Bin Laden threatens more strikes

Osama bin Laden in a newly released video just four days before the U.S. presidential election attacked President Bush and threatened more September 11-style attacks if U.S. policy does not change.

At times seeming to taunt Mr. Bush, the al Qaeda mastermind addressed American voters directly, saying, “Despite entering the fourth year after September 11, Bush is still deceiving you and hiding the truth from you, and therefore the reasons are still there to repeat what happened.

“Just as you waste our security, we will waste your security,” said bin Laden, speaking in Arabic in the 18-minute video given to the Qatar-based Al Jazeera network. Only a portion of the tape was made public last night.

President Bush, who was notified about the tape yesterday morning in telephone call from National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice while aboard Air Force One, did not comment on it until 6 p.m. during a campaign stop in Toledo, Ohio.

“Earlier today I was informed of the tape that is now being analyzed by America’s intelligence community,” the president said on the Toledo Airport tarmac. “Let me make this very clear: Americans will not be intimidated or influenced by an enemy of our country. I’m sure Senator Kerry agrees with this.

“I also want to say to the American people that we’re at war with these terrorists and I am confident that we will prevail.”

Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry also said the country was united in rejecting any deal with terrorists such as bin Laden.

“Let me make it crystal clear, as Americans we are absolutely united in our determination to hunt down and destroy Osama bin Laden and the terrorists,” Mr. Kerry said.

But Mr. Kerry also used the video to criticize what he said was the administration’s failure to capture the al Qaeda leader despite having cornered him during the Afghan war, a charge he has repeatedly raised on the campaign trail.

U.S. officials said last night they were not raising the nation’s terrorist-threat levels in response to the video, because bin Laden had made no specific threats. Officials said they believe the tape, the first showing bin Laden in more than a year, is authentic and they are trying to determine whether its release now may be a signal of an impending attack.

“There is no change in [the alert level] at this time but it’s something we analyze all the time,” said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.”We are on a heightened state of awareness already.”

Washington, New York City and northern New Jersey are already on orange alert, the second-highest level. The rest of the country is on a lower-level alert.

Although the message clearly appeared timed to affect Tuesday’s general election, bin Laden did not explicitly state a position on the candidates. While criticizing Mr. Bush’s Middle East policies, his remarks appeared geared to explaining to Americans why September 11 happened and how to head off future attacks.

“Oh American people, my talk to you is about the best way to avoid another Manhattan,” he said.

“Your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush or al Qaeda,” he added later in the video. “Your security is in your own hands. Each state which does not harm our security has naturally guaranteed its own security.”

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