Al Qaeda's No. 2 condemned Egypt's regime under toppled leader Hosni Mubarak as corrupt, and praised an Islamic state as an appropriate alternative, in an audio recording posted on the Internet. Ayman al-Zawahri's message, drawn up in response to the popular revolt in his home country Egypt, carried the date of an Islamic month which ended about one week before Mubarak's resignation on Feb. 11. “The reality of Egypt ... is one of deviation from Islam ... as well as ideological, political, economic, financial, moral and social corruption,” he said, adding that the recording was the first of several he would address to the Egyptian people. The recording could not be independently authenticated but it was posted on Islamist websites which are often used by al Qaeda supporters and the speaker sounded like Zawahri. Zawahri said Mubarak's rule was based on violence and fraudulent elections, in contrast with an Islamic state which would focus on morals, justice and equality. Washington believes Zawahri, deputy to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, is hiding with other senior al Qaeda figures in mountains along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
