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Official: Voice on video belongs to bin Laden

Early analysis indicates the voice on a recently released videotape is that of Osama bin Laden, a U.S. official said Friday, as President Bush called the tape “a reminder of the dangerous world in which we live.”

Although the United States launched the war in Afghanistan to find bin Laden and to deny al Qaeda a haven with the Taliban, which then controlled the country, he has eluded capture.

Officials have said bin Laden may be hiding in the mountainous tribal areas of Afghanistan or Pakistan. But a military official recently said there has been no good lead on his location since about 2005

President Bush, in Australia for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, said it was “interesting” that bin Laden mentioned Iraq in the tape.

“If al Qaeda bothers to mention Iraq, it is because they want to achieve their objectives in Iraq, which is to drive us out and to develop a safe haven,” Bush said.

“And the reason they want a safe haven is to launch attacks against America or any other ally. And therefore, it is important that we show resolve and determination to protect ourselves, to deny al Qaeda safe haven and to support young democracies, which will be a major defeat to their ambitions.”

The transcript also shows bin Laden blaming global warming on large corporations.

“The life of all mankind is in danger because of the global warming resulting to a large degree from the emissions of the factories the major corporations,” it says.

“And despite this brazen attack on the people [referring to global warming], the leaders of the West — especially Bush, Blair, Sarkozy and Brown — still talk about freedom and human rights with a flagrant disregard for the intellects of humans?”

The reference to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown suggests that the tape was recorded this summer.

U.S. officials said its appearance — just days before the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks planned and carried out by al Qaeda — shows that the group remains intent on targeting the United States.

“We continue to see a very determined enemy who wants to plot, plan and kill Americans and act against American interests,” White House homeland security adviser Fran Townsend told CNN.

“But I’d encourage Americans to keep in mind whenever we see these sorts of statements, they’re propaganda. And they’re the enemy’s propaganda. They’re meant to manipulate the American people and to frighten them,” she said.

Another official described the tape, which is about 30 minutes long, as “ranting and raving.”

Earlier Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said it was not unusual for al Qaeda to release tapes near the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Chertoff said no special alert was in the works.

He said only that the United States had scored “a win for the good guys” with recent arrests of terror suspects in Germany and Denmark, adding that the suspects had posed no direct threat to the United States.

Officials had no “credible information” about any imminent threat to the United States, Russ Knocke, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said Thursday.

But he reiterated the department’s stance that “we are in a period of increased risk.”

“The National Intelligence Estimate cited increases in activity overseas, and we’re mindful of the recent arrests in Europe,” he said. “There has also been an uptick in propaganda tapes and messages coming from al Qaeda and affiliated networks over the past year.”

Bin Laden’s last video appearance came days before the 2004 presidential vote and was widely credited with giving a boost to President Bush’s re-election campaign.

In that tape, bin Laden said he decided in 1982 to attack the twin towers of the World Trade Center after the invasion of Lebanon by Israel, which he claimed was backed by the U.S. Navy.

“Iraq and Afghanistan and their tragedies; and the reeling of many of you under the burden of interest-related debts, insane taxes and real estate mortgages; global warming and its woes; and the abject poverty and tragic hunger in Africa; all of this is but one side of the grim face of this global system,” he said.

Bin Laden also urges Americans to “embrace Islam” as a way to end the war in Iraq, according to the transcript.

A transcript of the video, obtained by CNN, shows it contains no overt threats toward the United States.

Some date references, including a mention of Democrats gaining the majority in Congress, may indicate the tape is new.

In the tape, bin Laden calls the Iraq war “unjust” and blames it — and a host of the world’s other ills — on capitalism