DUBAI, 30 October 2004 — Osama Bin Laden accused George W. Bush yesterday of deceiving Americans and said the Sept. 11 attacks would not have been so severe if the US president had been alert.
Bin Laden, appearing in a video on Al-Jazeera TV four days before the US presidential election and gesturing at the camera with a finger to stress points, made his clearest comments yet taking responsibility for the Sept. 11 attacks.
“Despite entering the fourth year after Sept. 11, Bush is still deceiving you and hiding the truth from you and therefore the reasons are still there to repeat what happened,” said the Al-Qaeda leader, making his first video appearance for more than a year.
The Bush administration resembled “corrupt” Arab governments, he said.
Bin Laden, apparently sitting or standing at a table against a neutral brown background, wore a white head covering and white tunic under a light brown cloak.
Reading from a sheet of paper, his voice was strong and he appeared in fair health, his full beard a mixture of white and dark gray.
A US official said US intelligence agencies believed that it appeared to be Bin Laden on the tape.
Bush has ordered US forces to get Bin Laden dead or alive and American officials have said they suspect he is hiding in the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
An editor at Al-Jazeera said the Qatar-based channel had received the video tape yesterday but did not say how. He said the tape was new but did not give any details.
