NICOSIA--The latest statement by Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden contains language considered a valid indicator of an upcoming attack, the IntelCenter US monitoring group said on Friday.

In an audio message posted on jihadist Internet forums on Friday, bin Laden called on European countries to end their alliance with the United States and withdraw their forces from Afghanistan, monitoring organizations said.

"This indicator when viewed in light of the five Abu Talha videos this year, three of which have been released in the last eight days and their focus on the upcoming elections in Germany, significantly raises the threat level even further," IntelCenter said.

"There is currently a very high threat of an attack occurring in Germany or against German interests in the immediate period and extending for at least the next four weeks. A single or multiple-stage attack may occur before, during or after the elections against a German target or targets," it said.

The audio message was contained in a near-five minute video from the As-Sahab media branch of Al-Qaeda showing only a still image of bin Laden, SITE Intelligence Group said, noting that English- and German-language subtitled versions of the video were posted.

The release of the statement comes two days before Sunday's German general election.
IntelCenter and SITE both reported Bin Laden as saying: "An intelligent man doesn't waste his money and sons for a gang of criminals in Washington, and it is a shameful thing for a person to be in a coalition whose supreme commander has no regard for human life and intentionally bombs villagers from the air."

Attacks in London and Madrid would be understood by Europeans if they saw what the United States did in Afghanistan, the Al-Qaeda chief said in the message.

The message's authenticity cannot be independently verified. AFP