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HISTORY OF THREATS Osama bin Laden couples secrecy about his life and location with warnings about his actions. Here are some of the warnings:
1988:
He issues a religious decree, saying that attacks on Americans were
legitimate to stop the United States from “occupying the lands
of Islam in the holiest of places.” 1996:
Mr. bin Laden, angered that U.S. troops have not left Saudi Arabia
since the end of the Persian Gulf War, publicly issues a “declaration
of war” against the United States.
November 1996:
He praises the bombing of U.S. barracks in Saudi Arabia and promises
that other attacks will follow. He also says his followers have
attacked U.S. troops in Somalia.
February 1997:
In a broadcast interview, he says that “if someone can kill
an American soldier, it is better than wasting time on other matters.”
July 1998:
Mr. bin Laden releases a statement warning of a “black day
for Americans. … We do not differentiate between the military
and civilians.” The bombing attacks on U.S. embassies in Tanzania
and Kenya occur two weeks later.
August 1998:
According to published reports, he has directed his followers to
assassinate President Clinton on at least two occasions.
January 1999:
Time magazine quotes Mr. bin Laden as saying, “If the instigation
for jihad holy war against the Jews and the Americans … is
considered a crime, then let history be a witness that I am a criminal.”
October 2000:
After the USS Cole is attacked in Yemen, a tape surfaces in the
Middle East in which Mr. bin Laden promises it is only a preliminary
to new strikes.
April 2001:
Mr. bin Laden, in a statement, tells hard-line Islamic activists
to prepare the next generation for holy war. “I appeal to you
to teach Muslims that there is no honor except in jihad in the way
of God,” he says.
May 2001:
He vows retaliation after four of his alleged operatives are convicted
in New York for their roles in the 1998 embassy bombings in Africa.
Two of the bombers were scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday in New
York. In making the threat, Mr. bin Laden declares a new level of
holy war against the United States and Israel. June 2001: In a videotape delivered to a Kuwaiti newspaper, Mr. bin Laden gloats as he takes credit for the USS Cole attack and says there will be new attacks on American targets that would dwarf those he has directed in the past. “With small capabilities, and with our faith, we can defeat the greatest military power of modern times. America is much weaker than it appears,” he says. |
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