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| Terror Networks & Islam |
| Second Edition Of Al-Qaeda News Bulletin Airs |
| 2005-10-04 |
| Rome, 4 Oct. (AKI) - The second edition of 'Sout al Khalifa', or Voice of the Caliphate, the 'news bulletin' produced by al-Qaeda mouthpiece the Global Islamic Media Front, has been broadcast on the Internet. The latest programme, which lasts around 19 minutes, opens with news from Palestine, and dedicates lengthy coverage to the kidnapping and killing of Sasson Nuriel, the Israeli businessman seized by a cell of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The bulletin replays the video showing the hostage and repeats the allegation that he was a member of the Israeli security services. The 'newsreader' - who has a subtle Egyptian accent and appears to be the same as appeared in the first edition aired on 21 September - then goes on to speak of the security situation in Gaza, which is described as highly volatile because of the Israeli air strikes. The al-Qaeda bulletin also dedicates time to the last video featuring al-Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri and talks of Afghanistan and the suicide attack carried out last week by a Taliban bomber who drove a motorbike into a group of Afghan soldiers boarding a bus outside their training base in Kabul. This is followed by the obligatory 'commercial break', in which they announce that in the next edition of the programme they will broadcast a message to Muslims working in the communications field. The news bulletin then moves on to Iraq, and relays the latest statements issued in the last few days by various Islamic groups active in the country. The presenter also returns to the subject of the hurricanes in the United States, which were mentioned in the first edition, this time condemning the Muslim countries who sent aid to help the victims. The news programme wraps up with a news story about Nigeria, where it says Muslims have been threatened by non-Muslims, like the Islamic citizens of Darfur in Sudan, who, the bulletin says, are coming under pressure from European states who plan to drive them from their territory because of the presence of oil deposits in their region. The 'set' for the news programme is the same as the first edition. The face of the newsreader is covered and a copy of the Koran lies on the desk next to a Kalashnikov. However, the presenter appears to be different from the person who presented the 'special edition' broadcast last week to show solidarity with jailed Al Jazeera journalist Taysir Allouni, sentenced to seven years by a Spanish court for collaborating with a terrorist organisation. Allouni - who shot to fame as the satellite channel's Kabul correspondent and interviewed Osama bin Laden after the 11 September 2001 attacks - also features towards the end of the latest edition. In a second commercial break, a picture appears on screen showing him behind bars. Technically, the 'al-Qaeda news bulletin' is far from professional, but despite the poor quality of its studio presentation the broadcast features smart graphics which suggest its post-production could have been done in a professional TV station. |
| Posted by:Steve |