Osama Bin Laden Warns U.S. Against Executing 9/11 Mastermind

Al-Qaeda chieftain Osama bin Laden has warned the U.S. government that the terror ring would retaliate in a big way if Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-confessed mastermind of the September 11 attacks, is meted the death penalty. In a 74-second audio recording obtained by Al Jazeera, bin Laden threatens to kill every American captured by al-Qaeda if Mohammed is executed.

“The day America will take such decision…it would have taken a decision to execute whoever we capture,” the elusive bin Laden said. The U.S. government has yet to decide whether to try Mohammed and several other suspects in a military tribunal. President Barack Obama’s administration is expected to come up with a final decision in the near future.

Bin Laden also took issue of Obama’s decision to go after the Taliban in Afghanistan, saying that the U.S. president is no different from his predecessor George W. Bush. The U.S. government has yet to give its reaction to bin Laden’s message.