Osama wanted to kill Obama, Petraeus: US official

 
WASHINGTON: Osama bin Laden was planning to attack America on the 10th anniversary 9/11, according to documents seized by the US Navy SEAL team when they killed the al Qaeda leader during a raid last May.

Investigators discovered a hit list among the information they found in bin Laden's compound. The documents show the 10th anniversary plot was still in the discussion stage.

US officials say bin Laden and his operations chief talked about who would make up the attack team -- militants who had legitimate passports and other travel documents.

Officials also revealed to ABC News that bin Laden wanted to try to fly a small plane into a sporting event to cause mass casualties.

As far as the discovery of a hit list, officials said that bin Laden's primary target was President Obama.

His plan was to kill the president by shooting down Air Force One or Marine One, more than likely during an overseas trip.

Bin Laden also hoped to kill Gen. David Petraeus, then commander of US forces in Afghanistan the same way, either in a helicopter or fixed wing airplane with a missile or rocket-propelled grenade.

Investigators are also learning more about the travels of bin Laden's couriers, from the thumb drives taken from his compound.

Michael J. Morell, the acting director of the CIA, told his staff that one of their top priorities would be to make sure that neither that plan nor any others were carried out.

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