Bin Laden "statement" hails attacks

A STATEMENT attributed to Osama bin Laden appeared on an Islamic Website yesterday, praising an attack on US marines in Kuwait and an apparent terrorist attack on a French supertanker off Yemen.

The statement, signed "your brother, Osama bin Mohammed bin Laden" and dated October 12, did not clearly claim responsibility for the attacks. However, it said they coincided with the anniversary of the start of US attacks on Afghanistan and were meant as a "clear and strong message to all enemies and friends alike that holy warriors, with God's help, haven't been weakened by what befell them."

There was no way of verifying the authenticity of the statement on the Website, which has carried articles in the past which have been attributed to senior al-Qaida operatives.