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Osama Deputy Says Iran Lying About 9/11

He accuses Tehran of giving Israel credit to diminish al-Qaeda

By Jonas Oransky, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 22, 2008 4:00 PM CDT

(Newser) – Al-Qaeda's No. 2 leader says Iran is denying the terrorist group credit for 9/11 by spreading the rumor that Israel masterminded the 2001 attacks on the US. A new audiotape from Ayman al-Zawahiri highlights the growing tension between al-Qaeda and Tehran, the BBC reports, evidence of a sectarian struggle for power in the region.

“The purpose of this lie is clear—[to suggest] that there are no heroes among the Sunnis who can hurt America as no-one else did in history,” said Zawahiri. He also knocked Shia-dominated Iran for collaborating with the US, and accused Tehran of spreading lies to “cover up its involvement with America in invading the homes of Muslims in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

This image released by IntelCenter on Wednesday May 23, 2007, purportedly shows Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, presenting a eulogy for a slain Afghan Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah. (AP Photo/via IntelCenter)

In front of a picture of the Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a missile is seen during a parade commemorating Army Day just outside Tehran, Iran, Thursday, April 17, 2008. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A photo provided by IntelCenter, an American private terrorist threat analysis company, purports to show Ayman al-Zawahiri in a still image from a Web posting. (AP Photo)

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Osama Deputy Says Iran Lying About 9/11

He accuses Tehran of giving Israel credit to diminish al-Qaeda

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