control the plane," the purported bin Laden tape says.
"But he won't be able to tell us their names for a simple reason: that in fact they don't exist."
CNN is unable to independently verify that the voice on the tape is bin Laden's; a U.S. intelligence official told CNN the recording is being checked to verify its authenticity. (Watch how analysts gather clues from images and audio -- 5:02)
A U.S. counterterrorism official told CNN that "there is no reason to doubt that it is him." The official characterized the tape as "a propaganda tape" and "an effort to be relevant, to show he's knowledgeable about recent events."
The tape also mentions prisoners held at the U.S. Navy detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying "all the prisoners to date have no connection with the events of September 11 and knew nothing about them, with the exception of two of the brothers, may Allah free them all."
The tape does not name the two "brothers" who supposedly knew about the attacks.
The tape further says that the Bush administration is aware that none of the Guantanamo prisoners have any connection to the attacks, "but they avoid mentioning it" to justify the Defense Department's budget.
About 500 detainees from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are being held at the facility.
Unlike two previous tapes from bin Laden, this one does not threaten any new attacks. Instead, it offers a way "to safety and security."
"My mentioning of these facts isn't out of hope that Bush and his party will treat our brothers fairly in their cases, because that is something no rational person expects," it says.
"But rather it is meant to expose the oppression, injustice and arbitrariness of your administration in using force and the reactions that result from that."
"This is from one perspective, and from another perspective, perhaps there will one day come from the Americans someone who desires justice and fairness, and that is the path to security and safety, if you are interested in it," the tape says.
Last month, the complete version of what had been bin Laden's most recent audio message appeared on Islamist Web sites, four days after excerpts were broadcast on the Arabic-language TV channel Al-Jazeera.
In that message, al Qaeda's leader focused much of his almost 52-minute message on what he continually referred to as "a Zionist-crusader war on Islam," which he said was shown most explicitly by cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that were published by a Danish newspaper in late 2005 and later reprinted around the world.
In that message, bin Laden also attacked the Western public for its support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, blasted Western governments for cutting off aid to Hamas and called for jihad in the Sudanese region of Darfur.
CNN's David Ensor contributed to this report." http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/05/23/binladen.tape/index.html
June 30, 2006
On June 30, 2006, an Islamist website posted a recording in which bin Laden praised Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as a "lion of holy war". The nineteen-minute video shows a still picture of Bin Laden next to video celebrating al-Zarqawi. US officials said the tape was authentic. [9]
"New Bin Laden message is released
A new recording from al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has been posted on an Islamist website.
He praised Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq killed three weeks ago, as a "lion of holy war".
The video, lasting 19 minutes, shows a still picture of Bin Laden, and moving pictures of al-Zarqawi.
Unnamed US officials said the recording was authentic. It is the fourth audio message Bin Laden has released since the start of this year.
However, no new video images of the al-Qaeda leader have appeared since October 2004.
Last week a video was broadcast purportedly showing the deputy leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahri, in which he paid tribute to Zarqawi and said his death would be avenged.
Universal fight
In the latest recording, Bin Laden addresses US President George W Bush, warning him not to be "too happy" about Zarqawi's death, "for the banner [of al-Qaeda in Iraq] hasn't dropped but has passed from one lion of Islam to another lion".
Bin Laden says al-Qaeda will go on with operations against the US and its allies.
"We will continue, God willing, to fight you and your allies everywhere," he said, "in Iraq and Afghanistan and in Somalia and Sudan until we waste all your money and kill your men."
In an apparent reference to a campaign against Iraq's Shias by Zarqawi, Bin Laden addressed "those who accuse Abu Musab of killing certain sectors of the Iraqi people".
"Abu Musab had clear instructions to focus his fight on the occupiers," he went on, "particularly the Americans and to leave aside anyone who remains neutral."
He called on President Bush to return Zarqawi's body to his family, and used rhyming couplets to eulogise the dead al-Qaeda leader." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/middle_east/5131818.stm
September 7, 2006
On September 7th, 2006 another tape was released to al-Jazeera. [7] This video was released four days prior to the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. It was also suggested by Michael P. Jackson, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, that this video could have possibly been a signal to Al-Qaeda supporters in the United States to initiate a terrorist attack on the fifth anniversary of 9/11. However no such attacks came to pass.
"Bin Laden '9/11 video' broadcast
Al-Jazeera did not say how it obtained the tape
Arabic TV channel Al-Jazeera has broadcast what it says is unseen footage of Osama Bin Laden meeting some of the 9/11 hijackers.
The channel said it showed al-Qaeda leaders "preparing for the attacks and practising their execution".
Bin Laden is seen walking outdoors in a mountainous area wearing a dark robe and white head gear.
The broadcast came four days before the fifth anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks.
'Suicide' videos
The footage also shows the al-Qaeda leader meeting senior figures Ramzi Binalshibh and Mohammed Atef in what al-Jazeera said were the mountains of Afghanistan.
Binalshibh was captured in 2002 and Atef was killed by a US air strike in Afghanistan in late 2001.
The BBC's Adam Brookes in Washington says it appears to be a meeting held just a few days before the 9/11 attacks took place.
He says that although there will be little current intelligence to be gleaned from the videotape, the images and their ghostly quality serve as reminders of the intricacy and potency of the 9/11 plot.
Al-Jazeera also showed a tape said to be of the new al-Qaeda leader in Iraq urging Iraqis to join with insurgents.
The speaker on the tape, identified as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, says he is confident victory will be achieved.
Muhajir is said to have taken over al-Qaeda in Iraq after the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in June.
Muhajir tells US forces not to be "proud of the number and the equipment", adding: "The war has just begun."
Al-Jazeera also showed "suicide" videos by Wael al-Shihri and Hamza al-Ghamdi, two of the hijackers who crashed planes into the World Trade Center.
The station did not say how it obtained the videos.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/5325590.stm
Published: 2006/09/07 22:15:55 GMT
© BBC MMVII"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videos_of_Osama_bin_Laden
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