Osama bin Laden's top deputy was shown claiming the September 11th terror attacks on the US as a "great victory" in a brief video excerpt aired today by a Gulf satellite station.
Al-Jazeera showed a series of clips from what appeared to be new video-tapes from bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. In one, bin Laden and his top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, kneeled side-by-side. Only al-Zawahri was shown speaking.
Al-Jazeera said it would air the complete tapes on Thursday. An official the tape was received a few days ago at its headquarters in Doha, Qatar.
It was not immediately clear when the tapes were made or how the station, known for airing bin Laden statements, received them.
In addition to the tape showing al-Zawahri with bin Laden, al-Jazeera showed a man identified as one of the September 11th hijackers speaking to the camera in a style similar to the videotapes in which Palestinian suicide bombers deliver last testaments.
An Al-Jazeera subtitle identified the man only as Alghamdi. The FBI has said both a Hamza Alghamdi and a Ahmed Alghamdi were among the 19 hijackers.
"Those 19 brothers who went out and worked and sacrificed their lives for God, God granted this victory that we enjoy today," Zawahri said in the other tape.
"The great victory that was achieved was because of God's help and not because of our efficiency or cunning," Zawahri said.
The man identified as the suicide bomber said: "It's time to kill Americans in their heartland."
He wore military fatigues over a black shirt and a black-and-white checked kaffeyeh wrapped around his head. He sat before what appeared to be a photo montage showing the World Trade Centre in flames. Al-Jazeera said that recording was made months before the attack, but did not explain how it reached that conclusion.
Al-Jazeera is a 24 hour station owned by Qatar's government but known for a fairly independent editorial line. It reaches more than 35 million Arabs, including 150,000 in the United States.
The Arab satellite station repeatedly has broadcast exclusive footage of bin Laden making statements. Al-Jazeera also aired a video, released by the United States, showing the al-Qaida leader appearing to discuss the planning of the September 11 attacks.
AP