A statement attributed to Osama bin Laden appeared on an Islamic website yesterday, praising an attack on US marines in Kuwait and an apparent terrorist attack on a French supertanker off Yemen.
The statement, signed "your brother, Osama bin Mohammed bin Laden", and dated October 12th, did not clearly admit responsibility for the attacks.
But it said they coincided with the anniversary of the start of US attacks on Afghanistan and were meant as a "clear and strong message to all enemies and friends alike that holy warriors, with God's help, haven't been weakened by what befell them."
There was no way to verify the authenticity of the statement on the website, which has carried articles in the past attributed to senior al-Qaeda operatives.
"We congratulate our Islamic community on the bold, heroic holy war that was executed by its sons of the faithful holy warriors in Yemen against a crusader oil tanker and in Kuwait against the invading and occupying American troops," the Arabic statement read.
"By exploding the oil tanker in Yemen, the holy warriors hit the umbilical cord and lifeline of the crusader community, reminding the enemy of the heavy cost of blood and the gravity of losses they will pay as a price for their continued aggression on our community and looting of our wealth."
Bin Laden has often referred to Americans as "crusaders" and to Americans and Jews as "the enemy".
Yesterday's statement was read on the pan-Arab satellite network Al-Jazeera, which has aired al-Qaeda videos and statements by bin Laden over the last year.
One marine was killed and another wounded when US forces came under fire during training exercises in Kuwait on October 8th.
On October 6th, a French tanker was damaged in an explosion in Yemen.
The explosion is being investigated as a terror attack and Yemeni officials said they were looking at the possibility that the blast was caused by a small boat laden with explosives.