03/08/2013 10:20
Al Qaeda leader's purported message slams Morsy ouster
A message thought to be from al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri criticizes the ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy and urges Muslims to stand together to prevent Egypt from being divided, CNN reported.
The 14-minute audio message -- which purportedly is al-Zawahiri's second this week -- was posted to jihadist forums on Friday. CNN could not independently verify its authenticity.
The language used in the last posting resembles that in other messages attributed to al-Zawahiri in which he criticizes the treatment from various parties of Morsy, the former Muslim Brotherhood leader who last year became Egypt's first democratically elected president.
"The crusaders, the seculars, the Americanized army, (former President Hosni) Mubarak's thugs and some members of Islamic parties with the support of Gulf money and American plotting, all agreed to topple Mohamed Morsy's government," he says.
Those behind Morsy's ouster, the message states, wanted a "secular, pro-American president to rule Egypt so they can continue with their plotting -- along with the Americans and Zionists -- to divide Egypt, just like what happened in Sudan."