**An audio message purportedly by al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has been released on an Islamist website.**The message, entitled “a statement to the American people”, was about 10 minutes long and was accompanied by a still image of Bin Laden but no video.
The message comes just two days after the US marked the eighth anniversary of the 11 September attacks on America.
Bin Laden is thought to be hiding in mountainous terrain on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.