UPDATE 3/21 8:40 AM: Click here for an English translation of the below audio/video message.
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UPDATE 3/18 1:38 PM: Here is an Arabic transcription of the below audio/video message:
Abū Muṣ’ab ‘Abd al-Wadūd — “Support for the Free, Descendants of ‘Umar al-Mukhtār”
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NOTE: Last time we heard from AQIM they also invoked the name of Libyan national hero ‘Umar al-Mukhtār, which you can read here.
‘Umar al-Mukhtār is an important figure in Libyan history. He was a teacher of the Qur’ān by profession. Additionally, he was skilled in the strategies and tactics of desert warfare. As a result, he was a leading figure and led the Libyan resistance against the Italian fascists — who invaded Libya — from 1912 until his death when the Italians hung him in 1931. His heroic efforts were later depicted in the 1981 film The Lion of the Desert. The film was banned in Italy in 1982 and was not shown on Italian TV until 2009.
There is still no known evidence of AQIM being involved with the Libyan rebel movement.
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