| The German
authorities are holding an audio tape apparently
recorded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian
suspected of being a senior member of Al-Qaeda, in
which he calls for the destruction of the United
States, according to Tuesday's edition of German
daily Tagesspiegel. "Oh Allah, destroy
the kingdom of (US President George W) Bush, just as
you destroyed the kingdom of Caesar," the voice on
the 65-minute cassette says.
It accuses certain Arab governments of abandoning
the Muslim faith and says: "Oh Allah, kill them one
after the other. Spare no one," Tagesspiegel quoted
police as saying.
Israel is also criticised on the tape, which the
German authorities believed to be authentic, the
daily said. It said the German federal police had
confirmed they were examining the tape, which
appeared to have been recorded during the second
half of 2003.
Al-Zarqawi, whose real name is Fadel Nazzal Al-Khalayleh,
is alleged by Washington to be a close aide to
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. He is also alleged
to be a member of the Iraqi Kurd Islamic group Ansar
al-Islam and, as such, was central to Washington's
efforts to prove a link between bin Laden and the
regime of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Al-Zarqawi is also suspected to be the
operational head of the radical Palestinian group
Al-Tawhid, which US and German officals allege is
linked to Al-Qaeda.
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