Boston Bombings: Al Qaeda Chief In New Warning

Yemen's al Qaeda boss says Osama Bin Laden's death has not eliminated militant groups, rather they have moved closer to the US.

1:11pm UK, Sunday 02 June 2013

Qassim al Rimi is the military chief of the terror group's Yemen branch

Forensics officers after the Boston bombing

Al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen has said the Boston blasts revealed America's fragile security and showed making bombs was within "everyone's reach".

Qassim al Rimi, the military chief of the group, urged Muslims in America to "carry on with this way" and defend their religion in an audio message posted online.

In "A letter to the American people", he said: "The Boston events ... and the poisoned letters (sent to the White House), regardless of who is behind them, show that your security is no longer under control, and that attacks on you have taken off and cannot be stopped.

"Everyday you will be hit by the unexpected and your leaders will not be able to defend you."

Two brothers, 19-year-old Dzhokhar and 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, are accused of being behind the April 15 attack near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, which killed three people and wounded more than 260.

Tamerlan was killed in a shootout with police, and Dzhokhar was captured and taken into custody after an extensive manhunt.

Russian officials told US congressman William Keating this week that the attacks could have been prevented if US authorities had acted on their warnings.

Tamerlan and Dzohkhar Tsarnaev

The Massachusetts Democrat said he was provided with details of how US intelligence agents were warned in 2010 that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was preparing to join a terrorist cell in the southern Russian region of Dagestan, the Boston Globe reported.

Al Rimi also said the killing of Al Qaeda's founder Osama bin Laden in May 2011 and top Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in September 2011, had not ended the struggle.

"Have you eliminated the jihadist groups that have spread everywhere after they had only been in Afghanistan? Today, they are in your land or close to it," he warned.

To the Muslims in the US, he said: "We encourage you to carry on with this way, be steadfast in your religion.

"Carry out your obligations, defend your religion and follow in the footsteps of those who supported their religion and Ummah (Muslim nation) while they are in their enemy's den."

Three letters laced with ricin have been discovered in recent weeks, one addressed to US President Barack Obama, one to Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi and a third to a justice of the peace in the same US state, Sadie Holland.

Charges were later dropped against a man initially suspected to be behind the letters, Paul Curtis.

Monday, June 3, 2013