Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden threatened the European Union with grave
punishment on Wednesday over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. In an audio
recording posted on the Internet, Bin Laden said the cartoons were part of a
"crusade" in which he said the Catholic Pope Benedict was involved. 
 The message was released on the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of
Iraq. 

The al Qaeda leader, blamed for the Sept. 11 attacks on U.S. cities, issued
a number of messages late last year after a hiatus of well over a year raised
speculation that he might be dead or incapacitated.  Bin Laden, who is
believed to be hiding in remote areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan, has
tended to release messages to mark significant dates or events.