Yemen's al-Qaida offshoot says U.S. claims that it intercepted a
message between the local branch of the terror network and its chief,
Ayman al-Zawahri, were "propaganda."
In a statement
posted late Tuesday on a militant website, the group said the claims
were attempts "to justify the killing of Muslims in Yemen."
The
U.S. closed 19 of its diplomatic missions in the Middle East and Africa
early this month after saying it had intercepted a message between
al-Qaida chief al-Zawahri and Nasser al-Wahishi, the leader of the
Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, about plans for a major
attack.
The U.S. considers the Yemen branch of
al-Qaida to be the network's most dangerous. U.S. drones regularly
target its leaders and operatives.