Timeline of al-Qaida statements

--Oct. 18, 2003  [Contemporaneous]

Al Jazeera broadcasts two audiotapes said to be made by bin Laden, vowing more suicide attacks inside and outside the United States and demanding that the United States withdraw from Iraq.  "We, God willing, will continue to fight you and will continue martyrdom operations inside and outside the United States until you abandon your oppression and foolish acts," said bin Laden, referring to suicide attacks.

--Oct. 18, 2003  [Contemporaneous]

Al-Qaida releases a new videotape message related to the May 2003 attack in Riyadh.  On the 45-minute tape, made available on several websites friendly to the group, is an audio recording of the attack on U.S. and British housing in the Saudi capital.  Also on the tape: What appears to be new images of Bin Laden...and 4 terrorists killed in the bombing...two speaking English for the first time on tape. One of them, Hazem Al-Kashmiri, claims to be the son of a former major general in Saudi intelligence. He says, "We promise that we will not let you live safely and will not see anything else from us: just bombs, fires, destroying homes, cutting your heads. A second terrorist, Mohammed Al Moqeet, adds, "Stop killing Muslims or we will kill you as you are killing Muslims.”

--Jan. 4, 2004   [Contemporaneous]

Al Jazeera broadcasts an audiotape in which bin Laden blasts the "occupation of the crusaders" in Iraq, which he claims is part of a conspiracy to occupy the entire Gulf region. It also makes reference to the arrest of Saddam Hussein the previous month in Iraq.

--April 15, 2004  [Contemporaneous]

Al Jazeera and Al-Arabiya broadcast an alleged audiotape from bin Laden in which he offers a "truce" to European nations as long as they withdraw troops from Islamic countries and stop attacking Muslims. The tape blasts the United States and Israel, vowing revenge for Israel's assassination of Hamas leader, Sheik Ahmed Yassin. Bin Laden makes specific reference to the 9/11 attacks and the March 11, 2004 bombings in Madrid, saying what happened "was your goods delivered back to you.”

--May 7, 2004  [Contemporaneous]
In a recorded message attributed to Bin Laden, 10kg (22lb) of gold is offered to anyone killing the U.S. administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, or the U.N. secretary general, Kofi Annan. A smaller amount is offered for the slayings of American and British soldiers.  The 20-minute message appears on two Islamic websites and has yet to be authenticated

--May 31, 2004  [Contemporaneous]
Abdulaziz Issa Abdul-Mohsin al-Moqrin, who identifies himself as al-Qaida’s chief in the Saudi region, claims responsibility for a deadly attack in the kingdom’s oil hub on a tape posted on the Internet. The unauthenticated tape was posted on a site known for militant Muslim comment along with a written statement about the attack that was characterized by contempt for non-Muslims.

--Sept. 9, 2004  [Contemporaneous]
In a videotape, Ayman al-Zawahiri says that fighters in Iraq have "turned America's plan upside down" and says that the the mujahadeen in Iraq and Afghanistan will defeat the United States.

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Plots and attacks

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