AN American al-Qaeda militant has urged Islamist militants to welcome President George W. Bush "with bombs" when he visits the Middle East this week, and has torn up his US passport on camera. “Welcome him not with flowers and applause but with bombs and traps,” Adam Gadahn said in an Arabic aside on a 50-minute video posted on the Internet, which was mostly recorded in English and aimed at the American public.| Oh, him again. Can't we capture him? |
In a theatrical move, he took his US passport from his breast pocket and showed its pages on camera before ripping it up in protest at the treatment of Muslim detainees.
| It's not like he was going to use it ... |
Gadahn devoted most of the tape, entitled “An Invitation to Reflection and Repentance', to a detailed explanation of the shortcomings of US foreign policy and Western Christian civilisation and their defeat at the hands of Islam and Muslims. “The first question Americans might ask is: has America really been defeated? The answer is yes, and on all fronts,” said Gadahn, who had a long beard and wore glasses and an Arab-style red and white chequered scarf. “American and coalition officials have stated repeatedly that they are unable and unwilling to face the mujahideen in Afghanistan and Iraq militarily but are still trying to win the battle for hearts and minds, which they have also lost in spectacular fashion despite the equally spectacular amounts they have spent in payoffs and propaganda.”
Gadahn also listed Pakistan, Chechnya, North Africa and Somalia as areas where the United States is losing its battle against Islamist groups.
The authenticity of the tape could not immediately be verified, but it was posted by As-Sahab, al-Qaeda's media arm, and had been advertised on an Islamist site for days.
Gadahn is a California-born convert to Islam and the first American to be charged with treason since the World War Two era. He is believed to be in Pakistan.
| It'll be especially nice to grab him and watch him whine like a Nancy boy in a federal court. |
The treason charge against Gadahn carries a maximum punishment of death. The FBI has been seeking to question Gadahn since 2004 and the US Government has offered a cash reward of up to $US1 million ($1.14 million) for information leading to his arrest.
Gadahn converted to Islam from a Jewish-Christian family when he was 17 and a few years later moved to Pakistan. He was previously known as Adam Pearlman and grew up on a goat ranch outside Los Angeles.
| Things start coming together ... |