Zawahiri Claims London Blasts in Al-Qaida's Name, Threatens More Attacks in "Enemy Territory"
By Evan Kohlmann
Qatar's Al-Jazeera television network has aired footage today of a videotape purportedly from Al-Qaida's Al-Sahab Media Wing in which London 7/7 suicide bomber Mohammed Sadiq Khan explains his reasons for the July attacks on the British capital. Usama Bin Laden's second-in-command--Egyptian Dr. Ayman al-Zawahri--also appeared on the video, promising similar attacks in the future. According to Al-Jazeera, the late Mr. Khan explained, "Your [Western] democratically elected governments continue to perpetuate atrocities against my people all over the world. Your support for them makes you directly responsible... until we feel security, you will be our targets. Until you stop the bombing, gassing, imprisonment and torture of my people, we will not stop." During his portion of the tape, Ayman al-Zawahri described the 7/7 attacks as "9/11" for the United Kingdom and promised more such operations in "enemy territory" in the near future, particularly Europe--because European leaders ignored a supposed offer of truce from Usama Bin Laden issued last year after the 3/11 bombings in Madrid.