DUBAI - An audio recording purportedly by Osama bin Laden, in which he mentions a December 6 attack in Saudi Arabia, was posted on the Internet on Thursday.
The recording, in which bin Laden blesses a group of Saudi militants who stormed the US consulate in Jeddah, suggests the al Qaeda leader was still alive.
The tape was not dated and its authenticity could not be verified.
"We ask God to be merciful with the mujahideen who stormed the US consulate in Jeddah," said the voice on the tape, which sounded similar to previous bin Laden recordings.
He was referring to the brazen daylight attack -- the first against a Western mission in Saudi Arabia -- which was claimed by the Saudi wing of al Qaeda and in which four militants were killed. A fifth militant was arrested.
In October, Al Jazeera television aired the first video tape from bin Laden in more than a year in which he derided US President George W. Bush and warned of possible new September 11-style attacks.
The full text of that tape was posted on the Internet in November.
- REUTERS
Bin Laden audio tape released
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