By NNN-KUNA
Washington : The United States has said that the al-Qaeda was and is still trying to undermine the Saudi government hours after the video release by al-Qaeda number two man Ayman al-Zawahiri.
"One of the stated goals, as I understood it, of al Qaeda was actually to undermine and overthrow the regime," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormick, addressing al-Qaeda's threats to Saudi Arabia.
In over 90 minutes of recorded tape issued Thursday, al-Zawahiri lashed out at Saudi Arabia's support for "Zionist crusade led by America" while calling for regime change in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
"He is representative of an organisation that seeks to not only undermine our way of life but attack friends and allies in the region," added McCormack who spoke about the struggle between "those who want to use violent extremism and those who are interested in a better, more prosperous, more free Middle East".
McCormack declined to comment if there is any tangible threat on Saudi Arabia after the release of this tape. "I can't tell you whether or not qualitatively the Saudi government feels as though this is different than previous threats. But I think that they have well understood for several years now the threat posed to the Saudi people by al Qaeda," noted McCormack.
As al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is rarely showing up in recorded tapes, McCormack noted that "it is very difficult for bin Laden to try to communicate with the outside world. And the reason for that is, he knows very well that there are a lot of people hunting for him".
The State Department also expressed support for Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf amidst a deadly standoff between Pakistan authorities and militants in a besieged radical mosque in Islamabad.
"He is much as under threat from violent extremism as we or any of Pakistan's neighbours might be," said McCormack.
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