In an interview conducted by al-Sahab (the media production house of al-Qaeda) on September 11, 2005, al-Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al Zawahiri said: " 'I call upon the mujahidin to focus their campaign on the stolen petroleum of the Muslims. Most of its revenue goes to the enemies of Islam, and what's left [behind] is plundered by the thieves who rule our countries. This is the greatest theft in the history of mankind. The enemies of Islam are consuming this vital resource with unparalleled greed. It is incumbent upon us to stop this theft any way we can, in order to save this resource for the sake of the Muslim umma [world community].' "
– Raymond Ibrahim, ed./trans., The Al Qaeda Reader, 182