Before his death: Bin Laden hailed Tunisian, Egyptian revolts

Osama bin Laden

Before his death, Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden recorded a message hailing the protest movements in the Arab world. The 12-minute message, he said: "I think that the winds of change will blow over the entire Islamic world, with permission from Allah. "Let the truth ring out. Remember those that go out with a sword are true believers, those that go fight with their tongue are true believers, and those that fight in their hearts are true believers."

He claimed "the sun of the revolution has risen from the Maghreb. The light of the revolution came from Tunisia. It has given the nation tranquillity and made the faces of the people happy." He continued: "This wasn't a revolution of starving and pain, but a revolution of giving and peace." He added: "A delay may cause the opportunity to be lost, and carrying it out before the right time will increase the number of casualties." In the recording, Bin Laden accused rulers of building themselves into idols and manipulating the media to stay in power. "So, what are you waiting for?" he asked. "Save yourselves and your children, because the opportunity is here."