South Asia Studies Project

March 16, 2012 Special Dispatch No.4581 In New Video, Al-Qaeda Leader Al-Zawahiri Urges Pakistanis To Rise Up Against Pakistan Army, Says: 'The American Jew Warren Weinstein... Will Not Return To His Family... Until Our Demands [For the Release of Aafia Siddiqui and Other Al-Qaeda, Taliban Prisoners] Are Met' In a new video statement, Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri issued a clarion call to the people of Pakistan, urging them to rise up by the millions against the Pakistan Army generals and the corrupt government in Islamabad. In his statement, Al-Zawahiri notes that American aid worker Dr. Warren Weinstein, who has been held captive by the Taliban since his August 2011 kidnapping in Lahore, "will not return to his family... until our demands are met, which include the release of Aafia Siddiqui, Sheikh Omar Abd Al-Rehman, the family of Sheikh Osama bin Laden, and every single person arrested on allegations of links with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban." This is the second video released this week by Al-Qaeda's Al-Sahab media arm that refers to to Dr. Weinstein; one released March 13 reiterated that his kidnapping was part of steps to obtain the release of Aafia Siddiqui. The full text of this report is available to MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Subscribers. Subscription information is available at this link. JTTM subscribers can visit this page to view the report.