Claire Perry, Tory MP for Devizes, has revealed her own personal link with victims of the terrorist attacks organised by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who has been shot dead in Pakistan.
She knew victims of the 9/11 disaster in New York, where she worked as a banker, and has written letters of condolence to the families of British soldiers who lost their lives fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.
“The death of bin Laden brings an enormous sense of relief for me,” she told Marlborough News Online. “Having lived in New York for so long, I knew many people who lost their lives in the 9/11 atrocity.”
“Since becoming an MP, and with over 10,000 soldiers living in my constituency, I have had to write several letters of condolence to local families of those who have lost loved ones, or seen then returned badly hurt from the war on terror.”
“Today’s news shows that their sacrifices have not been in vain. However, I am concerned that there will be reprisals as a result of this action and note that even at Ground Zero in New York City, police and civilians are warned to be on their highest alert today.”
Bin Laden was shot dead by American special forces in Pakistan on Sunday after its intelligence operation had spent two years tracking him down to a new hideaway.
Prime minister David Cameron has urged that Britain must remain vigilant against potential reprisals and has asked British embassies to review their security measures while the formal threat level in the UK remains unchanged.
Meanwhile, Wikileaks has alleged that Pakistani security forces helped bin Laden evade American troops for almost a decade, according to secret US government files. The leak of information follows the diplomatic furore caused by David Cameron last year when he told Pakistan that it could not “look both ways” on terrorism.
