Obama watched Bin Laden die on live video as shoot-out beamed to White House
- Obama watched assault on compound housing bin Laden in real time
- Terror chief blasted in head after refusing offer to surrender
- Three adults including Bin Laden's 'son' reportedly killed in raid
- Compound was yards from Pakistan's 'Sandhurst' military academy
- Body buried at sea after Saudi Arabia 'declines to take corpse'
- DNA tests 99.9 per cent certain man killed WAS Bin Laden
- U.S. embassies on alert over Al Qaeda reprisal attacks
- Obama and George W. Bush both declare: 'Justice has been done'
Via a video camera fixed to the helmet of a U.S. Navy Seal, the leader of the free world saw the terror chief shot in the left eye.
The Seal then carried out what is known in the military as a ‘double tap’ – shooting him again, probably in the chest, to make certain he was dead.
Intense: President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, alongside other Security staff, watch the mission unfold at the White House
Taking command: President Obama talks with members of the national security team in the White House situtation room following the conclusion of the mission
Making his point: The President speaks during one of a series of meetings which took place in the Situation Room as National Security Advisor Tom Donilon listens
She died, along with three other men, including one of Bin Laden’s sons. Within hours, the Al Qaeda leader’s body was buried at sea.
Despite President Obama claiming the master terrorist’s death made the world a ‘safer, better place’, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency declared that terrorists would ‘almost certainly’ respond.
The warning came on a day when:
- Relations between Pakistan and the West were under intense strain amid disbelief that intelligence chiefs in Islamabad had no idea Bin Laden was living in a compound only 800 yards from the country’s leading military academy.
- U.S. officials sought to justify the torture of detainees at Guantanamo Bay by claiming it provided the crucial breakthrough in hunting down Bin Laden.
Dead: Osama Bin Laden was killed in a U.S. special forces operation on his Pakistani compound - It emerged that a terror operative captured in Pakistan in 2004 said Al Qaeda would detonate a nuclear bomb in the U.S. if Bin Laden were killed or captured.
- The White House claimed Bin Laden’s name was called by his wife during the raid and then he was identified by facial recognition by DNA samples taken from his body.
- Questions were raised over the swiftness of the 40-minute operation and why the U.S. offered the terror chief’s remains to his Saudi Arabian homeland before burying him swiftly at sea within hours
Last night the Prime Minister chaired a meeting of the Government’s emergency planning committee Cobra to assess the implications for the UK. Security sources have been told of specific threats against targets in North Africa and Europe.
Officials in Britain fear a ‘lone wolf’ – currently off the security services’ radar – could be inspired to take revenge.
There is no specific intelligence pointing to any attack in response to Bin Laden’s death, but it is ‘common sense’ to be on guard, Whitehall officials say.
Possible targets include popular tourist and business locations including the Houses of Parliament, Canary Wharf and the London Eye, say security experts.
President Obama announced bin Laden’s death in a televised statement shortly after 11.30pm Eastern Time on Sunday night.
In a moving address, he recalled the images of images from the 2001 terror attacks which were ‘seared into our national memory’.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed when four jetliners hijacked by Al Qaeda extremists crashed in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. The attack left ‘a gaping hole in our hearts’, said President Obama.
Pit of evil: A king size bed where Bin Laden may have once slept at the secretive compound in Abbottabad. Blood from a gun battle can be seen at the foot of the mattress
Gun fight: A pool of blood on the floor suggests that one Al Qaeda member was shot close to their bed, while right, a wardrobe pulled open by U.S troops to ensure that none of Bin Laden's clan were hiding in the room
Last night he added: 'Today we are reminded that as a nation there is nothing we can’t do.'Describing the scene in the Situation Room as they watched the mission in ‘real-time’, President Obama’s counterterrorism adviser John Brennan said: ‘It was probably one of the most anxiety filled periods of time I think in the lives of the people who were assembled here yesterday.
'The minutes passed like days and the President was very concerned about the security of our personnel.
‘That is what was on his mind throughout and we wanted to make sure that we would get through this and accomplish the mission. But it was clearly very tense. A lot of people holding their breath.’
The announcement of bin Laden’s death sparked jubilant celebrations in America, with crowds gathering outside the White House and at Ground Zero where the Twin Towers had stood in New York.
Former U.S. president George Bush - in the White House when the attacks took place - described the news as a ‘momentous achievement’.
‘America has sent an unmistakable message: no matter how long it takes, justice will be done,’ he said.
Carnage: Blood can be seen on the floor from where Osama was reportedly surrounded by three men, including his son, and a woman who formed a human shield against U.S. troops
CIA director Leon Panetta said: ‘Though bin Laden is dead, Al Qaeda is not. The terrorists almost certainly will attempt to avenge him, and we must - and will - remain vigilant and resolute.’
Astonishingly, bin Laden was holed up in a heavily-protected mansion a short distance from Pakinstan’s equivalent of Sandhurst military academy in Abbottabad, about 50 miles from the capital Islamabad.
The discovery he had been living in the garrison town rather than the lawless tribal areas of the North West frontier prompted fresh suspicions that he was being protected by Pakistan’s ISI intelligence agency.
Despite being said to be worth $1million, the property had no internet or telephone connections, fuelling suspicions about its true purpose.
President Obama said he was first briefed that bin Laden had been traced last August. The crucial information was gleaned from a detainee who had been tortured at Guantanamo Bay.
After studying countless pieces of intelligence, he formally gave the mission the go-ahead on Friday.
Shortly after 1am on Monday local time, troops from Navy Seal Team Six, an elite counter-terrorism unit, swooped in four helicopters.
His home country, Saudi Arabia, refused to take his remains. The terrorist’s body was buried at sea, after being given an Islamic funeral, preventing his grave being turned into a shrine for extremists.
Bin Laden's lair: The compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, was half a mile from a military academy. If it had been hit in an air strike there would likely have been civilian casualties
The worldwide reaction came as the first pictures emerged of the blood-splattered scene of the gunfight inside the sprawling complex where the terror chief slept.An official, who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity, declined to specify the methods of identification, but two Obama administration officials said DNA evidence confirmed the death.
The officials claimed the DNA evidence provides a match with 99.9 per cent confidence.
The U.S. is believed to have collected DNA samples from bin Laden family members, including his sister, in the years since 9/11.
It was unclear whether the U.S. also had fingerprints or some other means to identify the body on site.
U.S. officials have said that Bin Laden's body has already been buried at sea in order to prevent the grave from becoming a shrine for extremists.
The mission was revealed in a dramatic statement late last night when President Obama said the U.S. military had recovered Bin Laden's body and confirmed to the world he had finally been killed.
‘Tonight I can report to the American people and the world that the 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’.
Today, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned the Taliban 'you cannot wait us out' in Afghanistan, urging the insurgents to break with Al Qaeda and enter a peaceful political process.
'Our message to the Taliban remains the same, but today, it may have even greater resonance,' Clinton said. 'You cannot wait us out. You cannot defeat us. But you can make the choice to abandon Al Qaeda and participate in a peaceful political process.'
Defiant messages: President Obama said the world is a 'safer place', Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed to 'take the fight' to Al Qaeda and Counter Terrorism Chief John Brennan said it was a 'defining moment'
Within minutes of the news breaking, Americans began gathering outside the White House to sing the national anthem and chant: ‘USA! USA!'
White House Counter Terrorism Chief John Brennan said today that the woman bin Laden used as a shield from U.S. troops was one of his wives.
Mr Brennan called the operation a 'defining moment' in the war against terror where the U.S. had 'decapitated the head of the snake'.
He described the operation as 'one of the most anxiety-filled times' and 'minutes passed like days', adding that President Obama reacted to learning of bin Laden's death by saying: 'We got him'.
Shares in New York fell back today after recording early gains, with the Nasdaq and Dow Jones hardly changed at 2pm local time.
Analysts said although bin Laden's death could reduce security risks and raise U.S. consumer sentiment, it will do little to help longer-term risks hanging over global economies.
In a spontaneous outpouring of emotion, thousands started cheering and clapping and waving American flags to show their support.
Large groups of Americans still hurting from the 9/11 attacks also gathered at 'ground zero' in New York to celebrate the news.
Paul Lagrandier, a retired New York firefighter who was part of the rescue for September 11 said he felt mixed emotions.He told MailOnline: 'I'm saddened for the people who were affected by the tragedy and have to go through all this again.'
Deserted: Nestled among trees and in the shadow of Pakistan's mountains, Bin Laden's hideaway stands empty today after a helicopter raid by U.S. troops that killed the terror chief yesterday
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Lair: A large sheet covers the U.S. helicopter that crashed in the grounds of the compound where Bin Laden lived with his youngest wife and his trusted aides
Clean up: The remains of the U.S. helicopter that crashed during the mission are driven away on a tractor through Abbottabad today
Useful information: 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed provided the nom de guerre of one of bin Laden's most trusted aides
Officials say CIA interrogators in secret overseas prisons developed the first strands of information that ultimately led to the killing of bin Laden.
9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed provided the nom de guerre of one of bin Laden's most trusted aides. The CIA got similar information from Mohammed's successor, Abu Faraj al-Libi.
Both were subjected to harsh interrogation tactics inside CIA prisons in Poland and Romania.
Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney defended waterboarding in 2008 after it was authorised for use on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other accused Al Qaeda members during 2002 and 2003.
U.S. military sources revealed tonight that Bin Laden had been taken by surprise by the attack by a small team of U.S. Navy Seals who landed in the grounds of the compound under the cover of nightfall.
He had been living at the luxury home with his youngest wife Amal al-Sadah.
Near miss: One of the U.S. helicopters crashed over a wall within the compound after coming under heavy fire from rocket propelled grenades. However, all special forces troops escaped safely
Guarded: Pakistani soldiers today patrol the compound where Bin Laden lived and was last night killed, and right, police stop people as they secure the scene
The facility, surrounded by high walls and barbed wire, is in a suburban part of Pakistan, although it is unclear if the country's officials or local residents knew that Bin Laden lived there.
Details of his residence - in a major hub for tourists visiting the region - will cast new questions over Britain's relationship with Pakistan. British aid to the country was last year doubled to £60m. During an operation in which troops were on the ground for just 40 minutes, they stormed the terror chief's hideaway.
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Secure: This CIA image shows Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad and the measures he took including security walls up to 18ft high in places and opaque windows
Hideout: The Bin Laden compound was found only a few hundred yards from the military academy known as Pakistan's Sandhurst in the garrison town of Abbottabad, Pakistan
Four helicopters took part in the attack on the two-storey house, which is understood to be within 100 yards of a military building in Abbottabad, a garrison town which is home to thousands of Pakistani troops.
According to Pakistani officials in the town, fighters on the roof opened fire with rocket propelled grenades as the aircraft came close to the building. Pakistani officials and local people said one of the helicopters crashed.
In a dramatic finale, it is said that Bin Laden was offered the chance to surrender. But the leader, who had always said he would not be captured alive, refused and was blasted in the eye by special forces.
Abbattobad: The remote town in northern Pakistan, named after James Abbott, the British major who founded the town in 1853, sits beneath towering hills
Three of the terror leader's men, including a man believed to be his own son, were also killed in the raid alongside a woman. They reportedly tried to act as a human shield in a furious firefight.
U.S troops returned to the damaged helicopter, but they were forced to carry Bin Laden's body to a working aircraft.
A picture purporting to be the terror leader was shown on Pakistani TV this morning but it was later proved to be a fake as the beard and hair were noticably darker than in previous videos of him.In his televised statement Mr Obama said that Bin Laden was killed in a helicopter raid by a small group of Navy Seals who stormed his mansion in an affluent area 80 miles from Islamabad.
The announcement: Barack Obama makes a special address from the White House that confirmed that Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden had been shot dead by Navy Seals
‘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.
'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.’
Experts said that by taking out the wanted man, American special forces had cut off the 'head of the snake'.
But U.S. military posts around the world had been put on alert in case of retaliation attacks by Islamic radicals.
They day they had waited for: Dionne Layne, facing camera, hugs Mary Power in the shadow of the Freedom Tower in New York as they react to the news of the death of Osama bin Laden
Mixed emotions: Grief etched into his face, a father among cheering crowds outside the White House clutches the pictures of his son killed on 9/11, while right, two supporters pain their faces with the colours of the USA
Peace: A woman makes a sign for peace as she celebrates among the crowds who chanted 'USA, USA' outside the White House shortly after Obama made the announcement
Justice: For these New Yorkers the memory of the atrocity committed on 9/11 still real, but there was a glimmer of hope today as they converged on the site of the World Trade Centre
The department issued a worldwide travel alert shortly after Mr Obama's announcement. They 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.'
CIA Director Leon Panetta said Al Qaeda would 'almost certainly' try to avenge Bin Laden's death.
'Though Bin Laden is dead, Al Qaeda is not. The terrorists almost certainly will attempt to avenge him, and we must - and will - remain vigilant and resolute,' Panetta said.
Confirmed kill: The FBI changed their most wanted terrorists site to show that Bin Laden is now 'deceased'
Attacked: A picture claiming to show Bin Laden's bloodied face was played on Pakistani TV although claims later emerged that the image had been faked
The alert said U.S. embassy operations would continue 'to the extent possible under the constraints of any evolving security situation'.
RISE OF THE FACE OF TERROR
Osama Bin Laden was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the 17th child of 52 children sired by one of the richest men in the country.
Osama’s father Muhammad died when he was 11 years old, and he grew up with his mother, stepfather and their three other children.
He studied at the elite Al Thagher Model School in Jedda, where the teachers were members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist political group begun in Egypt that at the time promoted violent means to achieve Islamic governance.
Bin Laden went on to study civil engineering in Jedda, graduating in 1979. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December of that year, Bin Laden left to join the Afghan resistance, the mujahideen.
He fought in Afghanistan for six years, rising to the rank of a guerrilla commander by 1986. In 1988, heavily influenced by the writings of Sayyid Qutb and the teachings of Ayman al Zawahiri, he formed Al Qaeda.
Al Qaeda – Arab for ‘the base’ – was a group of ex-mujahideen funnelling money and fighters back to the resistance. Using his family’s fortune, Bin Laden developed Al Qaeda into a militant trans-national network.
He returned to Saudi Arabia but was soon exiled to the Sudan for his opposition against the American-allied monarchy.
Throughout the 1990s he launched a series of attacks on U.S. interests, including the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998 and the attack on the USS Cole in 2000.
Then came September 11.
After the attacks on America, Bin Laden went into hiding. He has been hunted by the U.S. as the world’s most wanted terrorist ever since.
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.
‘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’.
News of Bin Laden's death was welcomed today by political leaders around the world. Prime Minister David Cameron said that the move was ' a massive step forward' while Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a 'triumph for justice'.
In a televised statement later at Chequers, Mr Cameron said: 'This news will be welcomed right across our country.
'Of course, it does not mark the end of the threat we face from extremist terrorism. Indeed, we will have to be particularly vigilant in the weeks ahead. But it is, I believe, a massive step forward.
'Osama Bin Laden was responsible for the death of thousands of innocent men, women and children right across the world - people of every race and religion.
'He was also responsible for ordering the death of many, many British citizens, both here and in other parts of the world.
'I would like to congratulate the US forces who carried out this brave action. I would like to thank President Obama for ordering this action.
'And I think it is a moment when too we should thank all of those who work day and night, often with no recognition, to keep us safe from the threat of terror.
'But above all today, we should think of the victims of the poisonous extremism that this man has been responsible for.
'Of course, nothing will bring back those loved ones that families have lost to terror. But at least they know the man who was responsible for these appalling acts is no more.'
Foreign Secretary William Hague told the BBC: 'I believe it was the right thing for the US to do and I think we should be relieved that Osama Bin Laden's terror - his own personal role in that terror - is now at an end.'
France's President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the killing as a coup in the fight against terrorism, but he too warned it did not spell al Qaeda's demise.
Welcoming Bin Laden's death, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: 'This is a resounding triumph for justice, freedom and the values shared by all democratic nations fighting shoulder to shoulder in determination against terrorism.'
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 compound is just a few hundred yards from Pakistan military academy and sits in a region popular with visiting tourists.
The raid lasted just 40 minutes and was the result of a series of practice runs to ensure it went off flawlessly.
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.
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
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 mother 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
But as news of the death spread around the world, many cautioned that it would not end terrorist attacks or ease suffering of those who lost loved ones in Al Qaeda bombings.
Haroun Mir, an Afghan analyst in Kabul, said: 'Al Qaida will continue.'
He said the death in a raid on a mansion in Pakistan vindicated long-term allegations by Afghanistan that bin Laden enjoyed "safe havens" in the neighbouring country.
John Gearson, reader in terrorism studies and director of the Centre for Defence Studies at King's College London, said organisations across the globe were now likely to 'ramp up' their security.
'I think the significance of what has happened cannot really be overstated,' he said. 'I would expect embassies and military bases around the world to be on high alert for some time.'
Pakistan's High Commissioner in the UK insisted that the country's authorities were not aware of bin Laden's presence in Abbottabad prior to the attack.
President Zardari learnt of the operation after it had been carried out, said High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan.
Mr Hasan told BBC Radio 5 Live: 'Nobody knew that Osama bin Laden was there - no security agency, no Pakistani authorities knew about it.Had we known it we would have done it ourselves.
'The fact is that the Americans knew it and they carried out the operation themselves and they killed Osama bin Laden and then later our President of Pakistan was informed that the operation was successful, and that's it.'
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-Zawahiri, is widely tipped to take command.
While Bin Laden remained the public face of terror, in recent years his operational role wound down as Zawahiri 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.
Zawahiri, 60, has long been thought to be hiding along the rugged Afghan-Pakistan border.
Montasser al-Zayat, a lawyer in Cairo who once represented Zawahiri, said: 'Ayman is for Bin Laden like the brain to the body.'
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