A new purported audio tape of al Qaeda’s chief was released on the Internet Wednesday. Set against a graphic of Osama bin Laden wielding a semiautomatic rifle, it features the distinctive as-Sahab logo, the media imprint that has come to be associated with messages from al Qaeda high command.

Appearing on the Web on the fifth anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, the tape addressed “the intelligent ones in the European Union” and warned Europe that it faces a "reckoning" for the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed published in Danish newspapers.

First published by the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten in Sept. 2005, the illustrations sparked a furor in many Muslim communities across the world.

“There’s no reason to believe it’s not bin Laden”

The message was discovered Wednesday by a US-based counter terror expert who goes by the name of Laura Mansfield for security purposes.

Speaking to FRANCE 24, Mansfield said she first noticed a banner announcing the upcoming message on al-Ekhlaas, a well-known, password protected jihadist Web site. “The banner announced that the message would be posted shortly,” said Mansfield, “and it (the tape) was released probably an hour after the message appeared.”

There has been no authentification of the audio recording by US or other Western intelligence agencies yet. But while stressing that there was there was “no way of getting 100 percent certainty” on the authenticity of the tape, Mansfield noted that “the bottom-line is that it sounds like bin Laden, it was released on channels that Osama bin Laden is known to use, there’s no reason to believe it’s not bin Laden.”  

 

Message features English subtitles

The latest bin Laden tape, which appeared in an mp3 format as well as an rmvd format file, significantly included subtitles in English.

“Al Qaeda uses English subtitles for significant messages,” said Mansfield. “The terror network is extremely savvy about the audience they’re trying to reach.”

While the tape does not have live video of bin Laden, a copy of the tape, which was provided by Laura Mansfield, featured sophisticated graphics, including shots of clashing, blood-drenched swords. 

Addressing his “audience” in Europe, the English subtitle reads: “This talk of mine is to you and concerns the insulting drawings,” before adding, “and your negligence in spite of the opportunity presented to take the necessary measures to prevent their being repeated.”   

While the Prophet Mohammed cartoons were first published in Sept. 2005, it was only after other papers reprinted them in 2006 that a worldwide furor was sparked. The cartoons were published again by Danish papers on Feb. 13.

The al Qaeda leader also implicated Pope Benedict in the “crusade” against Islam. "Your publications of these drawings -- part of a new crusade in which the Pope of the Vatican had a significant role -- is a confirmation from you that the war continues," he said.

Bin Laden has been known to release message on significant dates, especially anniversaries of major terror attacks. Last year, a number of messages were released shortly after the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.