Military

DATE=12/26/01

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=BIN LADEN AL JAZEERA (S)

NUMBER=2-284646

BYLINE=BARRY WOOD

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Accused terrorist Osama bin Laden surfaced on Qatar-based al-Jazeera television Wednesday with a videotape broadcast denouncing the West as haters of Islam. V-O-A's Barry Wood reports the tape was apparently made in early to mid-December.

TEXT: Mr. Bin Laden says on the tape that the September 11th suicide attacks on New York and Washington were intended to stop U-S support of Israel. He says the tape was issued to mark three months since the September 11th attacks and the second month of U-S bombing of Taliban and al-Qaida targets in Afghanistan.

On the video, Osama bin Laden is dressed in a clean camouflage jacket and seated against either a cloth or canvas screen. A machine gun was propped up beside him.

The U-S state department says it is studying the tape and has no comment at this time.

Osama bin Laden is the world's most wanted man with a 25 million dollar reward for his capture. He is being aggressively sought by U-S and allied forces in eastern Afghanistan. On an earlier video, Mr. bin Laden admitted he had previous knowledge of the attacks in which 19 highjackers -- most from Saudi Arabia -- flew commandeered jetliners into New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington. About 3,000 people died in the attacks.

NEB/BDW/MAR