Al Qaeda confirmed Osama bin Laden’s death on Friday and warned of retaliation. The announcement came via a statement posted on internet website forums commonly used by the militant group and reportedly warns that Americans’ “happiness will turn to sadness.”

The group has not said anything since the death of Osama on Monday, but the statement is allegedly dated 3 May 2011. It’s also supposedly signed by “the general leadership” of Al Qaeda, whoever they are.

The statement, first reported on by the Search for International Terrorist Entities (SITE) Intelligence Group, and 11 pages in total is titled “You lived as a good man, you died as a martyr”.

It’s also yet to be independently confirmed as authentic but purportedly says the following:

We stress that the blood of the holy warrior sheik, Osama bin Laden, God bless him, is precious to us and to all Muslims and will no go in vain.

We will remain, God willing, a curse chasing the Americans and their agents, following them outside and inside their countries.

Soon, God willing, their happiness will turn to sadness, their blood will be mingled with their tears. It is impossible, impossible. Sheik Osama didn’t build an organization to die when he dies.

The university of faith, Quran and jihad from which bin Laden graduated will not close its doors.

It continued that bin Laden was not killed in vein and that he went:

along an established path followed by the best of those who came before him and those who will come after him.

The soldiers of Islam will continue in groups and united, plotting and planning without getting bored, tired, with determination, without giving up until striking a blow.

The statements authors didn’t seem to be aware that the burial had already taken place at sea and warned that “any harm (to the body) will open more doors of evil, and there will be no one to blame but yourselves.”

In addition, the statement reportedly confirms that an audio tape recorded roughly a week before Osama’s death will be released soon. It also took the opportunity to call on Pakistani’s to revolt against its leaders in order to “cleanse the shame.”

Nobody is actually sure who will be the next to succeed bin Laden. But, his deputy Ayman al-Zawahri is now the most popular figure in the group to fit the bill and is likely to take his place.

[Source: Yahoo via AP]