WASHINGTON — A former Obama administration official says al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden wanted to see President Barack Obama and Gen. David Petraeus assassinated.
But Michael Leiter tells NBC’s “Today” show he didn’t think that necessarily was bin Laden’s highest priority, suggesting the terrorist leader dreamed of another large-scale, 9/11-type attack on the United States.
Asked by “Today” host Matt Lauer today whether bin Laden’s aim of seeing Obama assassinated was more of a “wish-list” than a plot, Leiter agreed.
Leiter served as head of the National Counterterrorism Center during the Obama administration. He was present with Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the White House a year ago as they monitored the U.S. operation that killed bin Laden at a Pakistan compound.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.