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U.S. counterterrorism officials say they believe that senior al Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden, are involved in the latest failed terror plot against European cities. The multipronged scope of the emerging plan - which aimed to launch coordinated shooting sprees or attacks in Britain, France and Germany - is an al Qaeda hallmark. One U.S. intelligence official added, however, that the details of how the plan was directed or coordinated by the group's core leaders is not yet clear. The involvement of bin Laden and his core leaders, believed to be in hiding in Pakistan, underscores concerns about that country's role as a haven for al Qaeda and other Islamic extremists. U.S. officials have pressed Pakistan to increase its efforts to root out the militants hiding in the mountainous border region. Several officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence information.

Bin Laden's role in the European plot was first reported by NPR.Counterterrorism officials said that they are now working under the assumption that bin Laden played a role in the plotting, but they would not detail what indications they've seen that lead them in that direction. One senior U.S. official, meanwhile, discounted any involvement in the Europe terror plot by al Qaeda's North African affiliate. While al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is very dangerous in its region and may want to export its terror operations to Europe, there are no indications that it is able to do that... >>>