Updates on Bin Laden's Death, May 2 - NYTimes.com

#Osama lived in a mansion in #Pakistan, he wanted #Afghans and #Pakistanis to reside in cavesMon Could 02 06:54:29 through webAbdulhadi Hairan
Hairan

I am Only a tweeter, awake on the time with the crash. Not a lot of twitter users in Abbottabad, these guys are more into facebook. That’s all.Mon May possibly 02 05:57:46 via TweetDeckSohaib Athar
ReallyVirtual

A huge window shaking bang here in Abbottabad Cantt. I hope its not the start of something nasty :-SSun Might 01 20:09:10 via TweetDeckSohaib Athar
ReallyVirtual

Uh oh,Tiffany Brisbane, now I’m the guy who liveblogged the Osama raid without knowing it.Mon May possibly 02 04:41:46 via TweetDeckSohaib Athar
ReallyVirtual

Scene at #GroundZero like “my team beat the rival team”. What did I expect?tourists come here and pose for pictures, site of mass slaughter.Mon Might 02 05:19:25 via Twitter for iPhoneMona Eltahawy
monaeltahawy

Michael Skolnik, via Yfrog
Mona Eltahawy, an Egyptian-American journalist and blogger – who just got her American citizenship – wrote that she was taken aback by the tone with the celebrations near Ground Zero, which she compared to the reaction from fans of a victorious sports team.
Here is video of President Barack Obama’s complete statement on the killing of Osama bin Laden on Sunday:

Over on The Caucus, my colleague Michael Shear is rounding up the reaction from political leaders to the news that American forces killed Osama bin Laden on Sunday in Pakistan. Here is what former President George W. Bush had to say:
Earlier this evening, President Obama called to inform me that American forces killed Osama bin Laden, the leader in the Al Qaeda network that attacked America on September 11, 2001. I congratulated him and the men and women of our military and intelligence communities who devoted their lives to this mission. They have our everlasting gratitude. 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. The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.

My colleague Salman Masood reports from Islamabad, the Pakistani capital:
There has been no public official confirmation by Pakistani authorities yet on the killing of Osama bin Laden but a spokesperson of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency confirmed that Osama bin Laden is dead but did not provide any further details and did not say where.
“He is dead”, the ISI spokesperson said Monday morning. “It was a joint intelligence operation. Beyond that I'm not able to comment right now.”
Express News, a local Urdu television channel, reported that around midnight on Sunday, three helicopters attacked a house in the Bilal Town neighborhood of Abbottabad, a city in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkwa province, located just 150 kilometers from the capital Islamabad. Local residents were reported to have said that the inhabitants of the huge compound had been living there for the past six years and did not interact with the neighbors.
Here is a video report from an English-language Pakistani television station:

Here is the complete text of President Barack Obama’s speech announcing the death of Osama bin Laden, from the White House Web site:
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,Tiffany Australia, 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 a lot 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.
On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors 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,Tiffany Jewellery, 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 organization 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,WHERE ARE THEY NOW The Fully Sick Rapper Is... Feeling Better And Out Of Quar, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we’ve made great strides in that effort. We’ve disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense. 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 with 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 with 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,Tiffany Au, 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 a lot 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 authorized 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.
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 counterterrorism 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. 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 defense 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 counterterrorism 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 with 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,Tiffany Bracelet, 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. Could God bless you. And could God bless the United States of America.

We are still waiting for video of President Barack Obama’s entire speech announcing the death of Osama bin Laden to be posted online, but The Associated Press has uploaded this central part from the speech to YouTube: