Translation of Purported Al Qaeda Statement

Dec. 2, 2002 -- This is an ABCNEWS translation of an alleged al Qaeda Web site report claiming responsibility for the Kenyan attacks. The purported statement was originally reported by Arab-language news station, al Jazeera.

A statement from al Qaeda regarding the Mombasa operation:

In the name of God the merciful

Thank God who said: "kill the atheist wherever you find them and take them and besiege them?." (verse from the Quran) prayer and peace be upon the noblest of prophets Mohamed and on all his people

In this holy month, and in the blessed last ten days of it, we greet our people in Palestine first and the Islamic nation second. We intentionally delayed this greeting for it to be timed with the two Kenyan, Mombasa operations against Israeli interests, so that the greeting becomes more meaningful under the circumstances that the nation is suffering from on the hands of its enemies of Crusaders and Jews.

From the same place, where the Crusade-Jewish coalition was hit four years ago, specifically in Nairobi and Dar Es Salam against the American embassies, here are the fighters (mujjaheddun) (from Al Qaeda) returning once again to hit this treacherous coalition, but this time it's against the Jews, thereby delivering the following message: what you practice in terms of damage and occupation of our sanctities and criminal acts against our people in Palestine, killing children, women and the elderly and destroying homes and pulling out trees and the continuous siege will not go without you suffering from similar acts that are more effective if God permits. Your children in return for our children, your women in return for our women, and in return for our elderly your elderly and in return for our homes your buildings and in return for the siege on food and living the siege of terror and fright, we will follow you with it with God's permit wherever you are on land, sea or in the air.

The fighters (mujjahedun) fulfilled their promise to God for victory of his religion and fulfilled their promise to the nation in lifting the humiliation and degradation through launching painful strikes and successful operations with God's help against the treacherous Crusader-Jewish coalition wherever it is and thank God for the following:

Destruction of the American embassy in Nairobi Destruction of the American embassy in Dar Es Salam Destruction of the American destroyer (Cole) in Aden Destruction of World Trade Center Towers in New York Destruction of the Pentagon Kidnapping the American passenger plane in Pennsylvania, which was headed towards the American Congress

The America went crazy because of all this, it was in a state of horror and shock for what it sees and hears and did not withstand what it suffered from, it was shaken and its dignity was brought down forever and so it forced the whole world to go under its flag and follow it on its unjust campaign — unprecedented in old or contemporary history — against this faithful group of fighters and Islamic nations, thinking that they would thereby be able to stop the fighting and extinguish the soldiers of God.

The whole world turned into one of the CIA offices, following them in every land and under every sky, forgetting that the Islamic faith is about devoutness, which becomes stronger during hardships, suffering and distress. This was proven by the fighters (mujjaheddun) as a reality as they were able, with God's help, to aim their strikes and launch their attacks during a year when they were being followed and chased. They tried and were able to do the following since the launch of the Crusader attack on Afghanistan in mid Ragab 1422:

Djerba operation against the Jewish temple in Tunis The shoe explosions in the American plane Hitting the French military in Pakistan Hitting the huge tanker in Yemen Killing the marines in Failaka in Kuwait Destruction of the night club in Bali and other operations that accompanied it on the same day in Indonesia The two Mombasa operations in Kenya against Jewish interests (firing two missiles on an Israeli plane and destroying an Israeli hotel) Tens of operations in Afghanistan and other places in different parts of the world Other operations that are not mentioned for certain considerations

Assuring that their strikes will continue with God's permit, so that the whole world knows that the Crusader war against Islam and Muslims has failed and will not be fruitful as the Jews and Crusaders desire, because in short it is a war between faith and atheism, between what's right and what's wrong, between justice and injustice. God will bring victory to this religion and is supportive of its fighters (mujjaheddun).

The Mombasa operations — in Kenya against Israeli targets — comes at this time specifically to emphasize a number of important facts, including: the fighters (mujjaheddun) were able to reach their chosen target — chosen with great care thank God — at a time when the whole world, east and west, stands against them and chases them in every spot on earth, which proves how fragile and distracted this campaign is and that it stands paralyzed in front of the moves and attacks of the fighters (mujjaheddun) with God's help.

These operations also come to put an end to all dreams (of the Jewish-Crusader coalition) in safeguarding their strategic interests in the region and prove the failure of the US and its allies, who amassed their huge naval fleets around the horn of Africa to chase the mujjaheddun in this area and to stop them from reaching it or bringing in supplies and to stop attacks similar to those that took place four years ago.

These operations also come — with God's help — as another slap to the Israeli mosad — as it slapped it by hitting the Jewish synagogue in Djerba and as it slapped all American security agencies before — a slap that destroys its legacy and its image — used to horrify the whole world from its ability to reach and get who it wants — and to cut the arm that Sharon announced will reach anyone who tries to touch Israel's internal or external security.

The operations also come to put a thousand question and exclamation marks in front of the nations of this alliance, which has spent billions on the plane safety programs from the inside. There they are facing the fighters (mujjaheddun) storm from the outside. What will they do about this?!

The two operations also come to ensure that nations that push their assassins, killers and criminals of war to become leaders, as the Americans and Jews and others do, will suffer the consequences of their acts and their desires and will not escape the Godly revenge on the hands of his servant fighters. Our proof for that is what happened in Bali and what followed, disturbing the sleep of enemies of the nation everywhere.

These two operations come also to announce to Muslims everywhere that the fighters (mujjaheddun): are united with their people in Palestine, they will continue on the road and are willing to withstand whatever will happen to them in serving God, they intend to lift humiliation and with God's help alone they can still surprise the enemy and hit it strategically at the convenient time and place that they determine.

Finally, the two operations come to announce that the nation — with its Arabs, its black and white people — stands united as one man in face of this enemy and in face of the declared attack against Muslims.

We call her for all our brothers with black arms on this continent — who have been suffering the most from colonialism which has raped their lands and stole its good and humiliated them depriving them from the simplest of human rights — to follow the footsteps of the heroes of the Mombasa operations to turn the land into a hell under the feet of the Jewish and Crusader occupiers.

At the end, we call for Muslim s in the east and west to be united and cooperate, and to leave their differences and disunity. We also call for them to take full responsibility in face of this Crusader-Jewish attack, which aims primarily at uprooting Muslims, destroying their faith, occupying their homes and stealing their wealth. They have to know that they are capable of doing something against this enemy. The "victim" conflict, which we have suffered from for over a century, is gone without return. The years of defeat and confusion, which the enemy wanted us to live, have turned into days of victory, glory and strength.

"Two men who fear God said open the door on them, if you enter, you are winners." (verse from the Quran)

What your brothers have offered through their operations, what they paid for with their blood, money and time, is enough proof on the ability of this nation to give and confront and stand fast and win with God's permit.

On this blessed occasion we do not forget to remind the Muslims from falling into the sin of accepting what the US and its allies prepare against the Iraqi, Muslim people. They have to bring victory to their brothers by what they own and not to allow the American occupier's foot to step on their land and to resist it through different ways to make him (the American occupier) feel that there is no place for it on the land, no shadow for it under its sky and that it is among people who hate it and despise it.

God is great, glory to God and to the faithful, but the hypocrites don't know