Well that took a little longer than I had expected (maybe he was waiting for a smaller attack in Italy or Denmark), but al-Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has a new videotape out in which he came about as close as you're going to get to a member of the al-Qaeda leadership taking credit for one of their terrorist attacks, in the case the bombings in London.
First you have to get through the Doctor Doom-esque supervillain motif, and the fact that al-Zawahiri seems to have aged about 10 years if you look back at the videos of the man 2001. But then, enhanced aging is a well-known side effect of using the dark side of the Force. I noticed that it's pretty much a standard rephrasing of previous al-Qaeda messages, and appears to be addressed more to the Western rather than Arab public. Which may explain why George Galloway sounds more like a jihadi than al-Zawahiri does in excerpts aired today on al-Jazeera.
A few other observations:
- He mentions the UK attacks but not those in his native Egypt, though those may have been in other parts of the tape. I have very little doubt that al-Qaeda carried out the attack, but that omission could be significant.
- He's at least aware of the US political debate concerning the withdrawl of US troops from Iraq as well as the increasing number of comparisons being made between Iraq in Vietnam. While I think it's no surprise that he comes down decidedly on the side of those favoring withdrawl, the fact that he's able to make these little quips indicates he's still monitoring US domestic politics and continues to have access to international media outlets. I would also submit to the idea that he's been reduced to being a figurehead that if he's still able to send an untraceable tape to al-Jazeera that he is still capable of ordering terrorist attacks.
- The comparisons between Afghanistan and Vietnam might seem strange to Western viewers, but most Islamist propaganda outlets have long claimed that US troops are being killed in droves in Afghanistan and al-Zawahiri has in previous video appearances claimed that Western media is ignoring the al-Qaeda gains there.
Maybe the Egypt attack (23/7) had not yet happened when this video was made and sent off on donkey back or whatever...
The weapon in the video appears to be an AK-74 with a Spetsnaz-style grenade launcher attached. A most excellent thing for al-Zawahiri to blow his pigeon-toed foot off with, may Allah be Willing.
Doesn't Bin Laden ocassionally have visual cues in his videos that precede certain attacks? I seem to recall something about a Yemeni dagger he wore in a video preceding the USS Cole bombing. Can't remember any more specific instances, but recall it being mentioned after 9/11. Any chance the weapon in the Zawahiri video has any significance? If so, any guesses as to what?
Any chance the weapon in the Zawahiri video has any significance?
It's not your standard Middle Eastern AK-47, suitable for weddings, funerals and baby showers. It's the sort of weapon commonly used in Chechnya.
The AK-74 is chambered for a different round (5.45 mm) than the standard AK, so it is not much used by former Soviet clients. I doubt if this kind of weapon is seen very often in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The AK 74 was prized by Mujahadein because they were only issued Russian units during the 1st Modern Afghan War. If you had one it meant that you killed a Russian for it.
I had a little fun with this one, based on the al-Jazeera article. I did some global search-and-replace and came up with Göbbels Warns Britons Against Churchill’s Policy — Wire Recording.