President Obama announced the death of the FBI’s most wanted terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, Sunday night in a special televised statement from the White House. Bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda and a mastermind behind the September 11 attacks, was killed in a mansion in Abbottabad, Pakistan by a team of U.S. Special Forces.
The tip on Bin Laden’s whereabouts first came in August 2010. Officials believe the mansion was built in 2005 for the purpose of hiding him. President Obama ordered Bin Laden’s capture on Friday and the mission was carried out Sunday afternoon. Bin Laden was reportedly shot in the head after refusing to surrender. Four other people, including Bin Laden’s son and a woman being used as a “human shield,” were also killed.
"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,” President Obama said Sunday night.
A government official told CNN the operation was intended to killed Bin Laden, not capture him alive. DNA samples and photographs were taken to officially identify the body. In adherence to Muslim customs, Bin Laden was buried within 24 hours of his death.
With Bin Laden’s death come concerns over retaliation against Americans. CIA Director Leon Panette warned that terrorists “almost certainly will attempt to avenge” Bin Laden. The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert for Americans. "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 to avoid mass gatherings and demonstrations," the department said.
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