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| Al-Qaeda condemns Rushdie honour | Al-Qaeda condemns Rushdie honour |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Osama Bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has threatened to retaliate against Britain for giving a knighthood to novelist Salman Rushdie. | Osama Bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has threatened to retaliate against Britain for giving a knighthood to novelist Salman Rushdie. |
| In a 20-minute audiotape, the al-Qaeda leader said the group was preparing a "very precise response". | In a 20-minute audiotape, the al-Qaeda leader said the group was preparing a "very precise response". |
| The recording was posted on a website often used by Islamic militants. | |
| Sir Salman's book The Satanic Verses sparked protests by Muslims around the world and led to Iran issuing a fatwa in 1989, ordering his execution. | Sir Salman's book The Satanic Verses sparked protests by Muslims around the world and led to Iran issuing a fatwa in 1989, ordering his execution. |
| Addressing UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Zawahiri said Britain's strategy in the Middle East had "brought tragedy and defeat upon you, not only in Afghanistan and Iraq but also in the centre of London". | |
| In the speech, entitled Malicious Britain and its Indian Slaves, Zawahiri was quoted as warning Mr Brown: "And if you did not understand, listen, we are ready to repeat it for you." |