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The CIA confirmed March 20 that an audio message attributed to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden posted on the Internet on March 19 is authentic. A U.S. intelligence official could not, however, confirm when the message was recorded. In the unusually short message addressed to Europeans, the chief of the global jihadist network attacks the West for publishing drawings of the Prophet Mohammed deemed offensive to Muslims.
Bin Laden makes a number of key points, including accusing Pope Benedict XVI of playing a key role in instigating a new crusade against Muslims in the form of the insulting drawings of Mohammed. The al Qaeda leader says that by insulting the prophet, the West has abandoned all morals and etiquette of conflict, describing it as worse than killing Muslim civilians.
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