WASHINGTON, Sept 10 (AFP) - CIA analysts have concluded that a videotape aired Thursday by al-Jazeera television is an authentic message from al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahir, a CIA official said Friday.
"Following a technical analysis of the videotape aired yesterday by al-Jazeera, the CIA assesses with high confidence that it is Ayman Zawahiri," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
It was the first time Zawahiri has appeared on videotape personally delivering a message since December 2001, some three months after al-Qaeda militants flew hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
In the videotape, which was timed for the third anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attack, Zawahiri, an Egyptian who is believed to be al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant, predicted a US defeat in Iraq and Afghanistan
CIA analysts are studying the tape for hidden messages activating al-Qaeda sleeper agents.
A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the content analysis was not yet complete and he noted that past messages by top al-Qaeda leaders were not always followed by major attacks.
Zawahiri has surfaced from time to time since December 2001 with audio messages, some of which have been combined with silent video images of him.
He was last shown in a video broadcast last September walking with bin Laden in a green mountainous area.
But the latest video was unusual in that Zawahiri, seated before a plain backdrop with an assault rifle at his side, spoke directly to camera.
Al-Jazeera, which has run clips of the video, said he made reference to the crisis in Darfur, suggesting it was made recently, the US official said.