Zawahiri tape says bin Laden was kind

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Ayman al-Zawahiri, the new leader of the terror outfit al-Qaida in a new video tape, has described his slain boss Osama bin Laden as a "nice, shy man."

Zawahiri, who took the leadership after bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces inside Pakistan in May, urged viewers to remember the "delicate," "human side" of the man, who was responsible for the deaths of 3,000 people in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States.

In the 30-minute tape, Zawahiri is heard saying "his brethren" had asked him to "shed light" on the "noble, refined side" of bin Laden, ABC News reported.

"People probably don't know. They remember the lion of Islam threatening America and (former President George W.) Bush, but people don't know that he was a very delicate, nice, shy man," Zawahiri is seen as saying.

He said bin Laden did not want those responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks to be forgotten and would "remember these brothers with extreme fidelity," the BBC reported.

Zawahiri, currently the most wanted terrorist in America, carries a $25 million U.S. government reward for information leading to his capture.