Report: Bin Laden knew of the coming US strike

Spokesman for Islamist billionaire Osama Bin Laden said that the US strikes prevented the former from convening a summit in Afghanistan scheduled to be held by leaders of extremist Islamic movements.

Chief editor of the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi magazine, Abdul Bari Atwan, told the British daily The London Times (published yesterday) that the spokesman admitted in a telephone call with them from a camp in Afghanistan that a meeting had been scheduled in Khost last Friday. He added that the meeting was canceled because Bin Laden had known beforehand the US was preparing an attack.

The Times elaborated the meeting would have brought together in addition to Bin Laden officials representing "al-Jihad al-Islami" in Egypt and several leaders of extremist Islamic movements. The meeting was supposed to be held at Zahwar Keli camp near Khost.

ArabicNews.com had received a statement last week, after the US attack, from an Islamist group stating that Bin Laden "was ready for the Americans." But our report was not published because further verification on the authenticity of the report could not be made.

Meanwhile, the leader of the so-called al-Muhajereen extremist movement in London, Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad, has voiced support for Bin Laden and admitted he financially supported him. Muhammad added that his organization backs Bin Laden, in addition to raising funds for him.

In statements to the BBC TV, Muhammad continued that Bin Laden is "a brave man and deserves support." But he stressed he does not encourage military acts, and he advocated political struggle.