Al Qaeda Commander Calls for Islamic Rule in Libya

CAIRO (AP) — An al-Qaida commander who escaped a U.S. prison has urged Libyans to overthrow Moammar Gadhafi's regime and establish Islamic rule.

Abu Yahia al-Libi says in a video posted on a militant website that after the fall of the regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, it is now Gadhafi's turn. A transcript of the video was provided Sunday by SITE Intel, a U.S. group that monitors militant messages.The authenticity of the 31-minute video posted on militant websites late Saturday could not be verified.

Gadhafi has accused the protesters and rebels seeking to end his longtime rule of being tools of al-Qaida. The rebels have no known links to the terrorist organization.

Al-Libi escaped from Afghanistan's Bagram prison in 2005. His nickname Al-Libi is Arabic for Libyan.

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