The world needs to remain “vigilant” about potential terrorist reprisals in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s killing, Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said Tuesday.
Mr. Rudd touched on the al Qaeda leader’s demise Tuesday during a question-and-answer session at the Brookings Institution in Washington, saying that “we as civilized nation-states have a legal and moral responsibility” to deal with mass murderers.
“People can run, they can hide, but ultimately our resolve is to track them down,” Mr. Rudd said. “It’s exactly the right thing to do. We don’t have any alternative to that.
“At the same time, we are realistic about the fact that this action by itself also might create the possibility of other responses by terrorist organizations all over the world,” he said. “We’ve seen various statements from various groups already that criticized the demise of Osama bin Laden, including Hamas.”
Ismail Haniyeh, the Gaza-based leader of the militant Palestinian group, praised bin Laden as a “holy warrior” Monday, calling his killing by Navy SEALs “a continuation of the U.S. policy based upon oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood.”
A former prime minister, Mr. Rudd assumed his post as foreign minister in September.
• Ben Birnbaum can be reached at 138247@example.com.
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