‘Osama to Obama’ Tape Carries Al-Qaeda Threats

An audio tape claiming to be from “Osama to Obama” was aired on the Arabic television network Al Jazeera on Jan. 24.

The speaker claiming to be al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden says that attacks will continue against the United States as long as the U.S. supports Israel.

The origins and legitimacy of the recording have yet to be verified.

The speaker begins the tape by calling Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, the Nigerian man who attempted to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner, a “hero.” The speaker then praises the men who killed 2,974 people in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Bin Laden appeared in a video on Sept. 7, 2007, to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Several audio tapes have been released since then. The last video was released on Nov. 6, 2009, which included scenes from another video that was released previously.

Shortly after the attempted bombing on Christmas Day, al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack. The recent recording reiterates this claim, saying it was “a confirmation” of the group’s “message” in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Prior to the release of the recording, the U.S. has been on high alert for terrorist activity. On Jan. 20 President Barack Obama released a notice that the National Emergencies Act will continue for another year, due to “foreign terrorists who threaten to disrupt the Middle East peace process.”

The notice says that due to the current threats of terrorists on the United States, “the national emergency declared on Jan. 23, 1995, and the measures adopted on that date and on Aug. 20, 1998, to deal with that emergency must continue in effect beyond Jan. 23, 2010.”