August 2, 2004
Associated Press
CAIRO, Egypt — An al-Qaida-linked group gave Italy another 15 days to withdraw its troops from Iraq before sending "waves of earthquakes to erase your country," according to a statement sent to an Arabic newspaper Sunday.
It was the fourth threat in two weeks against the key American ally.
The statement, signed by the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades and sent to the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, followed the expiration of a three-month truce purportedly made in April by Osama bin Laden to European states.
"The language of blood is on its way to you. We mobilize all our cells in Rome and all other Italian cities. We give (Premier Silvio) Berlusconi 15 days to pull out from Iraq and after that the blood of all Italians everywhere will be free for us," said the statement, faxed to The Associated Press by the newspaper.
"We will send waves of earthquakes to erase your country completely and will burn everything," it said.
The statement urged the Italians to remember the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist bombings in the United States and the bombs in Madrid last March.
Editors at the London office of the newspaper said they received the statement via e-mail. There was no way to verify its authenticity.
Berlusconi, a staunch supporter of President Bush, said recently that Italian troops would stay in Iraq until democracy takes hold. Italy sent 3,000 troops to Iraq after the ouster of former president Saddam Hussein to help rebuild the country.
Berlusconi, however, has faced strong opposition for his pro-U.S. stance, and many have called for the government to pull out troops.
Italy and other European countries face heightened alerts after the expiration July 15 of a three-month truce offered by al-Qaida chief bin Laden to European countries if they left Iraq, Afghanistan and other Muslim countries.
The Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigade is a shadowy group that takes its name from a top al-Qaida lieutenant who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan in 2001. It has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks on Western targets, including the March 11 train bombings in Madrid. Counterterrorism experts question whether the group has any agents capable of launching attacks and say some of its claims are false or exaggerated.
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