Qaeda warns Rome for supporting US

DUBAI: A group claiming to be linked with Al Qaeda threatened to attack Rome to punish Italy for supporting the United States, and praised the bomb blasts in London, said an Internet statement on Friday.

The statement did not appear on websites normally used by Islamist militants loyal to Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. “We warn Rome, the capital of infidels, that the lions of Jihad in Europe are ready to launch strong strikes against the collaborating government with the crusaders, the Americans, the enemies of God, the Prophet and Muslims,” it said.

The statement said, “With the help of God, a group of honourable mujahideen carried out successful attacks on three London underground stations and a bus.” The statement was in the name of a little-known Al Qaeda organisation, Jihad in the Arabian Peninsula.

It gave timings for each of Thursday’s attacks, referring to them as “explosions”, implying they were not suicide attacks, which militants normally describe as “martyrdom operations.” There was no way to verify the authenticity of Friday’s statement purporting to come from an Al Qaeda-linked group. reuters

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