Washington: Al Qaeda planned terrorist attacks on symbolic dates on the calendar, including major holidays and the tenth anniversary of the World Trade Centre attacks next September 11, it has emerged.
Evidence uncovered from Osama bin Laden’s compound indicated that al Qaeda had been planning another attack on September 11, 2011 in United States of America, The New York Post reports.
However, intelligence officials also said that with the July 04 holiday approaching, there was no specific, credible information to indicate whether terrorists were planning to strike over America’s Independence Day weekend, the paper said.
With bin Laden's death in Pakistan, the US officials said that they were looking for three things.
First, whether any plots were in the pipeline before his death.
Second, whether al Qaeda affiliates in Yemen and Somalia would step up with a major strike to fill his void, and third, whether a lone wolf would use Osama’s death as justification to launch an attack to coincide with September 11.
The officials said that evidence found in Osama’s compound, including handwritten notes and computer thumb drives, confirmed suspicions that he wanted to strike at symbolic times.
ANI
First Published: Wednesday, June 29, 2011, 11:46