No. 2 man in al Qaeda threatens more attacks

Osama bin Laden's No. 2 man in al Qaeda has threatened more destruction in London, saying that British Prime Minister Tony Blair would be to blame.

In a video broadcast Thursday on Arabic-language TV station Al Jazeera Ayman al-Zawahiri also issued a warning for the United States.

"To the British, I am telling you that Blair brought you destruction in the middle of London and more will come, God willing," he said.

He appeared to be referring to the two attacks on London's transit system on July 7 and July 21. The first bombings killed 52 commuters and the four bombers. No one was killed in the second attack, in which the bombs failed to detonate.

In the videotape released Thursday, Zawahiri also issued several warnings for the United States.

Referring to the September 11, 2001 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, he said: "Our message is clear -- what you saw in New York and Washington and what you are seeing in Afghanistan and Iraq, all these are nothing compared to what you will see next."

He also warned the U.S. to "stop stealing our oil and wealth and stop supporting corrupt rulers."

"If you continue your politics against Muslims, you will see, God willing, such horror that you will forget the horrors of Vietnam," informs CNN.

"Our message is clear: you will not be safe until you withdraw from our land, stop stealing our oil and wealth and stop supporting the corrupt rulers," al-Zawahiri said.

The tape showed al-Zawahiri positioned in front of a woven cloth that moved with the wind and showed the sunlight, indicating it appeared to be made outdoors. He was wearing a white robe and a black turban and emphatically wagged his finger at the camera while speaking.

In June, Al-Jazeera broadcast a videotape of al-Zawahiri disparaging the U.S. concept of reform in the Middle East and saying armed jihad is the only way to bring change in the Arab world.

Al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian doctor who merged his militant faction with that bin Laden in Afghanistan in the late 1990s, spoke with a Kalashnikov rifle propped up behind his right shoulder against a plain background.

Analysts said that al-Zawahiri, who has been in hiding since the United States invaded Afghanistan in late 2001, is reminding the world Al Qaeda remains a threat.

"He's a fear amplifier," said Bob Scales, a retired Army major general and a FOX News military analyst. "His purpose is to take a tragic event and make the most of it," reports the AP.

Photo: AP