Message from Abu Omar al-Baghdadi

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Last Updated (Monday, 29 November 1999 19:00) Written by Evan Kohlmann Thursday, 13 September 2007 19:00

In recent weeks, Al-Qaida-led terrorist franchises in Afghanistan and Iraq have released several new recordings of speeches by senior Al Qaeda leaders. This audio recording, released on September 14 from Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the commander of Al Qaeda's "Islamic State of Iraq," is particularly significant -- especially to those who follow the very serious internal schisms opening up between Al-Qaida and the Muslim Brotherhood in Iraq. In his address, al-Baghdadi directly attacks other Sunni insurgent groups -- such as the 1920 Revolution Brigades, Hamas in Iraq, and the Iraqi Islamic Resistance Front (JAAMI) -- as "backstabbing" traitors who have abandoned their commitment to jihad. Al-Baghdadi also reserves a strong dose of vitriol for the "degenerate crusader nation of Sweden", where cartoons were recently published that were viewed as disrespectful to the Prophet Mohammed. In response, al-Baghdadi promises to launch punitive terrorist attacks by mid-October on Swedish "industrial giants" such as Volvo, Scandia, Ikea, and Ericsson -- in addition to killing both the cartoon artist himself and his Swedish editor.

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