UPDATED ON:
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
00:50 Mecca time, 21:50 GMT
 
News CENTRAL/S. ASIA
Embassy bomber 'from Mecca'
The interview with Yazid was said to have been conducted at an undisclosed location [Geo TV]

Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, a veteran al-Qaeda leader, has said the suicide bomber who attacked the Danish embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, last month travelled from the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Yazid told Geo TV News in an exclusive interview aired on Monday that the bomber was a young man from the land "where the Prophet was born", the "land of Mecca".

The attack on June 2 killed six people, all of them Pakistanis.

Yazid claimed al-Qaeda's responsibility for the attack soon after the blast in a posting on a website.

It was unclear from what Yazid said, whether the embassy bomber was a Saudi, as many non-Saudis have settled in Mecca, or whether he had been recruited while visiting the city.

Yazid said the bomber had come to join a "jihad" in Indian Kashmir or Afghanistan, and became enraged by the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in Danish newspapers in 2005.

The interview with Geo TV was said to have been conducted at an undisclosed location in Khost, Afghanistan, by Geo TV's reporter Najib Ahmad a few days ago.

This is the first independent media interview given by a well-known al-Qaeda member since May 2002, when two figures from the September 11 attacks, Khalid Sheik Mohammed and Ramzi bin al-Shibh, were questioned by Al Jazeera.

'Anti-Muslim credentials'

Replying to a question from Geo TV about Al-Qaeda's targets, Yazid said al-Qaeda had reached a point where they "see no difference between the [US] state and American people".

"The United States is a non-Muslim state bent on the destruction of Muslims. It is the American people who have voted George bush into power, knowing full well his anti-Muslim credentials," Geo TV quoted the al-Qaeda commander as saying.

"We have even destroyed US helicopters in Khost, Jalalabad and Helmand - reports of which have been carried by media worldwide.

"The mujahideen are hopeful and high-spirited. They are now expanding their areas of operations and carrying out actions in northern provinces too," he said.

Yazid, an Egyptian, served time in prison with Ayman al-Zawahri, the deputy al-Qaeda leader, following arrests after the assassination of Anwar Sadat, the Egyptian president, in 1981.

He is now allegedly commander of operations in Afghanistan and has been referred to as al-Qaeda's third most senior figure.

'Financial manager'

Earlier, the September 11 Commission, investigating attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, described Yazid as the network's "chief financial manager".

During the interview, Yazid openly acknowledged al-Qaeda's responsibility for the September 11, attacks and berated the the government of Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, for subsequently "betraying" the Islamist cause by siding with the United States.

Yazid defended the tactic of using suicide attacks and was unapologetic about the fact that the attack on the embassy killed Pakistanis, including one security guard on the gate and two policemen.

But the Egyptian said that al-Qaeda was not to blame for any of the bomb attacks in Pakistan late last year that targeted mosques.

Yazid is also known as Sheikh Saeed.

 Source: Agencies
Feedback Number of comments : 2
 
Saber Shah
Pakistan
22/07/2008
Most given by Pakistan
They guy admitted that most damage has been done by Pakistan to them and Pakistan has paid a heavy price for all this, and yet western govt's say that Pakistan is not doing its best. Pakistan should come out from this war of america and let them suffer alone, why do we have to pay price of their mis-leaded war

fiaz
United Kingdom
23/07/2008
americas war against muslim
Pakistan should pull out from terrorisim war.peac will prevail in Pakistan after it.Let america sort out their own mess.they are triger happy,they like killing.Every one remember what they did to native red indians of America.what they are doing to Palestanians through Israei jewes.iraqis and afghanies.At the end of day they are going to do the same to Iran and Pakistan.Why the muslim umma should trust them.Muslim leaders have become cowards.they like the luxury of Palaces.They are living fools.

 
ARTICLE TOOLS
 Email Article  Email article
 Print Article  Print article
 Send Feedback  Send feedback
 Share article  Share article