New York - UPI
Osama bin Laden, the terrorist behind the attacks on the United States a decade ago, had a hit list that included President Barack Obama, officials said. Bin Laden wanted to assemble a team of terrorists to attack the United States on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon, and he remained obsessed with using aircraft to kill, ABC News reported Friday. U.S. officials uncovered the information in the "treasure trove" of material Navy SEALs confiscated after killing bin Laden at his compound in Pakistan May 2. Bin Laden wanted terrorists to fly a small plane into a professional sporting event to cause mass casualties, officials said. "We have so many small airports, you could fly below radar," said Brad Garrett, a former FBI special agent. "That's possibly doable." While bin Laden's primary hit list target was Obama, he also hoped to kill Gen. David Petraeus, commander of forces in Afghanistan, ABC News said. Petraeus has been tabbed to become the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Bin Laden wanted to shoot down Air Force One or Marine One, the president's plane and helicopter. "It's difficult, but not impossible, to shoot down either General Petraeus or the president's plane," Garrett said. "But the reality is because of the countermeasures and other planes and helicopters in the air, it's not a likely scenario."