WASHINGTON – The body of Osama bin Laden has been buried at sea, U.S. media outlets reported on Monday, one day after U.S. President Barack Obama announced the United States had killed the al-Qaida leader.
Bin Laden’s death comes almost a decade after al-Qaida organized the 9/11 terror attacks on New York and Washington.
"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-Qaida, and a terrorist who is responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children," Obama said.
"On nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al-Qaida’s terror: Justice has been done."
The stunning news of bin Laden’s death sparked spontaneous celebrations by crowds at the White House and at Ground Zero in Manhattan, where the World Trade Center towers fell on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
Obama said bin Laden had been killed Sunday by "a small team of Americans" who had tracked the al-Qaida leader to an extravagant compound in Pakistan.
Bin Laden’s death came after a firefight, Obama added. Administration officials later confirmed bin Laden’s death followed a helicopter raid and that the al-Qaida leader "resisted" the U.S. assault.
"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," Obama said.
U.S. networks cited sources saying bin Laden was shot in the head.
On Monday, U.S. media reports cited an unnamed U.S. official who said bin Laden’s body was buried at sea, and was handled in accordance with Islamic practice and tradition.
The Sept. 11, 2001, terror strikes were the worst attack ever on American soil, killing nearly 3,000 people, and making bin Laden the most wanted man on the planet. Two hijacked planes struck and destroyed the Twin Towers at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan. Another jet crashed into the Pentagon, while a fourth plane crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers overwhelmed the hijackers.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said "Canada receives the news of the death of Osama bin Laden with sober satisfaction."
Bin Laden’s death "secures a measure of justice" for the 24 Canadians who were murdered in the 9/11 attacks, Harper said.
However, "bin Laden’s death does not end the threat of international terrorism. Sadly, others will take his place," Harper added.
"But, this does remind us why Canadian armed forces personnel have been deployed to Afghanistan: to deny al-Qaida and organizations like it the use of Afghanistan, where the 9/11 attack was conceived and planned."
As Liberal party leader Michael Ignatieff greeted voters outside the Royal York subway station in his riding, he shared this thoughts on the death of Osama bin Laden.
"I think it is very, very good news. This was a mass murderer, this man was a threat to every freedom-loving person alive, frankly. He killed thousands of people of Muslim faith, he was not a hero in that faith, he was simply a mass murderer who had to be caught and found and punished. I hope it makes the world safer and we’ll have to remain vigilant because there is a network out there, it is still out there and Canadians need to be vigilant, but I think there is simply no question it is a moment of victory for everybody who loves democracy and loves freedom.
Ignatieff added he hopes bin Laden’s death has a positive effect in Afghanistan.
"Afghanistan desperately needs stability, it desperately needs peace and I hope that this event adds to peace and security in Afghanistan and also increased safety for our troops there."
NDP leader Jack Layton said he hopes the news of the death of Osama bin Laden marks "a turning point in the war on terrorism."
"The memories of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, where Canadians were counted among the murdered, still linger to this day. Those terrible events will be ingrained on our collective memory forever," Layton said.
Layton reminded Canadians of their country’s international role as a contributor of peace, security and prosperity.
He also offered his party’s "deep appreciation" to the women and men in uniform who work hard to make the world a safer place.
Obama gave the first few tantalizing details of the long operation to locate and kill bin Laden. Obama said he had been "briefed on a possible lead" on bin Laden’s whereabouts in August 2010.
"It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground," Obama said.
"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."
A senior administration official, speaking to reporters after Obama’s statement, said bin Laden had been found "living in a large home in a large compound in an affluent suburb of Islamabad."
Another official said the home was located in Abbottabad, north of Islamabad. The home was, according to U.S. intelligence, built in about 2005 and was about eight times larger than other homes in the area.
The area was home to many retired Pakistani military officers, and had been spared much of the extremist violence that has erupted in the country over the past several years.
"The compound has been in existence for roughly five years, but we don’t know how long bin Laden had been there," the official said.
The property was valued at about $1 million but had no phone or Internet service, another sign that led U.S. intelligence to believe bin Laden was being harboured inside. Residents at the home also burned their garbage, rather than put it out for pickup as others residents in the area did.
"It was custom-built to hide someone of significance," one official told reporters.
The White House said three other men were killed in the raid, including two couriers and one of bin Laden’s adult sons. One woman was also killed, the U.S. said, after being used as a human shield.
Following on the first tip about bin Laden’s possible whereabouts last summer, U.S. intelligence officials by mid-February 2011 had a "sound intelligence basis" to believe bin Laden was hiding at the compound, another senior official said. Obama held a total of five National Security Council meetings late this winter and early spring about bin Laden.
"The president gave the final order to pursue the operation that he announced to the nation tonight on Friday morning, April 29," the official said.
Obama told Americans that, upon taking office in early 2009, he had directed the U.S. military and intelligence communities "to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority" in the U.S. war against al-Qaida.
"The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al-Qaida," Obama said.
"Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There’s no doubt that al-Qaida will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must – and we will – remain vigilant at home and abroad."
In the background briefing to reporters, administration officials said Sunday’s killing of bin Laden was the result of many years of difficult intelligence work. According to one official, detainees captured by the U.S. after the 9/11 attacks had provided information about one of bin Laden’s trusted couriers, who was operating under an assumed name.
The U.S. discovered the true identity of the courier four years ago and, about two years ago, "identified areas in Pakistan where the courier operated," an official said.
Word of bin Laden’s death brought cheers of "U.S.A., U.S.A., U.S.A." from a small crowd gathered outside the White House late Sunday night. The crowd rapidly grew in size throughout the night, with people singing an impromptu version of the Star Spangled Banner.
As television cameras showed images of cheering crowds outside the White House Sunday night, the mood inside Barbara Arczynski’s home was more sombre.
The British Columbia woman lost her son in the 9/11 attacks. Michael Arczynski, 45, was a senior vice-president at Aon Corp. in the World Trade Center.
Asked for her reaction to news of bin Laden’s death, the mother said she didn’t know if she had any strong reaction.
She said the events of 9/11 continue to be "too upsetting" and "so painful" to think about.
"It happened. I have to live with that. It doesn’t change anything does it? Not as far as I’m concerned. What could it do?" she said.
"There are so many tragedies in the world. Terrorism has never been stopped. It’s going to keep going on."
Former president George W. Bush, who famously said he wanted bin Laden "dead or alive," said in a statement that Obama had called him earlier Sunday evening to inform him of bin Laden’s death.
"I congratulated him and the men and women of our military and intelligence community . . . They have our everlasting gratitude," said Bush, who was president during the 9/11 attacks. "America has sent an unmistakable message – no matter how long it takes, justice will be done."
While it took nearly a decade to hunt down and kill bin Laden, Obama said "we have never forgotten" the families who lost loved ones on 9/11.
Obama appealed for Americans to recall "the sense of unity that prevailed" in the nation following the 9/11 attacks.
"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.
"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."
Obama stressed that "our war is not against Islam."
"Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims," Obama said. "Indeed, al-Qaida 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."
Andre Gerolymatos, a terrorism expert at Simon Fraser University, said Sunday night that the death of Osama bin Laden will be a "lesson to other crazies out there that they won’t get away" with acts of terrorism.
However, he cautioned that bin Laden’s death could inspire other radical Muslims in Pakistan to retaliate against Americans in Pakistan and abroad.
Because bin Laden had been forced into isolation over the past decade, he was barely even running al-Qaida. Now, he’s going to become a martyr for other radicals and "in some respects, he could be more dangerous as a martyr," Gerolymatos said.
"They’re not going to take this news kindly. We’ll see demonstrations, riots, maybe against the American embassy (in Pakistan), maybe against their own government," he said.
The professor said it wouldn’t surprise him to see officials step up security monitoring in the U.S. and Canada in the weeks ahead.
Michel Juneau-Katsuya, a former CSIS intelligence officer, said Sunday night bin Laden’s death is a severe blow to al-Qaida, which had already been weakened from the recent wave of unrest in the Arab world.
However, he said he wouldn’t be surprised if bin Laden’s death still triggers an immediate "burst" of retaliation against the West.
"The infrastructure and chain of command within al-Qaida allows individuals or cells to take their own action," he said. "They don’t need to report to the centre. If one group starts and succeeds, it might signal to others to do the same thing."
One thing is certain: This event will score huge political points for Obama, who has been accused of being too soft on military and security affairs, Juneau-Katsuya said.
"This will, from a political point of view, hit the imaginations of American people and will rally more support (for Obama)," he said.
With files from Douglas Quan, Postmedia News
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