CAIRO: Al-Qaeda's new leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has lashed out at the United States, accusing Washington of “hijacking” the Egyptian revolution for its own purposes. He accused the US of attempting to take advantage of the revolution to secure its interests in the region. In a new statement, the new Egyptian leader of the international terror network said the US “has led a peaceful transition of power, which protects its interests and turns the popular revolution into a military coup.” Zawahiri said that Washington supports the new military junta in Egypt, in power since 18 days of protests ousted former President Hosni Mubarak on February 11. In his new statement, the al-Qaeda chief called on Egyptians to make Islamic rule the basis of the country's future in an effort to “foil Washington's efforts” in the country. The audio message was posted late Monday on an extremist website. Its authenticity could not be immediately verified. Less than two weeks ago, some one million conservative Egyptian Salafists – those who adhere to a literal interpretation of Islam – converged on Cairo's Tahrir Square. Their chants and protests were in favor of an Islamic state in Egypt. The demonstration heightened tensions between political groups in the country who have pushed for democracy and have become worried over the growing conservative trends in the country. BM
