The deputy head of Al Qaeda's Yemeni branch accused Egypt and Saudi Arabia of helping 'crusaders' wage a war against the Arabian peninsula, in an audiotape posted on Islamist websites Monday.

Said Ali al-Shihri, also known as Abu-Sufian al-Zaidi, was released in 2007 from the US Navy's detention centre in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to his native Saudi Arabia.

There he graduated from a 'rehabilitation' programme before fleeing the country to join militants in Yemen, where he quickly rose to become Al Qaeda's second-in-command in the Arabian Peninsula.

In the audiotape released Monday, al-Shihri accused Saudi Arabia and Egypt of 'preserving the interests of Jews and Christians' by supplying them with oil and allowing them access to the waters surrounding the peninsula.

He accused Arab states of helping 'crusaders' and 'Jews' to 'wage a war on Muslims in the Arabian peninsula'.

Al-Shihri said the US and other international powers are 'indirectly waging war on several fronts' in Yemen by collecting intelligence with unmanned drones, 'turning Muslims against each other ... and distorting the image of the mujahideen' militants.

The Al Qaeda leader praised Somali Islamist militants for fighting 'the leader of the international infidels, America', and called on Yemeni tribes to 'stand up like men', and not to cooperate with those 'who conspire against Muslims'.

Al-Shihri praised Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab for his failed attempt to blow up a passenger aircraft over Detroit in December, and warned of future attacks, 'even if it costs us dearly'.