WASHINGTON — Amid renewed U.S. warnings of an imminent terror attack, a new audiotape believed to be from Osama bin Laden on Tuesday urged Muslims around the world to join Iraq in a global holy war against the United States and its allies.
The tape, aired Tuesday by the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television network, calls for “martyrdom operations” — code for suicide bombings — and urges Muslims to overthrow Islamic governments that side with the United States.
U.S. officials said the tape offers new evidence of a growing alliance between Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and the al-Qaida terrorist network. But the speaker on the tape seems to have nothing but contempt for Hussein, suggesting that Muslims should side with him only because his enemy is worse.
The tape’s release came as the heads of the CIA and the FBI expressed fears that al-Qaida terrorists will strike again, perhaps as soon as the end of the week. In chilling testimony Tuesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee CIA Director George Tenet and FBI Director Robert Mueller warned of possible attacks using chemical, biological or radioactive materials against shopping malls, churches, schools or other so-called soft targets that are lightly protected.
The message aired five days after U.S. officials elevated the national terrorism alert to the second highest level, citing increased electronic “chatter” among suspected terrorists.
Though the speaker on the tape does not specifically call for attacks on U.S. soil, he urges Muslims to do whatever they can to defeat what the speaker calls “agents of the devil.”
“Killing the infidels is a good thing that will get you to heaven,” the taped voice says. “As God said, stick together and unite, because that’s the only way to victory.”

— Ron Hutcheson and

Shannon McCaffrey, Knight

Ridder Newspapers (KRT)