FILE - This is an undated photo of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden issued a new audio message claiming responsibility for the Christmas day bombing attempt in Detroit and vowed further attacks. (
Cairo – In a new audio message released this morning, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010, Osama bin Laden is claiming he was responsible for the attempted bombing on an airliner over Detroit on Christmas day.
The audio message from bin Laden also threatened more attacks on the United States. The minute-long recording which was released to an al-Jazeera Arabic news channel also addressed President Barack Obama. Bin Laden said the recent attempt was meant to send a message similar to that of the Sept. 11 attacks.
"The message delivered to you through the plane of the heroic warrior Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was a confirmation of the previous messages sent by the heroes of the Sept. 11," Bin Laden said. "America will never dream of security unless we will have it in reality in Palestine. God willing, our raids on you will continue as long as your support for the Israelis continues."
The Associated Press reported that the United States said it could not immediately authenticate the message. But White House adviser David Axelrod told CNN's "State of the Union" that whatever the source, the message "contains the same hollow justification for the mass slaughter of innocents."
Rohan Gunaratna, author of "Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror” believes the message is an attempt by bin Laden to stay relevant.
"The training and the definition of the attack was by the local leaders of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, so in many ways you can say bin Laden is exploiting for his benefit this particular attack," Gunaratna said. "Bin Laden still wants to claim leadership for the global jihad movement."
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