拉登最新錄音曝光 稱對聖誕炸機事件負責
Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for the Christmas Day airline bombing attempt in Detroit, in an audio message released yesterday, and vowed further attacks on the US.
The message suggests that bin Laden wants to show he remains in direct command of Al-Qaida's many branches around the world.
In a short recording carried by the Al-Jazeera Arabic news channel, bin Laden addressed US President Barack Obama saying the attack was a message similar to that of Sept 11 and more attacks against the US would be forthcoming.
"America will never dream of security unless we will have it in reality in Palestine," he added. "God willing, our raids on you will continue as long as your support for the Israelis continues."
On Christmas Day, Nigerian national Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to blow up the Northwest Airlines flight he was sitting on as it approached Detroit Metro Airport. But the bomb he was hiding in his underwear failed to explode.
He told federal agents shortly afterward that he had been trained and instructed in the plot by Al-Qaida operatives in Yemen.
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula originally took credit for the attack, but by issuing this message, bin Laden seems to be indicating that he himself is ordering attacks, rather than just putting his seal of approval on events afterward.
Analysts had previously suggested that Al-Qaida's offshoots in North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and elsewhere were operated independently from bin Laden, who is believed to be somewhere in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.
There was no way to confirm the voice was actually that of bin Laden, but it resembled previous recordings attributed to him.
In the past year, bin Laden's messages have concentrated heavily on the plight of the Palestinians in attempt to rally support across the region.
Many analysts believe that bin Laden is worried about Obama's popularity across the Middle East with his promises to withdraw from Iraq and personal background, so the Al-Qaida leader is focusing on the close US-Israeli relationship.
The suffering of the Palestinians, especially in the blockaded Gaza Strip where 1,400 died during an Israeli offensive there last year, angered many in the Arab world.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, Andy David, dismissed the latest Al-Qaida message and its attempt to link Israel with attacks on the US.
"This is nothing new, he has said this before. Terrorists always look for absurd excuses for their despicable deeds," he said.
The last public message from bin Laden appears to have been on Sept 26, when he demanded that European countries pull their troops out of Afghanistan.
昨日，一段據稱是基地組織頭目奧薩馬•本•拉登的最新講話錄音曝光，拉登在其中聲稱自己對底特律聖誕炸機未遂事件負責，並威脅要對美國發動更多襲擊。
從這段錄音傳遞的信息可以看出，本•拉登試圖表明他仍是分佈在世界各地的基地組織衆多分支的直接領導者。
這段簡短的錄音由阿拉伯半島電視臺新聞頻道發佈。本·拉登在其中向美國總統貝拉克•奧巴馬宣稱，聖誕節炸機未遂事件旨在傳遞與“9·11”恐怖襲擊相同的信息，並稱基地組織還將對美國發動更多襲擊。
他還說：“除非巴勒斯坦地區真正實現和平，否則美國將永無寧日。只要美國繼續支持以色列，我們的襲擊就不會停止。”
去年聖誕節當天，一名名叫阿卜杜勒•穆塔拉布的尼日利亞男子搭乘美國西北航空公司的航班飛往底特律途中企圖炸機未遂。他在飛機即將飛抵底特律機場時試圖引爆藏在內褲中的炸彈，但未獲成功。
事件發生後不久，穆塔拉布告訴聯邦特工人員稱他一直接受也門基地組織恐怖分子的培訓，並受命執行此次炸機計劃。
最初，基地組織阿拉伯半島分支宣稱對炸機未遂事件負責。但本•拉登似乎希望通過發佈這段錄音表明是他親自指揮了這次襲擊行動，並非只是事後拍板。
分析人士此前指出，基地組織在北非、阿拉伯半島及其它地區的分支機構獨立運轉，不受拉登指揮。據稱拉登目前藏身於巴基斯坦和阿富汗的交界地區。
目前沒有辦法驗證這段錄音中的聲音是否爲拉登本人，但與之前的拉登錄音十分相似。
拉登過去一年通過錄音等渠道發佈的信息重點關注巴勒斯坦人民的處境，試圖在該地區尋求支持。
很多分析人士認爲，由於奧巴馬承諾從伊拉克撤軍及其個人背景等原因，使其在中東地區很受歡迎，這讓本•拉登十分擔憂，因此這位基地組織頭目特別強調了美國和以色列的緊密關係。
去年，以色列對被封鎖的加沙地帶發動大規模軍事打擊，導致1400名巴勒斯坦人喪生，此舉激怒了阿拉伯世界。
以色列外交部發言人安迪•大衛對拉登傳遞的信息，及其將以色列和襲擊美國聯繫在一起的意圖進行了批駁。
他說：“這是老調重彈。他以前就這樣說過。恐怖分子總是爲他們的可恥行徑尋找荒唐的藉口。”
本•拉登上次公開發布錄音是在去年9月26日，當時他要求歐洲國家從阿富汗撤軍。
Vocabulary:
God willing：如果情況允許的話
operative：a person engaged, employed, or skilled in some branch of work（技工，偵探）
take credit for：宣稱爲某事負責，稱某事爲自己所爲
put the seal of approval on：批准某事
offshoot：a branch, descendant, or member of a family or social group（分支）
