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Supporters of hardline pro-Taliban party Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Nazaryati rally in Quetta, Pakistan. (AFP: Banaras Khan)
International law enforcement agency Interpol has called for extra vigilance in the wake of the killing of Osama bin Laden by US special forces.
The United States has issued security warnings to Americans worldwide, and a top Republican lawmaker briefed by the White House on bin Laden's death said US security agencies were working to prevent any attacks on the United States or its installations overseas."This is a key moment because Al Qaeda has to avenge. This is a terrible defeat for them and they have to move as quickly as they can and it's up to us to stop them," said congressman Peter King.
Across Europe, leaders have welcomed the news of bin Laden's death but are also warning their embassies to be vigilant amid fears that a strike against Western interests is now more likely than ever.
Britain has told its embassies to review their security for fear of reprisals following the killing.
Foreign secretary William Hague says there may be parts of Al Qaeda that try to show they are still in business in the coming weeks.
"This is a very serious blow to Al Qaeda but, like any organisation that has suffered a serious blow, they will want to show in some way that they are still able to operate," he said.
Tony Blair, British leader at the time of the September 11 attacks and London bombings, offered his thanks to Barack Obama for hunting down the world's most wanted man.
"I do think it is important that we emphasise that this battle is not over," he said. "The narrative that bin Laden represented, which is that Islam is in fundamental battle with the West, that narrative still exists.
"It still has its adherents, it's still at work in the world and we've got to carry on until we defeat it and eliminate it."
Mr Hague's French counterpart, Alain Juppe, also warned against "excessive optimism" in the wake of the killing, saying: "Al Qaeda still exists. There are deputies. There are structures."
Japan says it is also stepping up security at its military facilities to protect itself against any reprisals.
Similar announcements have also been made by India and Malaysia.
Australian security and intelligence agencies have kept the threat level at medium, saying a terrorist attack is feasible and could happen at any time.
Security forces are on alert in Pakistan and Afghanistan over fears of revenge attacks.
Afghan president Hamid Karzai is urging the Taliban to lay down their weapons, but police and troops across the country are bracing for the insurgents to hit back after the killing of bin Laden.
Many Afghans believe the killing of the terrorist commander will do little to stop the insurgency.
Some of bin Laden's supporters in Pakistan are in mourning and the Pakistani Taliban is warning of retaliation against foreigners and the government.
In Brussels the heads of the European Union said bin Laden's death had made the world a safer place.
A short time later while touring a wind farm in Berlin, German chancellor Angela Merkel took a moment to congratulate Barack Obama for his proud achievement.
Michael Shore, a former senior CIA officer who helped set up the unit responsible for targeting bin Laden, says Al Qaeda still presents a very real threat.
"The organisation remains very resilient, they'll come up with another leader to follow Osama bin Laden and the fight will go on... as it will against the Taliban and other groups around the world," he said.
Vows of revenge
Meanwhile, supporters of bin Laden's violent campaign took to militant internet sites to vow revenge."The lions will remain lions and will continue moving in the footsteps of Osama. O Allah, America will not enjoy safety and security until we live it in Palestine," one user wrote on the Shumukh al-Islam forum.
"The celebrations are amusing. Cheer all you want infidel, you only have a limited amount of time in this life in which to do it," another wrote.
In Iraq, ravaged by nearly a decade of violence in the battle between bin Laden and the West, some were cautious about the circumstances in which Washington announced bin Laden's death.
"This is the end of this play. The play about the character of bin Laden that was fabricated by Americans to deform the image of Islam and Muslims," said Ali Hussain.
"How can you can convince me that all these years America could not kill or even reach him. Americans knew bin Laden suffered from health problems. Maybe he was approaching his death and they wanted to exploit it."
In non-Arab Iran, a sworn enemy of the United States, some ordinary people were also sceptical of Washington's account: "Are we sure that he has been killed?" said Tehran shopkeeper Ali Asghar Sedaghat. "Or is it another game of the Americans?"
- ABC/wires
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