The leader of al Qaeda was killed today in a firefight with American soldiers in his $1million mansion hideout near Islamabad in Pakistan
In a dramatic statement President Barack Obama said the U.S. military had recovered the body and confirmed to the world he had finally been caught.
‘Tonight I can report to the American people and the world that United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda and a terrorist who is responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children,’ he said.
‘Justice has been done’.
Killed: Osama bin Laden, the most wanted man in the world, was killed by U.S. forces
Within minutes of the news breaking Americans began gathering outside the White House to sing the national anthem and chant: ‘USA! USA!'
In a spontaneous outpouring of emotion, thousands started cheering and clapping and waving American flags to show their support.
In his televised statement Mr Obama said that bin Laden was killed in a helicopter raid by a small group of U.S. Navy Seals who stormed his mansion in an affluent area 80 miles from Islamabad.
They were working on a tip which first surfaced last August after ‘years of painstaking work’ from the CIA and had taken months to run it into the ground.
‘Last week I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action and authorised an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice,’ Mr Obama said.
Scroll down to view footage of President Obama's announcement
Announcement: Barack Obama announces the death of Bin Laden during a special address to the nation from the White House, ending an almost ten-year hunt
'Today at my direction the U.S. launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. After a firefight they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.’
U.S. military posts around the world had been put on alert in case of retaliation attacks by Islamic radicals.
The State Department warned of the heightened possibility for anti-American violence after the news of bin Laden's death.
The department issued a worldwide travel alert shortly after Mr Obama's announcement.
'USA, USA': Crowds of Americans spontaneously gathered at the front of the White House as news broke that Mr Obama was about to announce a 'major development' in the hunt for Bin Laden
Ground Zero: Thousands gather at the site of of the former World Trade Center in Manhattan. The death of bin Laden has specific significance for New Yorkers
The department warned of an 'enhanced potential for anti-American violence given recent counter-terrorism activity in Pakistan'.
It continued: 'Given the uncertainty and volatility of the current situation, U.S. citizens in areas where recent events could cause anti-American violence are strongly urged to limit their travel outside of their homes and hotels and avoid mass gatherings and demonstrations.'
The alert said U.S. embassy operations would continue 'to the extent possible under the constraints of any evolving security situation'.
It noted that embassies and consulates may temporarily close or suspend public services, depending on conditions.
Mr Obama said that for more two decades bin Laden has been Al Qaeda’s ‘leader and symbol’ who has continued to plot attacks against America the West.
September 11: Bin Laden became a byword for terrorism around the world after he ordered the destruction of the World Trade Center towers in 2001
‘His demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity,’ he said.
‘On nights like this one we can say to those family’s who have lost loved ones to Al Qaeda: Justice has been done’.
Intelligence sources said that bin Laden had been hiding out in the $1million mansion which had ‘extraordinary’ security measures including 12ft-18ft walls surrounding it.
It was eight times larger than the surrounding homes, it was regularly serviced by couriers and residents living there routinely burned their rubbish rather than put it out on the street.
It was built in 2005 but despite the show of wealth there was no Internet of phone service linked up to the house.
The raid lasted just 40 minutes and was the result of a series of practice runs to ensure it went off flawlessly.
In addition to bin Laden one of his sons, two couriers and a woman died as she was used as a human shield when the soldiers stormed the house.
The dramatic development ends the manhunt for the man who was the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, which left 2,700 dead, and a string of other atrocities.
The outrage had a major impact on America foreign policy and led to the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.
But despite repeated attempts bin Laden proved elusive and managed to escape capture.
As the years rolled on he became the nemesis of former President George W Bush, who pledged to take him ‘dead or alive’ and whose two terms were dominated by a ‘war on terror’ against his al Qaeda network.
In a statement last night Mr Bush said that Mr Obama had phoned him with the news and he had offered his congratulations and his ‘everlasting gratitude’ to the U.S. military.
‘This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11 2001,’ Mr Bush said.
‘The fight against terror go on but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message that no matter how long it takes, justice will be done’
Relatives of those who died on 9/11 immediately welcomed the killing.
Carie Lamack, who lost her mom Judy on American Airlines flights 11 on 9/11, said: ‘I cannot express how this feels to my family. Relief is one word.’
Kenny Specht, a New York firefighter who survived 9/11, told CNN: ‘I’m proud to be an American tonight. I speak for all New York firefighters when I say that I hope to God he rots in hell.
‘We never gave up hope he’d be killed. That’s all we had.’
U.S. military posts around the world had been put on alert in case of retaliation attacks but as yet none have taken place.
The killing of bin Laden comes just months before the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centers and Pentagon.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Americans had kept their promise after September 11 to capture or kill bin Laden.
Mr Bloomberg said: 'The killing of Osama bin Laden does not lessen the suffering that New Yorkers and Americans experienced at his hands, but it is a critically important victory for our nation - and a tribute to the millions of men and women in our armed forces and elsewhere who have fought so hard for our nation.'
He said it's a tribute to the men and women in the armed forces who've fought so hard
WILL AL QAEDA NOW CRUMBLE OR GET STRONGER?
Security experts fear that Osama bin Laden's death will only strengthen the resolve of Islamic extremists to bring terror to the Western world.
Al Qaeda will immediately assert that it is still relevant, but ultimately the death of its leader and the U.S. taking custody of his body is a significant moral blow.
The terrorist organisation's No. 2, Egyptian-born doctor Ayman al-Zawahri, is widely tipped to take command.
While bin Laden remained the public face of terror, in recent years his operational role wound down as Zawahri took over as the brains behind the network.
In his most recent video message last month, he urged Muslims to fight NATO and American forces in Libya.
Like bin Laden, Zawahri was born into wealth. He is second after bin Laden on the FBI 'most wanted terrorists' list, having eluded capture when the Taliban was toppled in Afghanistan in late 2001.
He gained prominence in November 2008 when he called President Obama a 'house negro', a derogatory term used to describe black slaves loyal to white masters.
Zawahri, 60, has long been thought to be hiding along the rugged Afghan-Pakistan border.
Montasser al-Zayat, a lawyer in Cairo who once represented Zawahri, said: 'Ayman is for bin Laden like the brain to the body.'
BARACK OBAMA'S WHITE HOUSE SPEECH IN FULL
Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.
It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history.
The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory - hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.
And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child's embrace.
Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.
'The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory - hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction'
On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbours a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country.
On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family. We were also united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice.
We quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda - an organisation headed by Osama bin Laden, which had openly declared war on the United States and was committed to killing innocents in our country and around the globe.
And so we went to war against al Qaeda to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies.
Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counter-terrorism professionals, we've made great strides in that effort. We've disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defence.
In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban government, which had given bin Laden and al Qaeda safe haven and support. And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al Qaeda terrorists, including several who were a part of the 9/11 plot.
Yet Osama bin Laden avoided capture and escaped across the Afghan border into Pakistan.
Meanwhile, al Qaeda continued to operate from along that border and operate through its affiliates across the world. And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network.
Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground.
I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan. And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorised an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.
'Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body'
Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed.
They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.
For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda's leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al Qaeda.
Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There's no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must - and we will - remain vigilant at home and abroad.
As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not - and never will be - at war with Islam. I've made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims.
Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity.
Over the years, I've repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was. That is what we've done. But it's important to note that our counter-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding.
Indeed, bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well, and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people.
Tonight, I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts. They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations.
And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates. The American people did not choose this fight. It came to our shores, and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens.
'And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today's achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people... we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to'
After nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war. These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who's been gravely wounded.
So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defence of our citizens and our friends and allies. We will be true to the values that make us who we are.
And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda's terror: Justice has been done. Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counter-terrorism professionals who've worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome.
The American people do not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice.
We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day.
Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores.
And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today's achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.
The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it's the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.
Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America. ( dailymail.co.uk )
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