Vigilance call over fears of revenge attacks

Security services were on high alert across the West after predictions of tit-for-tat bloodshed in the coming weeks.

Terror group al-Qaida will “undoubtedly” recover and strike back in retaliation, experts said, although the Government urged caution about “inflammatory” warnings from extremists of another July 7-style terror attack.

Defence Secretary Liam Fox has ordered British military bases to maintain a “high level of vigilance”.

But Home Secretary Theresa May said the country’s overall threat level from international terrorism remained unchanged at “severe”.

Ms May said: “There is a continuing need for everyone to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the police.”

Associates and supporters of bin Laden said the killing would not see an end to al-Qaida. Anjem Choudary, the former UK leader of the outlawed al-Muhajiroun organisation, said domestic attacks and “more intense fighting” in Iraq and Afghanistan would be sparked within days.

Reader in terrorism studies John Gearson, who is also director of the Centre for Defence Studies at King’s College, London, said embassies and military bases around the world will remain on high alert “for some time”.

“I think the significance of what has happened cannot really be overstated,” he said. “There will be concerns that there could be some sort of retaliation, that al- Qaida may well want to demonstrate that they are still strong and still in the game.”

A terrorism specialist at the University of Derby, Frank Faulkner, said revenge attacks were on the horizon.

“It’s just a case of when and where,” he said. “Every security operation in the world will be on the highest state of alert in readiness for any kind of attack by al-Qaida.”