Voice on Al-Jazerra tape was of Laden: CIA

CIA says voice on al-Jazerra tape was bin Laden's Eds: NEW with CIA identifying bin Laden's voice With BC-ME-GEN--Al Qaida-Bin Laden

The CIA determined on Thursday that the voice on a tape claiming preparation for an Al-Qaeda attack on the United States was that of Osama bin Laden, an agency official said.

The audio tape was played by the Arab network Al-Jazeera, the first public communication form the terror group's leader since December 2004.

HT Image

"Following technical analysis of the Osama bin Laden tape aired on Thursday, the CIA assesses that it was the voice of Osama bin Laden," said an agency official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to use a name.