Al Qaeda calls Pope 'imposter,' Bush 'liar'

Ayman al–Zawahiri, the second–in–command of the dreaded terrorist outfit, Al Qaeda, has called the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI, an imposter, comparing him to the 11th Century pontiff who launched the First Crusade.

Besides criticizing the Pope in a video statement release, al–Zawahiri has also called the US President George W. Bush a "deceitful liar, who intentionally deceived [his] nation when [he] drove them to war in Iraq."

"This charlatan Benedict brings back to our memories the speech of his predecessor charlatan Urban II in the 11th Century ... in which he instigated Europeans to fight Muslims," al–Zawahiri said in the video statement, in a response to the pontiff's comments in September that sparked outrage across the Muslim world.

"This imposter crossed the line when he said that Islam is incompatible with reason," the Egyptian–born militant said in the 18– minute–long video message.

On September 12, Pope Benedict XVI quoted a Byzantine Christian emperor as describing some of the Prophet Mohammed's teachings as "evil and inhuman."

The text linked Islam with violence and said that the prophet commanded that the faith be "spread by the sword."

The Pope later said that he was "deeply sorry" for any offence his words may have caused.

In his message, al–Zawahiri linked the Pope's remarks to cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published a year ago, which sparked mass protests across the Muslim world.

"All these insults comes at a time when the crusades have intensified (in Muslim countries)," he said.