12:00 pm
WASHINGTON - US officials today launched an international appeal for help in finding five men shown in video tapes recovered from a house used by members of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda group in Afghanistan.
Attorney General John Ashcroft said officials had disseminated copies of pictures and video excerpts of the five individuals to law enforcement and intelligence agencies around the world in hopes they would help to "identify, locate and incapacitate" those who might be planning additional attacks on the United States.
Washington has blamed members of al Qaeda for the September 11 attacks which killed more than 3,000 people in New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon in Washington and on an aircraft which crashed in Pennsylvania.
Ashcroft said the videos appeared to show "martyrdom messages" from would-be attackers.
The four-minutes of video excerpts - presented without sound - show three men speaking and gesturing to the camera. One man, identified as Khalid ibn Muhammad al-Juhani, was shown caressing and embracing his assault rifle then flashing a wide grin.
"Analysis of the audio portion of these tapes conducted thus far suggests, based on statements made on the tapes, that the men may be trained and prepared to commit future suicide terrorist acts," Ashcroft told a news conference.
The audio was muted out on the video distributed by the Justice Department. Ashcroft said US investigators needed to complete an analysis of the tape and a translation and had not yet determined whether they will release the sound.
"We...are asking for the public's assistance in further identifying and locating the individuals on the tapes so that additional investigation can be made," Ashcroft said.
"Investigators note that these men could be anywhere in the world," he added.
The video excerpts and still photographs released this morning (NZT) came from five tapes which were found in the rubble of the house of Muhammad Atef, a top al Qaeda official who the United States says was killed in November by American warplanes in Afghanistan.
In addition to the video, the Justice Department released photographs of five men - the three in the video, one unidentified man and Ramzi Binalshibh.
A US official said American authorities knew about several of the men, including Binalshibh, before the videotapes were found.
Binalshibh, a Yemeni national wanted by Germany in the September 11 attacks, has tried to enter the United States three times but was denied a visa each time.
Binalshibh was named as unindicted co-conspirator in the indictment of Zacarias Moussaoui - a French national charged with conspiring with Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network.
Moussaoui is awaiting trial in Alexandria, Virginia.
Binalshibh and the unidentified man were not shown on the videotape excerpts.
A man identified by the Justice Department as Muhammad Sa'id Ali Hasan, wearing a black and white headdress tied Taleban style, was shown looking down and apparently reading a statement.
Abd al-Rahim, bearded but not wearing any headdress, appeared in front of a white background while he spoke and gestured in front of the camera.
Al-Juhani was more graphic in the obviously edited excerpts, and was shown for nearly 60 seconds.
He embraced and cradled his rifle and put his lips to the gun before flashing a wide grin to the camera.
- REUTERS
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