An audiotape purportedly from deputy al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri blasted the “U.S. concept of freedom,” Arabic television Al Jazeera said Thursday.
“The freedom that we want is not the freedom to destroy others ... it is not the freedom that allows (America) to support oppressive regimes that are U.S. allies or the freedom for Israel to annihilate Muslims,” said the speaker on the tape, who sounded like Zawahri
The purported Zawahri comments were first issued Feb. 2 as a statement on the Internet, but were aired on tape by Al Jazeera on Thursday.
The speaker on the tape also blasted as fraudulent elections held under occupation, in an apparent reference to last month’s polls in Iraq.
Egyptian-born Zawahri is Osama bin Laden’s right hand man and has been pictured traveling with the al-Qaida leader through Afghanistan.
Zawahri and bin Laden, believed to be hiding in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan, have eluded capture since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, which were carried out by al-Qaida.