The US has warned its citizens overseas to be on high alert against “anti-American violence” following the death of Osama Bin Laden, while Political Capital analyst Ghanem Nuseibeh said hotels could be on the target list.
“AQAP [Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula] will present a greater threat to Yemen and the Gulf in the coming weeks,” Nuseibeh said. “AQAP out of Yemen and out of Saudi in particular will be looking to take revenge.
“Prime interests will be American interests, whether it’s American businesses or American citizens. We suspect that they may also even look at soft targets... such as hotels and public places. Americans will need to be vigilant.”
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Bin Laden was killed in Islamabad in a firefight with a team of US operatives who raided the compound where he had been hiding. After 40 minutes of fighting, bin Laden and an adult son, one unidentified woman and two men were dead.
Theodore Karasik of the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis said al Qaeda would likely have established plans in place for retaliation.
“I think we need to be vigilant against a possible attack,” he said in an interview Monday.
“Al Qaeda is the kind of organisation that has prepared plans for retribution in the case that bin Laden was killed or captured. The question is: are these plans still valid?”
America and its citizens will need to be on high alert against possible attacks, particularly on memorable anniversaries or dates, Karasik said.
“Dates to watch for are 40 days from now… at the end of the grieving period and September 11,” he said.
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