Al Qaeda leader urges lone wolf attacks in U.S. and other countries in new audio recording

In a new recording released over the weekend, Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri called on young Muslim men in the United States and other Western countries to carry out lone wolf attacks

"I call on all Muslims who can harm the countries of the crusader coalition not to hesitate. We must now focus on moving the war to the heart of the homes and cities of the crusader West and specifically America." " he said in an audio recording posted online, referring to nations making up the Western-led coalition in Iraq and Syria, which includes Australia.

The former Egyptian doctor suggested Muslim youth in the West take after the Tsarnaev brothers who carried out the Boston maraton bombings, and the Kouschi brothers responsible for the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris, as examples to follow.

He urged unity between Islamist militant factions in Syria and Iraq, where a Western-led coalition is bombing Islamic State targets, but recognised it would be difficult. Ayman also called for the formation of an independent sharia court to settle disputes.