Al-Zawahri criticises Egyptian and Palestinian leaders

Al-Qaida's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahri, has attacked the leaders of Egypt and the Palestinians, accusing them of betraying Islam and collaborating with the US and Israel, according to an Internet statement published in his name today.

Referring to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and a senior member of his Fatah party, al-Zawahri asks in the statement: "How is it possible for Mahmoud Abbas to be a brother of ours, or for Mohammed Dahlan to be a brother of ours, when they have grown fat on the bribes of the Jews and gifts of the Americans?"