Bin Laden warns EU over Prophet cartoons

Bin Laden warns EU over Prophet cartoons | International | Reuters: "Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden threatened the European Union with grave punishment on Wednesday over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.

In an audio recording posted on the Internet, Bin Laden said the cartoons were part of a "crusade" in which he said the Catholic Pope Benedict was involved.

The message was released on the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

The cartoons were first published by the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten in September 2005 but a furor erupted only after other papers reprinted them in 2006.

At least 50 people were killed in the protests against the publication of the cartoons, which Muslims say are an affront to Islam. Newspapers which have reprinted the cartoons argue they are defending the right to media freedom.

Bin Laden's message was entitled "The Response Will Be What You See, Not What You Hear", according to the password-protected Ekhlaas Web, which carries messages and statements from al Qaeda-affiliated groups around the world.

The banner message appeared in bright red, labeled "urgent" with plain Arabic text. It carried no picture of the Saudi-born militant leader nor the insignia of al Qaeda's media arm As-Sahab, which usually releases his videos and audio tapes.

The message apparently is the first by bin Laden since November 29 when he urged European countries to end military participation with U.S. forces in the Afghan conflict....

[bth: sorry bastard. Could somebody find and kill him please! Maybe Petraeus could spare a spyplane or drone for the occasion. After all I don't think OBL is in Iraq. But then again maybe the powers that be know something about strategery I don't]