Traditional artisans in southern Italy have put a clay statuette showing US President Barack Obama holding Osama bin Laden’s head on sale in an unusual reaction to the Al-Qaeda chief’s killing.

The statuette was fashioned by artisans who usually make religious figures for the elaborate Christmas Nativity scenes typical of the city of Naples. They have branched out in recent years into pursuing more contemporary themes.

The hand-painted figurine shows the American President grinning and flashing a victory sign. Bin Laden’s disembodied head is also smiling.

Artisans in Naples have a reputation for their quick reaction to news events.

When Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was struck in December 2009, statues with his bloodied face appeared on sale within hours. (AFP)

Pope’s ‘miracle’

It was more than just an answer to prayer.

The US military mission that cornered and killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan was nothing short of a miracle, said Peru’s President Alan Garcia, who attributed the divine intervention to newly beatified Pontiff John Paul II.

“His first miracle has been to rid the world of this incarnation of evil, this demon of hatred and criminality,” the Peruvian leader said, referring to the Al-Qaeda leader.

The late John Paul II showed uncanny timing, with his miracle falling on the very same day as a Rome ceremony beatifying him.

Mr Garcia said the late Pontiff wasted no time in performing the second miracle needed for sainthood, making it possible for American commandos to find and kill their hated Al-Qaeda foe, whom they had hunted for the past decade.

Panic in Nigeria

The death of Osama bin Laden sparked panic in parts of riot-hit northern Nigeria, causing a number of Christians to flee to military or police barracks out of fear of reprisals, police said yesterday.

Those who fled in the main northern city of Kano remained at the barracks for several hours on Monday before authorities convinced them it was safe to return to their neighbourhoods, said police spokesman Magaji Majia.

“It was just people who feared something was going to happen,” he told AFP, adding that there were no reprisal attacks.

“Some of them came to the barracks. We talked to them and they went back. They remained there for some hours.”

He referred to those who fled as “non-indigenes”, the phrase that usually applies to Christians in Nigeria’s mainly Muslim north.

Relatives OK

The Pakistani government yesterday said that family members of Osama bin Laden were in safe hands and being looked after, with some undergoing medical treatment at top facilities.

“Questions have been asked about the whereabouts of the family members of Osama bin Laden,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“They are all in safe hands and being looked after in accordance with law. Some of them needing medical care are under treatment in the best possible facilities.”

The government said that “as per policy” the relatives would be handed over to their countries of origin.

The Foreign Ministry statement did not give the number of relatives in their hands or their relations with bin Laden.

A security official, however, told AFP on condition of anonymity that there were 16 family members, all women and children, in Pakistan’s hands.

“They include women and children, but no adult male.” He described them as being of Middle Eastern origin, mostly Saudis.

‘Alert’ feared

CIA director Leon Panetta said in an interview yesterday that officials ruled out informing Islamabad about a planned raid against Osama bin Laden’s compound, as they feared their Pakistani counterparts might alert the Al-Qaeda chief.

Mr Panetta told Time magazine that “it was decided that any effort to work with the Pakistanis could jeopardise the mission. They might alert the targets.”

For years, Pakistan’s government denied suspicions that Bin Laden was hiding inside its borders, but a US assault force found him a mere 50 kilometres from the Pakistani capital living near a military academy. (AFP)

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