Purported Qaeda Letter Denies Role in Iraq Blasts

[rodbarnett]

DUBAI (Reuters) - A letter purporting to come from Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s al Qaeda network denied any role in Tuesday's anti-Shi'ite Muslim explosions in Iraq (news - web sites) and blamed the attacks that killed 185 people on the United States.



The letter, signed by the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades with "al Qaeda" in parenthesis, was sent to the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper. A copy of the letter was obtained by Reuters Wednesday.


The newspaper has previously received similar letters from the same brigade in which they claimed responsibility for a November bombing of two synagogues in Turkey and the August bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad.


"U.S. troops have committed a massacre against the innocent Shi'ite people to set sectarianism ablaze among Iraq's Muslims," the letter said.


"We, and with God as our witness, say we are innocent of this act and of anything that will drive the Shi'ites away. Our mujahideen (holy warriors) love God and his prophet and will not do anything that will harm the Iraqi people."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=586&e=1&u=/nm/20040303/wl_nm/security_iraq_qaeda_dc