Osama bin Laden's top deputy appeared in a new videotape broadcast on an Arab television network on Thursday, taunting the United States for becoming mired in what he called unsuccessful campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan while vowing that Al Qaeda would attack the United States again.
In the tape, excerpts of which were shown on Al Jazeera, the deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, said Al Qaeda was already planning for more suicide strikes.
The timing of the tape seemed intentionally to come just two days before the third anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11. It is the latest in a long series of audio or videotapes issued by the Qaeda leadership, but unlike some others did not include an appearance by Mr. bin Laden.
"Bush, reinforce your security measures," the message said in Arabic. "The Islamic nation which sent you the New York and Washington brigades has taken the firm decision to send you successive brigades to sow death and aspire to paradise."
At a campaign stop on Thursday in Johnstown, Pa., President Bush gave his basic stump speech, drawing applause when he said, "More than three-quarters of Al Qaeda's key members and associates have been brought to justice." He did not mention the tape. On Thursday night, a White House spokesman said, "As for as we know, the intelligence community is reviewing the authenticity and we will hopefully know more soon, but we're waiting to hear more about the authenticity."
Officials with the Central Intelligence Agency said a reference on it to the crisis in the Sudanese region of Darfur suggested that the tape was made recently. So, too, does its depictions of the military situations in Afghanistan and in Iraq, where attacks on American forces have continued.
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