The death of Osama bin Laden

In this image released by the White House, President Barack Obama makes a point during one in a series of meetings in the Situation Room of the White House discussing the mission against Osama bin Laden, Sunday, May 1, 2011. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon is pictured at right. less

In this image released by the White House, President Barack Obama talks with members of the national security team at the conclusion of one in a series of meetings discussing the mission against Osama bin Laden, in the Situation Room of the White House, Sunday, May 1, 2011, in Washington. less

In this image released by the White House and digitally altered by the source to diffuse the paper in front of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House, Sunday, May 1, 2011, in Washington. less

In this Dec. 24, 1998, file photo, Muslim militant and Al Quida leader Osama Bin Laden speaks to a selected group of reporters in mountains of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. A person familiar with developments said Sunday, May 1, 2011 that bin Laden is dead and the U.S. has the body. less

TV grab of Saudi Arabian dissident Osama Bin Laden aired May 1997 as he answers a journalist's questions in an undisclosed location in Afghanistan, late March and beginning of April 1997. More than four years before the 9/11 terrorist attacks for which he was widely blamed, bin Laden was already wanted by the United States and Saudi Arabia on charges of financing international terrorism. less

Exiled Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden is seen in this April 1998 photo in Afghanistan. Nine years after the Soviets retreated from Afghanistan, terrorism experts say bin Laden was using his millions to fund attacks against the United States like, perhaps, the Aug. 7, 1998 twin bombings of U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, that killed 257 people. (AP Photo) less

Exiled Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden is seen in this April 1998 file photo sitting behind a map of Afghanistan in an undisclosed region of the country.  (AP Photo)

In this April 1998 file photo, al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is seen in Afghanistan. A person familiar with developments said Sunday, May 1, 2011 that bin Laden is dead and the U.S. has the body.

Suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden is seen in this undated photo taken from a television image.

Suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden is seen in this undated photo taken from a television image.

In this Aug. 7, 1998 file photo, onlookers stand at the foot of the damaged buildings in Nairobi, Kenya, after a huge explosion ripped apart a building in the Kenyan capital, heavily destroying the U.S. Embassy. Osama bin Laden, leader of the al-Qaida organization behind the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks against the United States and blamed for the 1998 embassy bombing in Kenya and Tanzania, is dead, a person familiar with the situation said late Sunday. less

In this Aug. 15, 1998 file photo, a United States Marine talks with an FBI investigator in front of the damaged U.S. Embassy in the capital Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Osama bin Laden, leader of the al-Qaida organization behind the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks against the United States and blamed for the 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, is dead, a person familiar with the situation said late Sunday. less

In this 1998 file photo, Ayman al-Zawahri, left, poses for a photograph with Osama bin Laden, right, taken in Khost, Afghanistan and made available Friday March 19, 2004. A person familiar with developments said Sunday, May 1, 2011 that bin Laden is dead and the U.S. has the body. less

In this file image taken from video broadcast Thursday, Dec. 24, 1998, Osama bin Laden speaks during an interview at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan. A person familiar with developments said Sunday, May 1, 2011 that bin Laden is dead and the U.S. has the body. less

A religious protester holds a portrait of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden during a protest rally against the United States, July 30, 1999 in Islamabad.

An undated file picture of Saudi dissident Osama Bin Laden, in an undisclosed place inside Afghanistan. The Taliban said on Aug. 8, 1998, that bin Laden had nothing to do with two bomb attacks against United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The billionaire Bin Laden, member of a family of wealthy Saudi construction tycoon, was blamed for two bomb blasts in his home country in 1995-96 that killed 24 US servicemen. AFP PHOTO less

An undated file picture of Saudi dissident Osama Bin Laden in an undisclosed place inside Afghanistan.

In this file image, Osama Bin Laden, the al Qaida leader, appears on this layout for an FBI poster after he was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list in June 1999, in connection with the bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. A person familiar with developments said Sunday, May 1, 2011 that bin Laden is dead and the U.S. has the body. less

Osama Bin Laden is seen on a poster at the US Justice Department press conference announcing the arrest and arraignment of Khalfan Khamis Mohamed Oct. 8, 1999 in New York. Mohamed is accused of being a member of Bin Laden's terrorist organization and a participant in the Aug. 7, 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. Mohamed was apprehended several days ago in South Africa. AFP PHOTO Doug KANTER less

This Oct. 12, 2000 file photo provided by the U.S. Navy shows damage sustained on the USS Cole after a suspected terrorist bomb exploded during a refueling operation in the port of Aden, Yemen. Osama bin Laden, leader of the al-Qaida organization, behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks against the United States and blamed for the 2000 attack on the USS Cole, is dead, and the U.S. is in possession of his body, a person familiar with the situation said late Sunday. less

This undated file photo shows Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden (center), with two unidentified associates in an undisclosed place inside Afghanistan.

Undated file picture of Saudi dissident Osama Bin Laden in an undisclosed place inside Afghanistan.

Suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden is seen in this undated photo taken from a television image.

A match box shows the picture of suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden (above) and an address for providing information about him, Feb. 18, 2000. Match boxes and currency notes offering a reward of five million dollars for information about the suspected terrorist, started appearing in Pakistan. AFP PHOTO/ Saeed KHAN less

In this file television image broadcast on Qatar's Al-Jazeera TV, is said to show Osama bin Laden, at the wedding of his son in January 2001. A person familiar with developments said Sunday, May 1, 2011 that bin Laden is dead and the U.S. has the body. less

A video grab dated June 19, 2001 shows Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden in a videotape said to have been prepared and released by bin Laden himself. Copies of the tape, which shows members of bin Laden's organization Al-Qaeda, or "The Base," training at their al-Farouq base in Afghanistan, were circulated to a limited number of Islamists. less

A video grab dated June 19, 2001 shows Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden firing an AK-47 (Kalashnikov) sub-machine-gun in a video tape said to have been prepared and released by bin Laden himself. Copies of the tape, which shows members of bin Laden's organization Al-Qaeda, or "The Base", training at their al-Farouq base in Afghanistan, have been circulated to a limited number of Islamists. AFP PHOTO/Yasser Al-ZAYYAT less

A Palestinian militant from the Islamic Jihad movement displays a portrait of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden during the funeral of Palestinian youth Ahmad Yassin in Gaza City, July 2, 2001.

Undated picture of Saudi dissident Osama Bin Laden attending a meeting with a Kalashinkov weapon in his lap in Afghanistan.

A hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center and explodes at 9:03 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001 in New York. The crash of two airliners hijacked by terrorists loyal to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and subsequent collapse of the twin towers killed some 2,800 people. less

In this Sept. 11, 2001 file photo, a jet airliner is lined up on one of the World Trade Center towers in New York. A person familiar with developments said Sunday, May 1, 2011 that Osama bin Laden is dead and the U.S. has the body. less

In this Sept. 11, 2001 file photo, the twin towers of the World Trade Center burn after hijacked planes crashed into them in New York. A person familiar with developments said Sunday, May 1, 2011 that Osama bin Laden is dead and the U.S. has the body. less

This file photo dated Sept. 11, 2001 shows one of the towers of the World Trade Center beginning to collapse after suspected terrorist-controlled hijacked airliners crashed into both buildings. The all-out war on terrorism unleashed by Washington after the attacks marked a turning point in US-Arab relations and nowhere more so than in once top ally Saudi Arabia. With 15 of the 19 suicide hijackers carrying Saudi nationality and mastermind Osama bin Laden being the scion of a leading Saudi family, the desert kingdom and world oil kingpin suddenly found itself on the frontline of the war on terror prosecuted by then-President George W. Bush. less

The rubble of the World Trade Center smolders following a terrorist attack Sept. 11, 2001 in New York.

The sky glows orange as the sun rises over the damaged side of the Pentagon with the U.S. Capitol behind in Washington, Sept. 13, 2001. A hijacked airplane crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, causing extensive damage. less

Arab militant Osama bin Laden poses for this undated photo. A U.S. official and experts identified bin Laden as the possible mastermind in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in the United States. less

A man chants slogans as he holds a sign condemning Saudi-born Islamic fundamentalist Osama bin Laden at a protest Sept. 14, 2001 in Seoul.

Signs about the prime suspect in the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the US, Osama Bin Laden, are taped to a motorcycle during a prayer vigil in Miami, Florida, Sept. 16, 2001. Days after four commercial airliners were hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center Towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, people all around the country mourned for those lost and still missing in the attack. AFP PHOTO Rhona WISE/rw less

A newspaper cover in the form of an Osama bin Laden wanted poster hangs on a wall Sept. 18, 2001 in a Brooklyn, N.Y. subway station. Bin Laden quickly emerged as the leading suspect in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. less

A New York City policeman stands behind a wanted post for Osama bin Laden produced by a local newspaper. Invoking the rough justice of the Old West, then-President George W. Bush said that Osama bin Laden was wanted "dead or alive" and warned Afghanistan's rulers they must turn him over or pay a steep price. AFP PHOTO/Jeff HAYNES less

 Muslim women demonstrate adjacent to the Pakistan Embassy Sept. 18, 2001, where protesters belonging to the Al- Muhajiroun chanted anti US slogans and their support to Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban. AFP PHOTO/GERRY PENNY less

Pro-Bin Laden protesters rally after Friday prayers Sept. 21, 2001 in Peshawar, Pakistan. The protests were non-violent and smaller than previously predicted.

A portrait of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden burns in New Delhi, Sept. 21, 2001 after protestors set alight his effigy during a protest against terrorism near the Parliament in New Delhi. Bin Laden, named as the prime suspect in the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, may have already left Afghanistan a Pakistani newspaper reported. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN less

A man looks at an advert splashed across a Hong Kong newspaper offering a one million HK dollar (128,200 USD) reward for any information on suspected Saudi terrorist Osama bin Laden, Sept. 21, 2001. The ad, placed by the Hong Kong magazine Eastweek, offered the reward for anyone who could provide exclusive information about bin Laden. The magazine denied the reward was for information that would lead to bin Laden's arrest, saying its stance on the issue was neutral. AFP PHOTO/Peter PARKS less

This television image released by Qatar's Al-Jazeera television broadcast on Friday Oct. 5, 2001 is said to show the most recent image of Osama bin Laden, left, handling a Kalshnikov rifle at an undisclosed location. A person familiar with developments said Sunday, May 1, 2011 that bin Laden is dead and the U.S. has the body. less

A Pakistani man holds a poster of Osama bin Laden during a rally in support of the Taliban and bin Laden and against the U.S. Friday Oct. 12, 2001 in Peshawar, Pakistan. A few thousand men took part in the event PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/HEARST less

Supporters display posters of suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden as they raise their hands to show their willingness to go to neighboring Afghanistan and fight against U.S. forces during an anti-U.S. rally in Quetta, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 12, 2001. The word "Hero" is written in the poster in the center. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt) less

Osama bin Laden, left, with his top lieutenant Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahri, is seen at an undisclosed location in this television image broadcast Sunday, Oct. 7, 2001. U.S. authorities say they have "high confidence" about the authenticity of a new audiotape in which al-Qaida's second-in-command purportedly urges Muslim youths to strike against the United States and its allies, Friday, Oct. 1 2004. (AP Photo/Al Jazeera) less

Osama bin Laden is seen at an undisclosed location in this television image broadcast Sunday, Oct. 7, 2001. Bin Laden praised God for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and swore America "will never dream of security" until "the infidel's armies leave the land of Muhammad," in a videotaped statement aired after the strike launched Sunday by the United States and Britain in Afghanistan. Graphic at top right reads "Exclusive to Al-Jazeera." At bottom right is the station's logo which reads "Al-Jazeera." At top left is "recorded." (AP Photo/Al Jazeera) less

A small group of Pakistani supporters of the ruling Taliban in Afghanistan display a portrait of terrorist suspect Osama bin Laden as they stage a protest rally in Karachi, Pakistan, soon after the U.S.-led coalition attacked targets in Afghanistan late Sunday, Oct. 7, 2001. AP Photo/Zia Mazhar) less

This file frame grab from a videotape released and translated by the U.S. Department of Defense Dec. 13, 2001, in Washington, shows Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. The man at right is unidentified. A person familiar with developments on Sunday, May 1, 2011 says bin Laden is dead and the U.S. has the body. less

In this image made from video, first broadcast by the Qatar-based television station Al-Jazeera on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2001, Osama Bin Laden speaks from an undisclosed location at an undisclosed time. His statements indicated he was speaking in recent weeks. Writing at bottom center reads "Osama bin Laden condemns/accuses the West of hating the religion of Islam and the Muslims." At top right is "Exclusive to Al-Jazeera." At bottom left is the name of the news program "Events of Today." (AP Photo/Al-Jazeera)
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In this file television image from Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera, Osama bin Laden, right, listens as his top deputy Ayman al-Zawahri speaks at an undisclosed location, in this image made from undated video tape broadcast by the station Monday April 15, 2002. A person familiar with developments said Sunday, May 1, 2011 that bin Laden is dead and the U.S. has the body. less

This frame grab from the Saudi-owned television network MBC (Middle East Broadcasting Center) shows alleged terror mastermind Osama bin Laden gesturing an undated videotape broadcast by the Dubai-based MBC April 17, 2002. Bin Laden hailed the economic losses suffered by the United States as a result of the September 11 suicide attacks on Washington and New York in the tape which was reportedly recorded in December. "God ordered us to terrorize the infidels, and we terrorized the infidels," the spokesman of Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network Suleiman Abu Ghaith said in the same tape, claiming the group's responsibility for the September 11 suicide attacks. AFP PHOTO/MBC less

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, shown in this photo from the FBI, emerged as the top terrorist organizer for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a senior U.S. law enforcement and counterterrorism official said. Mohammed, one of the FBI's most-wanted terrorists and a Kuwaiti lieutenant of Osama bin Laden, was alive, at-large and in the Afghanistan region, the law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Tuesday, June 4, 2002. He was later captured and waterboarded. (AP Photo/FBI) less

Picture made off TV screen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Sunday night Oct. 6, 2002 shows an Al Jazeera satellite channel broadcast which included an audiotape in which a male voice attributed to Osama bin Laden said the "youths of God'' are planning more attacks against the United States. It wasn't immediately clear when the tape was made. The short message was broadcast with a picture of bin Laden in the background. (AP PHOTO/Hasan Jamali) less

This is an undated photo released in Amman, Jordan, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2002, of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian who was considered one of the top al-Qaida lieutenants still at large. Speaking to the United Nations Security Council on Feb. 5, 2003, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said "Iraq today harbors a deadly terrorist network headed by Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, an associated collaborator of Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida lieutenants." (AP Photo/HO, Petra) less

In this undated still from video released Sept. 10, 2003, Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, left, and his top deputy Ayman al-Zawahri appear. A person familiar with developments on Sunday, May 1, 2011 says bin Laden is dead and the U.S. has the body. less

Undated file picture of the head of the al-Qaeda terror network Osama bin Laden at an undisclosed place inside Afghanistan. Bin Laden threatened Oct. 18, 2003 to send suicide bombers to the United States and to attack any forces joining the US-led coalition in Iraq in an audio tape broadcast by Qatar's al-Jazeera satellite television station. "We will go on fighting you and we will carry on martyrdom (suicide) operations in and outside the United States until you stop being unjust," he warned in a "message to the American people" attributed to the Saudi-born dissident by the Doha station. AFP PHOTO/FILES less

This is an undated photo of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, in Afghanistan. The Central Intelligence Agency has determined the new audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden is probably authentic, officials at the agency said Monday, Oct. 20, 2003. (AP Photo) less

Undated file picture of Saudi dissident Osama Bin Laden inside Afghanistan. A message posted on an Islamic extremist website and attributed to the al-Qaeda leader in May 7, 2004 offered 22 pounds of gold to whoever kills the top US civilian and military officials in Iraq, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan or his top Iraq official Lakhdar Brahimi. "We, al-Qaeda, commit ourselves to provide a reward of 10,000 grammes of gold to whoever kills the occupier (Paul) Bremer or his deputy, the commander of US forces or his deputy in Iraq...whoever kills Kofi Annan, the head of the Iraq mission or his envoys, including Lakhdar Brahimi, will get the same reward," said the message, posted on a website frequently used by Islamic extremists. The authenticity of the statement could not be independently verified. Ten kilograms of gold was then worth slightly over $120,000. AFP PHOTO/HO/FILES less

Osama bin Laden speaks in this image made from an undated video broadcast on Friday, Oct. 29, 2004 by Arab television station Al-Jazeera. In the statement, Osama bin Laden, addressing the American public four days ahead of presidential elections, said in a video that the United States can avoid another Sept. 11 attack if it stops threatening the security of Muslims. Al-Jazeera, based in Qatar, did not say how it had received the tape. (AP Photo/AlJazeera via APTN)
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An image grab taken from a video broadcast on Al-Jazeera television Dec. 20, 2006 shows Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri saying that only jihad, not elections, can bring about the liberation of occupied Palestinian territory. Osama bin Laden's right-hand man slammed Hamas, without naming it, for recognizing Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and taking part in elections on the basis of a secular constitution. The turbaned Egyptian-born Zawahiri frequently speaks for Al-Qaeda in video or audiotapes, some posted on internet sites, like As-Sahab, and others aired by Qatar-based Al-Jazeera. AFP PHOTO/AL-JAZEERA/AS-SAHAB less

President Barack Obama walks down the Cross Hall on the way to the East Room to make a televised statement on the death of Osama bin Laden from the White House in Washington, Sunday, May 1, 2011.

President Barack Obama is seen on a television monitor in the press briefing room as he makes a televised statement on the death of Osama bin Laden from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Sunday, May 1, 2011. less

President Barack Obama reads his statement to photographers after making a televised statement on the death of Osama bin Laden from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Sunday, May 1, 2011.

President Barack Obama reads his statement to photographers after making a televised statement on the death of Osama bin Laden from the East Room of the White House in Washington, Sunday, May 1, 2011.

A crowd outside the White House in Washington, cheers Sunday, May 1, 2011, upon hearing the news that terrorist leader Osama bin Laden is dead.

A crowd outside the White House in Washington, cheers Sunday, May 1, 2011, upon hearing the news that terrorist leader Osama bin Laden is dead.

A crowd outside the White House in Washington, cheers Sunday, May 1, 2011, upon hearing the news that terrorist leader Osama bin Laden is dead.