BBC: A Libyan Islamist group has joined al-Qaeda, according to an audio message on the internet attributed to the radical network's second-in-command.
Ayman al-Zawahri purportedly said the Fighting Islamic Group in Libya was becoming part of al-Qaeda.
Earlier this year Algeria's Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat also claimed to have joined the network.
The recorded message called on Islamists to topple North African as well as Palestinian leaders.
"O nation of jihad, support your sons so that we defeat our enemies and rid our homeland of their slaves," said the recorded voice attributed to al-Zawahri, referring to the leaders of Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.
In the message, the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, is described as "an enemy of Islam" and criticised for giving up weapons of mass destruction in 2003, in exchange for an end to Libya's international isolation. Libyan Islamists 'join al-Qaeda' (more)
Mark Alexander
