UPDATE 1/22/13 9:24 AM: Here is an English translation of the below Arabic video message:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الحمدلله رب العالمين، ولا عدوان إلا على الظالمين، وصلى الله على نبينا الكريم، وبعد:
We in Al-Qaeda Organization declare our responsibility for this blessed Fedayan operation which was conducted by 40 mujahidin, from the Muhajirin (foreign) and Ansar (locals) from different Islamic countries and even from the West, under the name of the “Signatories with Blood” who have promised Allah to give support and retrieve the dignity or (receive) martyrdom and Jannah.
This brigade which we established to defend our land and honors which have been under the conspiracy of crusader France with the head of ruling regime in Algeria who offended the dignity and sacrifices of this proud nation and the blood of 1.5 million martyrs by allow the previous colonizer to use our land and skies to kill our people and brothers in Mali.
And we are ready to negotiate with the Western states and the Algerian regime under the condition of stopping the assault and bombardment against the Muslim Malian people, especially in the Azawad region, and respecting their choice of implementing the Islamic Sharia on their land.
As for the Americans we say: we are ready to exchange all your hostages that are held by us in return for releasing the patient sheikh Omar Abdurrahman and returning him to his people and family in Egypt and if we have one thousand from you we would have exchanged them for him for loyalty to his knowledge, Hijrah and Jihad, and our patient sister Aafia Siddiqui, may Allah relieve her from her anguish.
And Allah is the master of His affair, but most people do not know.
And to Allah belongs the might and to His Messenger and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know.
Khalid Abu Al-Abbas
Amir of the Al-Mulathamin Brigade
(recorded in 17 January 2013)
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