Al Jazeera has broadcast a tape that reportedly features one of Osama bin Laden's senior advisors, who encourages Muslims to carry out more attacks against Westerners. The satellite channel, based in Qatar, states that the speaker on the tape is Ayman al-Zawahiri, a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda. In the tape, he advises Muslims to follow the example of the hijackers from the September 11 attacks and to target the embassies of four countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Norway. The U.S. government announced just hours after the tape was aired that it would close its embassy in Norway for security reasons. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell criticized Al Jazeera for airing the tape, stating that it increases tensions in the region. Additionally, Saudi security officials reported that on Monday, they arrested three al-Qaeda members who intended to hijack a passenger plane to attack important buildings in Saudi Arabia. The U.S. and the U.K. are among four countries that temporarily closed their embassies in Saudi Arabia due to concerns about potential terrorist attacks. Both Washington and London stated that they have credible information indicating that attacks against targets within Saudi Arabia are imminent.
Broadcast of a Tape by One of Osama bin Laden's Senior Advisors on Al Jazeera - 2003-05-21
Al Jazeera aired a tape of Ayman al-Zawahiri, a senior al-Qaeda member, urging Muslims to attack Western embassies. The U.S. responded by closing its embassy in Norway for security reasons. This incident raises concerns about increased terrorist threats in the region.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
Al Jazeera aired a tape featuring Ayman al-Zawahiri urging attacks on Western embassies. The U.S. closed its embassy in Norway as a precaution.
- Ayman al-Zawahiri called for attacks on embassies of the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Norway.
- The U.S. and U.K. closed embassies in Saudi Arabia due to credible threat information.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
Al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, was responsible for the 9/11 attacks, leading to global anti-terrorism campaigns.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 90%