Al-Qaida threat to Britain after Rushdie honour
Tuesday, 10 Jul 2007 20:42
Ayman al-Zawahiri is the de facto leader of al-Qaida
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The second in command of al-Qaida has warned that the UK's knighthood of Salman Rushdie could lead to reprisals by the Islamic militant group.
In an audio message released to Jihadist websites Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama Bin Laden's deputy, warned that al-Qaida was preparing a "very precise response" to the honour bestowed on the controversial author.
Sir Salman's knighthood, announced in the Queen's birthday honours last month, has already provoked condemnation from the governments of Iran and Pakistan.
His literary canon remains a highly emotive matter in Muslim countries after Tehran issued a fatwa against him following the publication of The Satanic Verses in 1988.
Critics claim the book blasphemes against the prophet Muhammad, but the UK government has consistently defended the knighthood since its announcement.
The 20 minute 44 second tape from al-Zawahiri obtained by US-based monitoring group Site is entitled Malicious Britain and Its Indian Slaves.
Released by Sahab, the multimedia wing of al-Qaida, the tape also includes a direct warning to Gordon Brown, who replaced Tony Blair as prime minister at the end of last month.
"The policy of your predecessor has brought tragedy and defeat upon you, not only in Afghanistan and Iraq but also in the centre of London," al-Zawahiri says in a translation from Arabic.
"And if you did not understand, listen, we are ready to repeat it for you, with the permission of Allah. We are sure that you have quite understood it.
"And if you did not understand, listen: we are ready to repeat it for you."