,
bjd WigOsama Bin Laden Is Dead
By
John Hudson May 01, 2011
Osama bin Laden is dead, reports CNN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and several other news agencies. The U.S. government has the Al-Qaeda leader's body, which was recovered in a mansion outside of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
President Obama,
bjd Wig, in an address to the country, said he ordered the attack on the compound last week on a lead that dated back to August. No Americans were harmed during the attack which was carried out today. After a fire fight, bin Laden was killed by U.S. agents who flew in on helicopters. Obama said it's important to note that Pakistani intelligence officials helped the U.S. learn of bin Laden's location. "Justice has been done... May God bless the United States of America,
bjd Wig," said the president.
"It was a human operation not a drone," reports CNN, with the
Associated Press confirming that detail.
12:30 p.m. The mansion where bin Laden was killed, in Abbottabad, Pakistan (about 80 miles north of Islamabad) has already been
mapped on Google Maps (we can't confirm its accuracy):
12:27 p.m. Here's the
transcript of President Obama's speech reprinted below at the 11:35 p.m. timestamp.
12:23 p.m. CNN reports that the operation was carried out by helicopters that entered Pakistan from Afghanistan.
12:19 p.m. Mike Huckabee issues a strongly-worded
statement:
It has taken a long time for this monster to be brought to justice. Welcome to hell, bin Laden. Let us all hope that his demise will serve notice to Islamic radicals the world over that the United States will be relentless is tracking down and terminating those who would inflict terror, mayhem and death on any of our citizens."
11:50 p.m. A jubilant crowd has gathered outside the White House singing the "Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America." A Getty photographer is on the scene:
11:45 p.m. A large crowd has also gathered outside of the former site of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. "Sirens are blaring and clapping and cheers are erupting,"
tweets Lexi Mainland of the New York Times. "At ground zero, candles being passed out. Chants of 'USA!' ...Generally, a sense of people not sure what to do yet."