It turns out it's not just the big global powers that have to worry about odd-ball conspiracies misleading potential supporters and tarnishing their image abroad. Seems the upstarts don't have it that easy either. Usually it's Israel or various anti-defamation type groups lashing out at conspiracy theorists alleging that Israel had some role in the 9/11 attacks. But now al Qaeda is lashing out at Iran for spreading conspiracy theories alleging an Israeli role in the attacks. And not some pseudo-qaeda like the outfit in Iraq, but the genuine article.

Ayman al-Zawahiri is attacking Iran for spreading the Israel-9/11 conspiracy theory in order to deny Sunni al Qaeda its hard-earned reputation as the leading practitioner of mass-casualty terrorist attacks against America.

"The purpose of this lie is clear - [to suggest] that there are no heroes among the Sunnis who can hurt America as no-one else did in history," said Zawahiri.

Late Update: As a number of you have noted, Zawahiri seems to be cribbing his latest from this old episode from the Onion News Network ...