Osama Bin Laden's Death: Terrorists Will 'Almost Certainly' Respond
Poll: Obama Gets Credit for bin Laden Death, But Not By Much
May 3, 2011Reuters - President Barack Obama gave the order for a daring raid on a compound inside Pakistan in which the most wanted man on earth was killed, but only 32 percent of Americans say he deserves the most credit for Osama bin Laden’s death.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that 13 percent of Americans gave former President George W. Bush credit, while 25 percent said neither.
Most Americans, 52 percent, said the killing of bin Laden in the Sunday secret operation did not change their view about Obama’s leadership, while 39 percent said it improved their view and 10 percent said it worsened theirs.
Their views on Obama’s handling of the war on terrorism had a similar breakdown — 50 percent unchanged, 42 percent improved and 7 percent worsened.
The successful raid most changed the public’s view of the performance of U.S. intelligence agencies — 66 percent improved — and the military — 64 percent improved.
The poll was conducted on May 2, the day after Obama announced bin Laden was dead. It surveyed 1,010 adults online.
WeAreChange journalist Luke Rudkowski hits the streets right after Obama’s announcement in front of the White House on the front lines of the Infowar. The hysteria and planned propaganda have been masterfully executed by the Obama administration but watch Luke try to educate the erratic public about the truth behind Bin Laden. Luke also pleads with Geraldo Rivera to talk about WTC Building 7 (as he has in the past) in conjunction with reports about Bin Laden’s death. - Luke Rudkowski, Luke reports outside White House after Bin Laden’s death, WeAreChange.org, May 2, 2011
Fears bin Laden Killing May Spark Reprisals
ABC News - International law enforcement agency Interpol has called for extra vigilance in the wake of the killing of Osama bin Laden by US special forces.
The United States has issued security warnings to Americans worldwide, and a top Republican lawmaker briefed by the White House on bin Laden's death said US security agencies were working to prevent any attacks on the United States or its installations overseas.
"This is a key moment because Al Qaeda has to avenge. This is a terrible defeat for them and they have to move as quickly as they can and it's up to us to stop them," said congressman Peter King.
Across Europe, leaders have welcomed the news of bin Laden's death but are also warning their embassies to be vigilant amid fears that a strike against Western interests is now more likely than ever.
Britain has told its embassies to review their security for fear of reprisals following the killing.
Foreign secretary William Hague says there may be parts of Al Qaeda that try to show they are still in business in the coming weeks.
"This is a very serious blow to Al Qaeda but, like any organisation that has suffered a serious blow, they will want to show in some way that they are still able to operate," he said.
Tony Blair, British leader at the time of the September 11 attacks and London bombings, offered his thanks to Barack Obama for hunting down the world's most wanted man.
"I do think it is important that we emphasise that this battle is not over," he said. "The narrative that bin Laden represented, which is that Islam is in fundamental battle with the West, that narrative still exists.
"It still has its adherents, it's still at work in the world and we've got to carry on until we defeat it and eliminate it."
Mr Hague's French counterpart, Alain Juppe, also warned against "excessive optimism" in the wake of the killing, saying:
"Al Qaeda still exists. There are deputies. There are structures."
Japan says it is also stepping up security at its military facilities to protect itself against any reprisals.
Similar announcements have also been made by India and Malaysia.
Australian security and intelligence agencies have kept the threat level at medium, saying a terrorist attack is feasible and could happen at any time.
Security forces are on alert in Pakistan and Afghanistan over fears of revenge attacks.
Afghan president Hamid Karzai is urging the Taliban to lay down their weapons, but police and troops across the country are bracing for the insurgents to hit back after the killing of bin Laden.
Many Afghans believe the killing of the terrorist commander will do little to stop the insurgency.
Some of bin Laden's supporters in Pakistan are in mourning and the Pakistani Taliban is warning of retaliation against foreigners and the government.
In Brussels the heads of the European Union said bin Laden's death had made the world a safer place.
A short time later while touring a wind farm in Berlin, German chancellor Angela Merkel took a moment to congratulate Barack Obama for his proud achievement.
Michael Shore, a former senior CIA officer who helped set up the unit responsible for targeting bin Laden, says Al Qaeda still presents a very real threat.
"The organisation remains very resilient, they'll come up with another leader to follow Osama bin Laden and the fight will go on... as it will against the Taliban and other groups around the world," he said.
April 2011: Capturing bin Laden 'Would Unleash Hell'
April 26, 2011NineMSM.com - The mastermind of the 9/11 attacks warned that al-Qaeda has hidden a nuclear bomb in Europe which will unleash a "nuclear hellstorm" if Osama bin Laden is captured, leaked files revealed.
The terror group also planned to make a 9/11 style attack on London's Heathrow airport by crashing a hijacked airliner into one of the terminals, the files showed.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed told Guantanamo Bay interrogators the terror group would detonate the nuclear device if the al-Qaeda chief was captured or killed, according to the classified files released by the WikiLeaks website.
Sheikh Mohammed, the self-professed mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, has been held at Guantanamo since 2006 and is to be tried in a military court at the US naval base on Cuba over the attacks. His nuclear threat was revealed in Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper, one of several media outlets which have published the classified assessments of detainees at Guantanamo.
The German weekly Der Spiegel, also citing WikiLeaks, said that Sheikh Mohammed had told his interrogators he had set up two cells for the purpose of attacking Heathrow in 2002. The aim was to seize control of an airliner shortly after take-off from Heathrow, one of the world's busiest airports, turn it around and crash it into one of the four terminals.
Sheikh Mohammed said one cell had been formed with the aim of taking flying lessons in Kenya, while the other had been tasked with recruiting participants. He said the plot had been discussed several times at the highest level of al-Qaeda. One component had involved the infiltration of ground staff at the airport, according to Der Spiegel.
Another attack given the green light in late 2001 would have targeted "the tallest buildings in California" with hijacked airliners, Der Spiegel reported. The attackers would have gained access to the airliner cockpits by setting off small bombs hidden in their shoes, it said.
Sheikh Mohammed, captured in 2003 in Pakistan, also claims to have personally beheaded US journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002 with his "blessed right hand" and to have helped in the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing that killed six people.
Der Spiegel noted that his "confessions" should have be treated with caution as they could have been extracted through torture. Sheikh Mohammed is known to have undergone the method known as "waterboarding".
Former US president George W. Bush claimed in his memoirs published last year that using the interrogation technique -- which simulates drowning -- helped prevent planned attacks on Heathrow and London's Canary Wharf business district. He also told the London Times newspaper in November that it was "damn right" that he had authorised use of the method on Sheikh Mohammed.
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