Never Fear, New bin Laden Tape on the Way

by Jarrett Martineau | May 15, 2008 at 11:43 pm | 117 views | add comment

Bin Laden Signs with Just For Men « TheScroogeReport

Isn't it interesting that bin Laden has made such effective use of new media as a communications and distribution channel for the militant Islamist cause?

International authorities must be receiving Facebook notifications that there's a new tape on the way, as they always seem to hear about a new one right before it's release, while remaining incapable of determining its origin, let alone bin Laden's whereabouts.

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden will address the 60th anniversary of Israel's founding in a Web message expected to underscore a growing focus on the Jewish state, U.S.-based Internet monitors said on Thursday.

Militant Islamist message boards on the Internet carried a banner announcing the statement with Israel's anniversary as the topic, said the monitoring service of the U.S. author and analyst who goes by the name Laura Mansfield.

The speech is addressed to "Western peoples" and entitled "The Causes of Conflict on the 60th Anniversary of the State of Israeli Occupation," the SITE Institute monitoring group said. The monitor IntelCenter said an audio-video statement was expected to be released within 72 hours.

"Bin Laden seems to be shifting gears," over the last decade, Mansfield said. "In his initial messages, bin Laden's focus was on the removal of U.S. forces from (Saudi Arabia) but in recent years he has most closely wedded himself to the Palestinian issue."