Members of militant Islamist forums said on Monday they prayed the news of Osama bin Laden's death was not true and hinted at retaliation if it was.
They were reacting to word from Washington that the al Qaeda leader was killed in a shootout with US forces on Sunday.
"Oh God, please make this news not true... God curse you Obama," said one message on an Arabic language forum. "Oh Americans... it is still legal for us to cut your necks."
US forces killed bin Laden in a raid on his hideout in Pakistan, President Barack Obama said, ending a nearly 10-year worldwide hunt for the mastermind of the September 11 attacks.
His killing, in a mansion outside of the Pakistani city of Islamabad, dealt a symbolic blow to the global militant network, although Islamist forum posters said the strike would not change their commitment to fighting Western powers.
