OSAMA Bin Laden's twisted successor is feared to have ordered an atrocity on tomorrow's tenth anniversary of 9/11 � to cement his control over al-Qaeda.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, 60, believes pulling off his own Twin Towers-style spectacular in America will see off rivals plotting to seize the leadership. New York and Washington were on maximum alert last night after intelligence experts uncovered a truck bomb threat.
The FBI's Janice Fedarcyk said: "Al-Qaeda has shown an interest in important dates and anniversaries. "In this instance it is accurate that there is credible, specific but unconfirmed information."
Fanatics
Egyptian surgeon al-Zawahiri was Bin Laden's loyal lieutenant and seen as the brains behind al-Qaeda. He seized control during a power struggle after Bin Laden was shot dead by US Navy Seals at his Pakistan hideout in May.
But his hold is far from secure and he is under threat from even more violent factions who want to launch indiscriminate attacks.
US officials are said to have confirmed that al-Zawahiri is behind the current alert. Their information suggests vehicles could be used to blow up bridges and tunnels as America honours the 3,000 killed a decade ago with vigils at New York's Ground Zero, Washington and Pennsylvania.
Police and the FBI are said to be trying to trace three suspects, including one US citizen, who recently entered the country.
Notes found in Bin Laden's lair after his death mentioned an anniversary outrage � possibly targeted against trains.
The new threat emerged from internet "chatter" and eavesdropping on suspects under surveillance. New York police commissioner Raymond Kelly immediately ordered vehicle checkpoints around Manhattan with extra focus on bridges, tunnels and public transport.
Security was stepped up at landmarks and all illegally parked cars were ordered to be towed away.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he would continue to take the subway to work. He added: "The best thing we can do to fight terror is to not let it intimidate us. "Our ceremonies will go on over the weekend exactly as planned."
David Cameron yesterday warned that al-Qaeda is busy rebuilding its organisation in Somalia and Yemen.
The PM said the focus was shifting to those impoverished countries after the fanatics were defeated in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
He added: "Tragically we now see the growth of al-Qaeda in Yemen and Somalia. Al-Qaeda and their operatives and allies are trying to take advantage of the fact that those states are broken."
LANGUAGE experts say 9/11 changed the way we talk, with several new words and phrases entering everyday use.
They include Ground Zero, full-body scanners, burkas, shoe-bombers, Sharia law � and 9/11 itself.
Bin Laden evil legacy is living on
By TREVOR KAVANAGH
Associate Editor
SEARING images of the slow-motion catastrophe engulfing the Twin Towers will live in our minds until the day we die.
The world has paid a huge price in blood and treasure for Osama Bin Laden's murderous fanaticism.
Security and surveillance costs billions and makes travel an expensive nightmare. World leaders meet behind a wall of steel.
London's financial centre, Westminster and Whitehall have been turned into war zones with bulletproof windows and tank traps disguised as ornate walls.
We live in perpetual fear of another attack � to mark the anniversary of 9/11 or 2012 Olympics.
So far nothing has matched the horror of 9/11. But to cite former IRA mouthpiece Gerry Adams, al-Qaeda has not gone away.
Britain, with its large population of young Muslims, is fertile recruiting ground for trainee terrorists.
Security chiefs estimate 50,000 Brits of Pakistani origin sympathise with anti-Western propaganda � and 3,000 active al-Qaeda members.
Universities offer a rich seam for the unscrupulous to seduce engineers and scientists with thoughts of "martyrdom".
Immigration from lawless Somalia has imported many with no allegiance to Britain or its way of life.
Osama Bin Laden may be dead but his evil influence lingers on.
Mayhem... replaced by silence
BY KAY BURLEY
Sky News anchor on 9/11
SEPTEMBER 11th, 2001, began with me coaxing reluctant colleagues into a voiceover booth to help with a "Safer Harrow" campaign.
In the studio there was little happening. I was just about to hand over to the sports presenter when the executive producer said in my ear: "We're hearing that a light plane has hit one of the World Trade Center towers in New York."
There were a few shattered windows and a small amount of structural damage to the North Tower.
We didn't yet have a camera feed from the opposite side of the building where the plane had struck.
I was live on air when the second plane hit the South Tower. It was simply unbelievable. An expletive in my earpiece from my producer put it much more bluntly.
We focused on "debris" falling from the upper storeys. It quickly became apparent that it was people trapped unable to find a way out of the buildings.
They were jumping to their deaths and their families were probably desperately watching our coverage for news. The mayhem in my earpiece was replaced with respectful silence. We cut to wider shots.
Within the hour both buildings had gone. It took less than 15 seconds for the South Tower to collapse. More than a hundred storeys and thousands of lives lost in as long as it took for you to read this paragraph.
Source: thesun.co.uk
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