The White House said Friday it was "highly vigilant" to security threats following al Qaeda's threat to avenge the US killing of its leader, Osama bin Laden. "We are quite aware of the potential for activity and are highly vigilant on that matter for that reason," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.
Carney also noted that an al Qaeda message issued earlier confirmed the death of the mastermind of the September 11 attacks, who was killed in a clandestine US mission in Pakistan on Sunday. The SITE monitoring group reported that the terror network confirmed the death of bin Laden Friday and swore revenge for his killing by elite US commandos, some of whom President Barack Obama will meet on Friday.
"We in al Qaeda organisation pledge to Allah the Almighty and ask his help, support and steadfastness to continue on the path of jihad, the path walked upon by our leaders, and on top of them, Sheikh Osama," SITE said, quoting the statement. It said that "the blood of the mujahid Sheikh Osama bin Laden, may Allah have mercy upon him, weighs more to us and is more precious to us and to every Muslim than to be wasted in vain". The statement specified the location of bin Laden's death and those responsible, and so is likely to squelch fringe conspiracy theories that were beginning to form about his demise.
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