Taliban threatens Germany ahead of vote: official

German authorities have uncovered a new video threatening attacks against the country over its military engagement in Afghanistan ahead of this weekend's pivotal elections, an official has said.

German authorities have uncovered a new video threatening attacks against the country over its military engagement in Afghanistan ahead of this weekend's pivotal elections, an official has said.

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The new Internet video threats are believed to come from the Taliban, an interior ministry spokesman said on Friday, and demand that Germany withdraw its troops from the war-torn country.

They followed a separate message that emerged earlier on Friday from Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden with German subtitles demanding that Europeans leave Afghanistan.

Bin Laden's message came hours after a third German-language video in a week surfaced by another Al-Qaeda militant, Abu Talha al-Almani -- or "The German."

In the new video, a man calling himself "Ajjub" and speaking in German said, "Because of your commitment here against Islam, attacking Germany has become an attractive idea for us, the mujahideen," according to the spokesman. The militant said it was only a matter of time "before jihad destroys German walls."

Photos of famous German sites and events then appear, including Brandenburg Gate, Munich's Oktoberfest beer festival and Cologne Cathedral.