Timeline of al-Qaida statements

--Nov. 3, 2001 [Shot late October/early November]

Bin Laden, dressed in camouflage and armed with an AK-47, says in a video tape aired by al-Jazeera that Afghanistan is in a religious war. "The people of Afghanistan had nothing to do with this matter. The campaign, however, continues to unjustly annihilate the villagers and civilians, children, women and innocent people." There's no indication of when the tape was shot, but almost certainly it was within weeks, if not days, prior to its release, since it refers to the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan.

--Nov. 7, 2001 [Contemporaneous]

Several of bin Laden's sons, the oldest being Hamza, then age 8, play in the wreckage of a downed U.S. helicopter, believed to have been shot in October. The tape is shown on al-Jazeera. Video later shows up as part of a video tape the U.S. government releases in December 2001.

--Nov. 7, 2001 [Published Nov. 10, 2001]

In his first print interview after the Sept. 11 attacks, bin Laden speaks with Hamid Mir of Dawn, a Pakistani newspaper.  In the interview, bin Laden says, "We have chemical and nuclear weapons as a deterrent and if America used them against us we reserve the right to use them." Al-Zawahiri is seated with him during the interview.  Bin Laden does not take responsibility for the Sept. 11 attacks, but defends the hijackers' actions: "The mission is to spread the word of God, not to indulge massacring people. We ourselves are the target of killings, destruction and atrocities. We are only defending ourselves. This is defensive jihad. We want to defend our people and our land. That is why I say that if we don't get security, the Americans, too would not get security."

--Dec. 12, 2001 [Shot around Nov. 9]

The CIA releases the "Dinner Party Tape" in which bin Laden describes planning for the Sept. 11 attacks, noting among other things the final order was given the "Thursday before," meaning Sept. 6. The video tape is the first in which bin Laden takes responsibility for the attacks. It was shot in November, possibly Nov. 9, 2001, in Kandahar, Afghanistan. It is released by the U.S. government to all broadcasters. Also on tape is Khaled al-Harbi, a Saudi cleric.

--Dec. 27, 2001 [Shot late November]

The "Gaunt Tape," so named because bin Laden is haggard and doesn't move his left arm, is believed to have been recorded in late November 2001, probably around Nov. 19. On the video tape, bin Laden refers to the U.S. bombing of a mosque in Khost "several days" earlier. (The United States bombed a mosque in Khost on Nov. 16). Al-Jazeera airs the tape.

--Feb. 21, 2002

Pakistani police confirm that a video showing the beheading of Daniel Pearl has been circulating on the Internet, confirming Pearl’s death for the first time.  The video shows Pearl discussing his Jewish roots, his visits to Israel, followed by graphic video of his beheading, apparently at the hands of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks.  Mohammed is also believed to have been responsible for the video’s production and distribution.

--April 17-18, 2002 [Shot in October 2001]

The "Riverside tape," believed shot in October 2001, is shown on Arabic language broadcasters MBC and al-Jazeera in slightly different versions. On this tape, bin Laden praises the effects the Sept. 11 attacks had on the U.S. economy. Also on tape is Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden's chief lieutenant, while several suicide bombers appear on the MBC tape.

--Oct. 9, 2002 [Contemporaneous]

Al-Zawahiri tape threatens attacks on the United States, its economy and allies.  "I promise you that the Islamic youth are preparing for you what will fill your hearts with horror," he says.  It is unclear if the tape was recorded prior to the attacks on the Marines in Kuwait a day earlier.

--Nov. 12, 2002 [Contemporaneous]

Bin Laden, in an audiotape, calls President Bush the "pharaoh of this age" and lists recent attacks in a statement carried on al-Jazeera.  Specifically, he notes: "The incidents that have taken place since the raids on New York and Washington up until now -- like the killing of Germans in Tunisia and the French in Karachi, the bombing of the giant French tanker in Yemen, the killing of Marines in Failaka [in Kuwait] and the British and Australians in the Bali explosions, the recent operation in Moscow and some sporadic operations here and there -- are only reactions and reciprocal actions."  It is the first bin Laden message that can be dated in nearly a year.

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