Washington May 2
The heady US street celebrations that erupted after the death of Osama bin Laden gave way on Monday to stepped up security amid fears of revenge from the worldwide militant networks he inspired.

Thousands of cheering, flag-waving people gathered at the White House and on the streets of New York City overnight to rejoice in the killing of the Al-Qaida leader responsible for the deaths of nearly 3,000 people in hijacked plane attacks on both cities nearly a decade ago.

By daybreak, the police had increased security in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago in the wake of bin Laden's killing by U.S. forces at a fortified compound north of Islamabad, Pakistan. Public enemy No. 1 was gone, but it was clear bin Laden's legacy — Islamic militant networks around the world — remained.

"Insofar as the bigger picture goes, he is yesterday's man. The global jihad rages on," said Pamela Geller, a conservative activist who led protests against a mosque planned near the World Trade Center site. "I don't think we're safer," said Evonne McKee, 56, a grant-writing consultant from Mount Dora, Florida. "The hate for America didn't go away because he's gone away."

New York's Times Square was even more heavily guarded than usual, with multiple police cars parked on every corner and uniformed officers patrolling the square in pairs. A police helicopter hovered overhead and police set up a mobile watchtower. There was no specific threat cited by federal or local authorities, who said extra patrols or increased monitoring of sensitive sites were precautionary measures. In Washington, US homeland security officials were at a "heightened state of vigilance" for possible retaliatory attacks, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said.

The capital's transit authorities stepped up patrols by uniformed officers on buses and subways and an extra fence was put up around the White House. Security also was tightened at U.S. military and air force bases in the southern United States, including the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, headquarters of both the US Central Command and the US Special Operations Command. Many welcomed the extra vigilance.

"I think we ought to be really on our toes because I'm sure they're thinking of retaliation. They have to be," said Orlando retiree Chuck Hagan. At the Guantanamo Bay US naval base, some prisoners in the detention camp created to house hundreds Al-Qaida-linked suspects after the September 11 attacks were watching television when news broke with word of bin Laden's death. Air Force Lt Col Don Langley, the camp spokesman, said there was no unusual reaction from the remaining 172 prisoners or their guards. "We're continuing with business as usual. This is not the end of the story for us," he said. — Reuters