US officials say al-Qaeda had plans to hijack or sink oil tankers in order to prompt a spike in prices and trigger an economic crisis in the West.

An indignant Pakistan has appointed a senior military leader to probe how Osama bin Laden was able to hide near an army academy undetected for years.

US President Barack Obama has decided not to release a "gruesome" photograph of Osama bin Laden’s body, lest it be used as a propaganda tool.