July 19, 2002	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 8, 1423

WASHINGTON, July 18: Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden may be dead, but the threat to US security from the remains of his organization is still real, Dale Watson, head of the FBI’s anti-terrorist unit, said on Wednesday.

“Is he alive or dead? I personally think he’s probably no longer with us anymore. But I have no evidence to support that,” Watson said in a rare public declaration.

Watson’s belief is contrary to that of other senior FBI officials, who have suggested that Osama may likely have survived the US bombardment of his Afghan hideouts.

His comments are the latest twist to international rumours over the fate of Osama, with the absence of hard fact only fuelling persistent — and often contradictory — speculation.

On Monday, a senior Arab journalist said to have close links to the Al Qaeda leader claimed in London that Osama bin Laden was alive and in good health despite having sustained a shrapnel injury to his shoulder during the US bombardment.

Watson insisted that the threat of further terrorist strikes against the United States was still real.—AFP