They might have good reasons not to admit it publicly, but they wouldn’t be able to keep it hidden from intelligence agencies forever. There would be signs. If and when he dies, major AQ members will have to start communicating in some way to figure out what they’ll do next, that kind of thing.
If we want to take Rune’s logic a step further. Osama’s mother killed Osama.
His value lies mainly in his message, which is just as relevant even after his death, and not in his ability as a tactician or anything else. In fact, Osama was heavily criticised for the timing of 9/11 and for using tactics not sanctioned by the Koran, such as killing without first offering a chance to convert.
Were al Quaida to later be found to have been untruthful to followers, to have hidden his death, they’d be putting their credibility and validity at risk. There’s nothing to be gained by hiding his death. Just like as the war on terror has discovered, it’s a lot harder to kill an idea than a man. Ideas can live on well beyond the pitiful duration of their inventor’s existance.
What about the $360 million fortune 9of the bin Laden family) which is bankrolling Al-Queda? The money has to come from somewhere. If I were the 2nd-in-command, i’d keep OBL’s death a secret, and just keep issuing tapes/videos, etc. They could keep the thing going for years that way.
Are you suggesting they’re capable of wire fraud?