Bin Laden Talks of Truce But Threatens Us With New Attacks

Osama bin Laden broke a year-long silence yesterday to warn Americans that al-Qaida is preparing new attacks against the US, according to a new audiotape attributed to him.

"The operations are under preparation and you will see them in your houses as soon as they are complete, God willing," the speaker on the tape said. At the same time he offered a "long-term" truce dependent on the US pulling out of Iraq.

Al-Qaida has not attacked the US since September 11 2001, but the voice on the tape said that was not because the organisation had been foiled by tightened anti-terrorism measures. "The proof of that is the explosions you have seen in the capitals of European nations," he said.

Despite the threatening message, US anti-terrorism officials said yesterday they had seen no specific or credible intelligence to indicate a coming al-Qaida attack.

The release of the tape, parts of which were broadcast by al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based Arabic TV channel, may have been timed to quash speculation that Bin Laden had died or been killed. His last taped message came in December 2004 when he told Iraqis that anyone who took part in their elections would be an "infidel".

Bin Laden closely follows the media and has attempted to intervene directly in the past to influence political events in the west, putting messages out on the eve of the US presidential election and the Spanish parliamentary election. He may be trying to exploit growing disenchantment in the US with President George Bush's Iraq policy. But his reappearance and threat of attacks on the US will play into the hands of the Washington hawks .

Bin Laden's tape came after a year in which al-Qaida messages were relayed through his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Zawahiri was the target of a US attack last week in Pakistan. He apparently was not hit, but Pakistani officials said his son-in-law and two al-Qaida figures had died.

"This message is about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and how to end those wars," yesterday's tape began. Apparently addressing Americans, it continued: "It was not my intention to talk to you about this, because those wars are definitely going our way. But what triggered my desire to talk to you is the continuous deliberate misinformation given by your President Bush, when it comes to polls made in your home country which reveal that the majority of your people are willing to withdraw US forces from Iraq.

"We know that the majority of your people want this war to end and opinion polls show the Americans don't want to fight the Muslims on Muslim land, nor do they want Muslims to fight them on their [American] land."

Bin Laden has previously offered a truce to Europe, not the US. In the message he told Americans: "We do not mind offering a long-term truce based on just conditions that we will stick to. We are a nation that Allah banned from lying and stabbing others in the back, hence both parties of the truce will enjoy stability and security to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan, which were destroyed by war."

Asked if he thought the tape was genuine, Abdel Bari Atwan, a journalist who interviewed Bin Laden in 1996, said: "Yes, it is him. I'm 97% certain. It's really frightening to say, 'We're preparing attacks inside the United States.' Usually when he says something he delivers. I don't think he's saying it for rhetoric."

Mr Atwan, the editor of the London-based daily al-Quds al-Arabi, said he believed Bin Laden was trying to present himself as a politician, not as a terrorist or killer. "He's saying 'we have a political agenda' and offering a truce. He is saying to the Americans, 'Your leadership is the source of the problem. Bush is not listening to you when you ask him to withdraw from Iraq.'"