It’s War !

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Monday, June 07, 2004

Al Jazeera Receives Osama bin Laden Tape Praising Reagan

The Qatar-based news network Al Jazeera received a tape late Sunday claimed to be a recording of Osama bin Laden. It was presented as a tribute to Ronald Reagan, the president of the United States from 1981 to 1989 who allegedly died on Saturday after suffering from Alzheimer's for much of his life.

On the tape, bin Laden calls Reagan a "father figure to freedom fighters everywhere." He cites Reagan's "warrior spirit" and hatred of communism and his "readiness to kill in the name of his convictions." "He stands as a beacon in the night, an inspiration urging us to earn his approbation, to be all that God has given us to be, to be all that he, this great man who now enjoys his long reserved bench in Paradise, knows we can be," he continues, "and rejoice in the wisdom that our enemies are cursed and must succumb to God's superior weaponry."

The CIA, FBI, Coast Guard, INS, DHS, Pentagon, White House, OMB, CBO, Fannie Mae, and OTB have acquired copies of the tape via Al Jazeera's English-language web site and are analyzing its authenticity. "Until we are sure this is the voice of Osama bin Laden, we cannot say whether the 40th president of the United States is dead," said a spokesman for the Washington, D.C., police department. "Until then, we advise all Americans to watch for and report any suspicious individuals."