Just in from Reuters, with thanks to Rebecca Bynum:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has fairly recently asked his chief ally in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, to consider the territory of United States as a target for terrorist attacks, a U.S. counterterrorism official said on Monday.
“There has been communication between bin Laden and Zarqawi with bin Laden suggesting to Zarqawi the U.S. homeland as a target,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The official said the communication was “a fairly recent development” and contained no specific threat to the United States. But the official declined to provide details for fear of compromising U.S. anti-terrorism efforts.