DUBAI, Jan 24, 2010 (AFP) - Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden claimed the botched Christmas Day bombing of a US airliner and threatened further strikes on US targets, in an audio statement broadcast Sunday on Al-Jazeera television.
"The message that was conveyed through the (attacked) plane of the hero Umar Farouk (Abdulmutallab) is to stress earlier messages delivered to you by the heroes of the 11" September attack on the United States, he said.
"That (message) is, that America should not dream of security until we enjoy it as a reality in Palestine," he added.
Abdulmutallab attempted to blow up a Northwest Airline flight on Christmas Day but he was thwarted by fellow passengers who pounced on him.
The authenticity of the audio statement could not immediately be verified but Al-Jazeera said the voice was that of bin Laden.
Bin Laden, who has a 50-million-dollar bounty on his head and has been in hiding for the past eight years, last made a public statement four months ago when he was quoted on September 25 by SITE Intelligence Group monitoring service as urging European countries to pull their forces out of Afghanistan.
