Al Qaeda leaders call for new attacks
(Read article summary)Messages from Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri step up the network's rhetoric on Gaza and the European media.
Al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri encouraged Muslims to attack Jewish and American targets in response to Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, in a new audiotape released Monday.
Mr. Zawahiri's statement followed a message from Osama bin Laden, who called for holy war to liberate the Palestinian territories, the Associated Press reports.
Together, the two messages appeared to be a more direct push by the terror network's leadership to use widespread anger over the Gaza violence to whip up support.
Zawahiri is listed on the Federal Bureau of Investigation website as one of its most wanted terrorists, and the Associated Press reports that the two messages have raised concerns Al Qaeda could be planning new attacks in the West.
The increased focus on the Palestinian issue also reflects the terror network's desire to show it is up to date on the latest events in the region, even as al Zawahri, bin Laden, and other leaders are believed to remain in hiding in the Afghan-Pakistan border region.
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