UK newspaper removes viral bin Laden letter

LONDON: British newspaper The Guardian has removed from its website a 21-year-old message written by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, after it was shared several million times on social media.

Bin Laden´s “Letter to America” began being shared on TikTok on Tuesday, sparking a fierce debate about US backing for Israel in its current war against Hamas. The transcript includes bin Laden´s assertion that the United States was attacked on September 11, 2001 due to its support of Israel.

Links to the original were replaced on the Guardian website with a statement saying it had been shared “without the full context”. “This page previously displayed a document containing, in translation, the full text of Osama bin Laden´s ´letter to the American people´, which was reported on in the Observer on Sunday 24 November 2002,” it wrote.

“The transcript published on our website had been widely shared on social media without the full context. Therefore we decided to take it down and direct readers instead to the news article that originally contextualised it.”

Bin Laden´s message, released a year after 9/11, outlined his objections to Western activities in Muslim nations, condemning the United States for its backing of Israel and its approach towards the Palestinian regions.