Al-Qaeda vows revenge on US and allies

A statement published on an Islamist website today reporting to be from al-Qaeda urged retaliation against the United States and its allies for Israel's killing of Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.


“Sheikh Yassin’s blood will not have been shed in vain – we call on all the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades to avenge the sheikh of the Palestinian resistance by striking the tyrant of the century America and its allies,” said the statement carried by the www.al-ansar.biz website.

There was no immediate way of establishing the authenticity of the latest statement.

“We say to fighters in Palestine, in particular Hamas and (Islamic) Jihad: your real enemy is the tyrant of the century – America. Sheikh Yassin was killed by the money, weapons and public support of America,” the statement said.

The Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades has claimed responsibility for a number of recent attacks, including the devastating March 11 bombings in Madrid that killed 202 people.