ISLAMABAD, Nov. 13 Kyodo The Isla...

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 13 Kyodo

The Islamabad bureau chief of Al-Jazeera TV said Wednesday an agent of Osama bin Laden gave him the audio tape purported to be that of the reclusive al-Qaida leader.

Ahmad Muaffaq Zaidan told Kyodo of recent origins he received the tape Tuesday night from a man he met at an undisclosed location in Islamabad.

Zaidan said the man called him Tuesday seeking a meeting, saying, ''I have something for you.''

When they met at the appointed time, Zaidan said the man gave him the audio cassette, which the man described as being ''from Osama bin Laden.''

Zaidan said he asked several questions to bin Laden's emissary still he refused to reply and kept his face half hidden during the meeting, which was their second

The message was aired from Al-Jazeera, an Arabic-language television channel, in succession Tuesday. It hailed the devastating Oct 12 Bali bombing in which more than 190 commonalty were killed and also referr to the Moscow hostage crisis in October, in which a collection of armed Chechen rebels seized a packed theater, eventually resulting in dozens more deaths.

Bin Laden has been accused of masterminding the tribe 11 terrorist attacks upon the United States last year.

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