US: A CIA analysis has determined that an audio tape broadcast this weekend was "likely" to be the voice of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, a CIA official said yesterday.
"After conducting a technical analysis, the CIA's assessment is that it is likely bin Laden's voice," the CIA official said on condition on anonymity.
The Arabic television channel Al Jazeera aired a tape on Sunday purported to be from bin Laden in which he mentioned last month's arrest of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein by US troops, suggesting that bin Laden was alive at least in mid-December.
The audio tape, which urged Muslims to fight US occupation forces in Iraq, was broadcast at a time of heightened alert in the United States, where security forces have been vigilant for signs of a terror attack during the holiday season.
A London-based Arab magazine said during Christmas week that bin Laden had vowed to launch a "back-breaking attack" on the United States by February.
The weekly al-Majalla on December 26th said it received an e-mail from Abu Mohammed al-Ablaj, a little known al-Qaeda member, saying bin Laden would release a video tape in which he affirmed his group's determination to fight the United States.
Meanwhile, a US military spokeswoman said yesterday that a series of loud blasts that shook central Baghdad were controlled explosions carried out by the US Army.
In recent days, the US 1st Armoured Division, which is responsible for Baghdad, has shelled and mortared south-western portions of the city as part of operation Iron Grip, a tough new approach to rooting out suspected guerrillas.
On New Year's Eve, militants detonated a car bomb outside a popular Baghdad restaurant, killing eight people and wounding 30, including three Western journalists.