'We will blow up White House'

2006-11-10 20:47

Cairo - Al-Qaeda in Iraq's purported leader vowed on Friday that his fighters would never rest until they have reached Jerusalem and blown up the White House.

In the audio tape made available on a militant web site, a man introduced as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir said al-Qaeda has 12 000 fighters at the ready in Iraq.

"We will not rest from our Jihad until we are under the olive trees of Rumieh and we have blown up the filthiest house - which is called the White House," al-Muhajir said.

The "olive trees of Rumieh" appeared to be a reference to the Mount of Olive in Jerusalem, or Christendom in general as a continuation of the Roman empire.

It was impossible to verify the authenticity of the tape in which the speaker also praised U.S. voters for handing Democrats majorities in both houses of Congress.

- AP