Thailand says purported al-Qaeda video is fake

July 31, 2013

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BANGKOK, Thailand – Deputy Prime Minister Pracha Promnok said Monday (July 29th) that a video purportedly posted to YouTube by "al-Qaeda" containing death threats against former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was staged, local media reported.

Pracha said those behind the video hold opposing political views and want to topple the government, The Bangkok Post reported.

He added that the video was uploaded outside Thailand, making it a challenge to catch those responsible. "It's impossible that Thai politics is linked with al-Qaeda. The video makers want to discredit and bring down the government and don't want to see peace in the country. The people in the video are not al-Qaeda members. If they were, they would not show their faces, and the audio is not in sync with the video," he added.

The Nation reported that the 2:45 video was uploaded Friday, Thaksin's birthday, by "mansoor ahmed Volvo". It showed men dressed like Middle Easterners speaking in Arabic and English and threatening to kill the former prime minister.

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