Al-Qa'ida-linked website backs McCain as president

MichaelMoore.com : Al-Qa'ida-linked website backs McCain as president

October 24th, 2008 7:27 pm
Al-Qa'ida-linked website backs McCain as president

Associated Press

Al-Qa'ida supporters suggested in a website message this week they would welcome a pre-election terror attack on the US as a way to usher in a McCain presidency.

The message, posted on Monday on the password-protected al-Hesbah website, said if al-Qa'ida wants to exhaust the United States militarily and economically, "impetuous" Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain is the better choice because he is more likely to continue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"This requires presence of an impetuous American leader such as McCain, who pledged to continue the war till the last American soldier," the message said. "Then, al-Qa'da will have to support McCain in the coming elections so that he continues the failing march of his predecessor, Bush."

SITE Intelligence Group, based in Bethesda, Maryland, monitors the website and translated the message.

"If al-Qa'ida carries out a big operation against American interests," the message said, "this act will be support of McCain because it will push the Americans deliberately to vote for McCain so that he takes revenge for them against al-Qa'ida. Al-Qa'ida then will succeed in exhausting America till its last year in it."

Mark Salter, a senior McCain adviser, said he had heard about the website chatter but had no immediate comment.

The message is credited to a frequent and apparently respected contributor named Muhammad Haafid. However, Haafid is not believed to have a direct affiliation with al-Qa'ida plans or knowledge of its operations, according to SITE.

SITE senior analyst Adam Raisman said this message caught SITE's attention because there has been little other chatter on the forums about the US election.

SITE was struck by the message's detailed analysis - and apparent jubilation - about American financial woes.

"What we try to do is get the pulse of the jihadist community," Raisman said. "And it's about the financial crisis."

Al-Qa'ida leader Osama bin Laden issued a videotape just four days before the 2004 US presidential election directly addressing the American people.