The pattern seems to be similar to last year - - calendar timing, “Good News Soon” banner, Zawahiri as the set-up man for UBL, and the eulogizing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Here, “Zarqawi” may represent his AQI (al Qaeda-Iraq) cells in the US and the UK and Zawahiri may be indirectly addressing/signaling them along with other potential homegrown cells that have joined al Qaeda-Core (possibly calling themselves al Qaeda-USA) but have not yet declared themselves.
http://siteinstitute.org/bin/articles.cgi?ID=publications300407&Category=publications&Subcategory=0
” . . . Zawahiri also encourages greater support for the Islamic State of Iraq despite it lacking “necessary qualifications”, courts Kurds to join jihad, and lauds Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the deceased Emir of al-Qaeda in Iraq, formerly Tawhid Wal Jihad, for his opening of a path for greater unity in the ranks of Mujahideen by being among the first to pledge to Usama bin Laden and join al-Qaeda. He adds that other groups have also joined the organization, though they prefered that this news not yet be announced, but the declarations will come soon. Iraq is also the launchpad from which Zawahiri launches his diatribe against Saudi Arabia, using aforementioned evidence to warn that Iraq will fall if the Saudis gain significant influence in its politics.” . . .
Here is the full text of Canon Andrew White's email about his meeting with an al Qaeda leader in Jordan in which he was apparently warned about the London and Glasgow bomb attacks.
Email to Foundation for Relief and Reconcialiation in the Middle East:
"Those who cure you will kill you"
Dear Friends,
Just over two months ago I wrote in my Update that I had the worst meeting in my life. I said I have seen the Devil today. I met this awful man in Amman prior to our last major meeting in Baghdad. I referred to him as the Devil and I even refused to continue the meeting and told the Sheikh who had brought him to me never to let me meet him again.
He told me that they were going to start killing in the UK then the USA. One sentence I remembered but did not understand was "those who cure you will kill you".
I did not understand this then but in the last two days since the terrorist activities in the UK were brought to a head I was not surprised when there were reports that those arrested were all involved in the health services. Those terrible words "those who cure you will kill you" suddenly made sense.
The litany of planned killing was horrendous. I do not know why I was told this by an Iraqi Sunni living then in Syria. I passed on this information to our FCO. I then learned that this person was a senior Al Qaeda figure and so was indeed bent on the destruction of innocent lives. I will never forget this meeting. It remains the worst I have ever had. I hope I never have one like it again.
Blessings
Andrew
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1273646,00.html