Top story: As intelligence officials sort through the information seized during the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, they said that the terrorist chief appeared focused on replicating the 9/11 attacks and their deadly impact on the United States.
Though bin Laden was confined to his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, he regularly sent messages to his top deputies and the leaders of al Qaeda franchises across the world. And some of those figures appeared irritated by bin Laden's constant exhortations to attack the United States, fearing that an attack would trigger a major U.S. retaliation.
The evidence seized so far suggests that bin Laden did not give tactical orders to his lieutenants or al Qaeda franchises, but rather focused on big-picture strategic advice. He was in regular contact with Ayman al-Zawahiri, his top deputy, as well as Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, the organization's third in command. The documents also confirm that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which U.S. counterterrorism officials had already seen as the great threat to U.S. interests, is the "first among equals" in terms of its relationship with the al Qaeda core.
The seized material was taken from over 110 digital storage devices, and represents millions of pages of text. It is currently being translated from Arabic at a CIA facility in northern Virginia.
Libyan rebels make gains in Misrata: Libya's rebels seized control of Misrata's airport, and are now in physical control of the entire city.
Middle East
-
Yemeni security forces fired on protesters, killing at least 12 people.
-
Libyan state TV aired the first footage of Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi in almost two weeks.
-
Thousands of students held an anti-government demonstration in the Syrian city of Aleppo.
Americas
-
The Defense Department is considering a plan that would allow detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to receive visits by family members.
-
Former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya wants to return to the country, his close associates said.
-
Hedge fund billionaire Raj Rajaratnam was found guilty of insider training.
Africa
-
A scientific study concluded that 48 women and girls are raped every hour in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
-
France canceled all of Togo's debt, which amounted to approximately $143 million.
-
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was sworn in for a fourth term in office.
Europe
-
A German court found John Demanjuk guilty of helping to murder 28,000 Jews while serving as a guard in Nazi Germany.
-
Finland's rival political parties agreed to support an EU bailout of debt-strapped Portugal.
-
British Prime Minister David Cameron invited the Libyan opposition government to open an office in London.
Asia
-
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder insisted that the raid that killed bin Laden was "not an assassination."
-
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Afghanistan for talks with the government of President Hamid Karzai.
- Australia charged a man with 89 counts of people smuggling following a shipwreck that left at least 50 dead.
AFP/Getty Images
Read More
(2)
HIDE COMMENTS LOGIN OR REGISTER REPORT ABUSE