CIA Studying Zawahiri Tape For Hidden Messages: US Official

WASHINGTON, Sept 9 (AFP) - CIA analysts have begun studying a videotape featuring Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri to try to determine when it was made and whether it contains any hidden messages, a US intelligence official said Thursday.
The videotape was aired by Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television just two days before the third anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
While there was little doubt that the man on the tape was Zawahiri, the intelligence official, who asked not to be identified, said analysts were just beginning to study the tape, clips of which were shown by Al-Jazeera.
He said they would look for references in the Zawahiri message that might date when the video was made. They also will be examining it for hidden messages, he said.
Al-Qaeda has been suspected of secretly conveying messages about operations to its followers through video and audio tapes aired on television.