Yemen threatened to be next, according to alleged Al-Qaeda statement:Yemen denounces Madrid bombings [Archives:2004/720/Front Page]

Yemen officially denounced on Thursday the Madrid bombings that resulted in the death of more than 200 citizens. Saba Official News Agency reported that a source at the Foreign Ministry said that “the Yemeni Government, as it condemns fiercely such a horrific criminal act, renews its emphasis that terrorism is an international malady that does not belong to any civilization, culture or religion. Serious and responsible international efforts need to be concentrated to uproot terrorism and destroy it.”
The source added that the Yemen is “expressing solidarity with the Spanish people and national government.” It stressed that Yemen remains committed to fight terrorism in all its forms and have expressed its sincere condolences to the Spanish Government and to families of the victims.

Alleged al-Qaeda statement
Meanwhile, the famous London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi Arabic Daily said that it received a statement claiming to be from Al-Qaeda announcing its responsibility for the blasts in Madrid and the one in Istanbul last Tuesday.
The statement was allegedly signed by Brigades of Hafs Al-Masri and said that “the secrecy of death succeeded to sneak into the depth of the European crusaders and hit one of the pillars of the crusader alliance (Spain) painfully.”
The statement was also in part directed to Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Maria Aznar, by telling him that when Al-Qaeda “hit the Italian forces in Nasseria, we sent a warning to you and to agents of America to withdraw from the alliance against Islam, but you have not received the message, now we have put it straight and I hope you understand this time.”
The statement went further, according to the Daily, to threaten other countries it claims have cooperated with the US war on terror. The statement said that Yemen would be the “third quagmire for this era's Satan, the USA.” And it threatened to hit US interests in the country, according to the paper.
The paper also unveiled that the alleged statement described the preparations for the so-called upcoming hit against the USA as 90% complete. “God willing, soon and at the appropriate time for the Mujahideen, all faithful Muslims will celebrate Allah's victory.” The statement also purportedly warned Muslims not to get close to “civil and military establishments of crusade America and its allies.”
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