A senior Al-Qaeda operative in Afghanistan, Abu Yahya al-Libi, on Thursday slammed calls for closer ties between religions made by the Saudi monarch, warning in a video statement that it would bring churches to the heart of Islam. Without naming King Abdullah, Libi warned: "If you don't face up today like heroes to this mischievous tyrant, and let deviant ulamas [Muslim scholars] justify his stupidity, soon would be the day when you see church bells ringing in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula." "I swear by Allah, it is the moment of gain for the one who wants to be among the leaders of martyrs ... to stand up to this insane apostate, and falsify his nonsense," Libi said. "No moderation. No rapprochment, no cooperation between us and other religions."