Expert Calls Bin Laden Killing 'Tremendous Blow to Al Qaeda'

“Osama Bin Laden’s death is a tremendous blow against Al Qaeda and its many terrorist branches worldwide. Over the past decade, bin Laden had become a powerful symbol of terrorist success and Western failure: a living, breathing, U.S.-defying figure who inspired divine worship. Now that has all changed.

“As I wrote in my 2009 book ‘Human Killing Machines: Systematic Indoctrination in Iran, Nazi Germany, Al Qaeda, and Abu Ghraib,’ 'the best scenario might be if he is killed by soldiers in a surprise attack, leaving a clearly identifiable corpse. It would be quick, degrading of his lofty image, and could shake Al Qaeda’s agents confidence in their system and its goals.'

"Many terrorists who previously believed that bin Laden enjoyed success because 'Allah wills it' can no longer be so certain. Terrorist leaders and operatives who were in denial of the risks they faced must now confront the fact that no one is invincible, and even the mightiest of them may fall. In turn, Islamic suicide terrorists who comforted themselves with the notion that Allah supported their missions and would reward them in paradise must now question the very core of their beliefs."