Osama Bin Laden has been killed by the U.S. military after a decade-long hunt to avenge the 9/11 attacks, President Barack Obama has revealed.

The 54-year-old leader of Al Qaeda was dramatically killed last night in a firefight with American special forces in a $1million mansion hideout around 60 miles from Islamabad in Pakistan.

Experts used facial recognition techniques to identify the slain terrorist and performed DNA tests, the results of which will be available in the coming days.
U.S. officials have told broadcaster CNN that Bin Laden's body has already been buried at sea in order to prevent the grave from becoming a shrine for extremists.




In a dramatic statement late last night, President Obama said the U.S. military had recovered the 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’.
Officials said the body would be handled according to Islamic practice and tradition. That practice calls for the body to be buried within 24 hours. Saudi Arabia reportedly declined to take the body.
Within minutes of the news breaking Americans began gathering outside the White House to sing the national anthem and chant: ‘USA! USA!'
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
Enlarge Hideout: 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
In a spontaneous outpouring of emotion, thousands started cheering and clapping and waving American flags to show their support.
Large groups of Americans gathered outside the White House in Washington and 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.'
When asked what he thought about why it took so long to track down the terrorist, he said, 'I just knew we were working at it and
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




But the terror chief's death will undoubtedly put the Middle East on high alert for reprisal attacks. It will also lead to urgent demands from Washington as to how the most wanted man was allowed to seek refuge in a supposedly allied country as Pakistan.
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.

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.

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.
More...'The American people did not choose this fight': Obama's speech in full
Euphoric celebrations outside the White House as the world learns of Bin Laden's death
Arab world on edge as U.S. sends out worldwide alert amid fears of reprisal attacks
Osama: The billionaire builder's son who used his wealth to climb to the top of the terror tree



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 head by troops.
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.
Scroll down to view footage of President Obama's announcement
Announcement: Barack Obama announces the death of Bin Laden during a special address to the nation from the White House, ending an almost ten-year hunt
U.S troops returned to the damaged helicopter, but they were forced to carry Bin Laden's body to a working aircraft.
Pictures showing a bloodied face were later played on Pakistani TV. The beard and hair are both noticeably darker than they have appeared to be in previous videos of Bin Laden, and there were later suggestions that the picture had been faked.

In his televised statement Mr Obama said that Bin Laden was killed in a helicopter raid by a small group of U.S. Navy Seals who stormed his mansion in an affluent area 80 miles from Islamabad.




They were working on a tip which first surfaced last August after ‘years of painstaking work’ from the CIA and had taken months to run it into the ground.
‘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.
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
'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 Bin Laden, 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.
The State Department warned of the heightened possibility for anti-American violence after the news of Bin Laden's death.
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.'
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'.
Worldwide: The New York Daily News marks news of Bin Laden's death with the headline 'Rot In Hell'
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.
World news: How The Wall Street Journal and USA Today reported the death of Bin Laden

'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.'

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.'

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

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.
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 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.

But despite repeated attempts Bin Laden proved elusive and managed to escape capture.
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.
THE AL QAEDA COMMANDERS: WHO WILL WIN THE POWER STRUGGLE?
AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI
Egyptian-born doctor and surgeon Ayman al-Zawahiri is the organisation's second-in-command and is expected by many commentators to succeed Osama bin Laden immediately.
He has worked in the Al Qaeda organisation since its inception and is often described as the 'brains' of the terror group and the September 11 attacks.
With Osama bin Laden in hiding following the terrorist attacks in New York in 2001, he was the organisation's most public face, repeatedly denouncing the United States and its allies in video messages.
He was born into an upper-class family of scholars and doctors in Cairo and he has devoted his life to Islamic theology, history, and jihad.He graduated from Cairo University's medical school in 1974 and obtained a masters degree in surgery four years later.
He rose to prominence when he was tried along with other radical Islamists for their part in the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat during a Cairo military parade.
He was convicted and served a three-year sentence for illegal possession of arms. After his release, he left for Saudi Arabia before travelling to Pakistan and nearby Afghanistan, where he established a faction of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad group.
He met Bin Laden in the mid-1980s when both were in Pakistan to support guerrillas fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan.
SAIF AL-ADEL
Saif Al-Adel: Al Qaeda senior member
His name means sword of justice and is the alias of a senior member of Al Qaeda. He is believed to be a member of the organisation's military committee.
He is a former colonel in the Egyptian army special forces and is accused of helping to mastermind the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
He is also suspected of teaching militants to use explosives and training some of the September 11 hijackers, and is thought to have established a training facility in Somalia.
There has been speculation that he has fled Afghanistan to live in Iran. He has been on the FBI's list of most wanted terrorists since 2001.
SULAIMAN ABU GHAITH
He was born in Kuwait and is regarded as a spokesman of Al Qaeda. He has appeared on several video and audio tapes, claiming responsibility for terrorist attacks.
He is a former religious studies teacher who first came to prominence during the 1991 Gulf war when he denounced the invasion by Saddam Hussein.
He then turned his attention to the Kuwaiti government and royal family, demanding the institution of Sharia law. He was banned from giving sermons and removed from his mosque.
In 2000 he left Kuwait for Afghanistan, where he met Osama bin Laden and joined Al Qaeda. He has been used by the organisation to widen its appeal away from ultra-conservative and mostly elderly clerics to a younger audience.
He is one of America's most wanted Al Qaeda suspects.
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.
TODAY'S POLL
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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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