Al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri condemned US President George W. Bush in a video statement released Friday, calling him a failure and a liar. "Can't you be honest at least once in your life, and admit that you are a deceitful liar who intentionally deceived your nation when you drove them to war in Iraq," al-Zawahri said in a portion of the video released by the Washington-based SITE Institute. "Why don't you tell them how many million citizens of America and its allies you intend to kill in search of the imaginary victory and in breathless pursuit of the mirage towards which you are driving your people's sons in order increase your profits?" al-Zawahri said. Al-Zawahri also criticized Bush for holding al-Qaida leaders in prisons including top leader Khaled Sheik Mohammed, who was captured and held by US authorities since 2003. "Bush you deceitful charlatan, three and a half years have passed since your capture of Khaled Sheik Mohammed, so how have you found us during this time? Losing and surrendering?" he said, according to the SITE Institute.
The nearly 18 minute taped video statement called "Bush, the Pope, Darfur and the Crusades," features in two segments and was produced by al-Qaida's media arm, as-Sahab. The first part shows al-Zawahri in an office-type setting, while in the second part, shows him in front of a brown backdrop, according to the Virginia-based IntelCenter. The first segment also has English subtitles.
It was not known when the video taping took place. Friday's video was the latest to come from al-Zawahri since earlier this month. Al-Qaida released a string of videos for the anniversary of Sept. 11, showing increasingly sophisticated production techniques in a likely effort to demonstrate that it remains a powerful, confident force despite the US-led war on terror.