Osama bin Laden dead

A massive throng of jubilant Americans gathered outside the White House last night to celebrate the death of the world’s most wanted man.

U-S President Barack Obama confirmed last night that a ”small team of Americans” killed the 9-11 mastermind in a firefight.

He said Osama bin Laden was killed at a compound in Pakistan after a firefight and that the American team took custody of his body.

In his statement, Obama said, “justice has been done.”

The hunt for Osama ended just months before the 10th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks orchestrated by bin Laden’s al-Qaida organization.

A U.S. official says Osama bin Laden has been buried at sea.

ABC News has reportedly obtained exclusive video from inside the stronghold after the mission took place.  You can follow this link to the ABC News website, but we warn you that some of the footage is of a graphic nature.

After bin Laden was killed in a raid by U.S. forces in Pakistan, senior administration 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, the official said.

Finding a country willing to accept the remains of the world’s most wanted terrorist would have been difficult, the official said. So the U.S. decided to bury him at sea.

The official, who spoke Monday on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security matters, did not immediately say where that occurred.

A senior White House official says President Barack Obama gave the final order for U-S officials to go after bin Laden on Friday.

Intelligence officials first found out last November that bin Laden was living in a huge fortified compound in an affluent suburb of Islamabad.

It was surrounded by walls six metres high, topped with barbed wire, with two security gates and no phone or Internet service.

Officials say three men were also killed in Sunday’s raid, including one of bin Laden’s sons.

Even before U-S President Obama confirmed the death of Osama bin Laden, Americans began flocking to the White House to celebrate.

Many people ran to the White House gates to join the celebration — waving flags amid loud chants of ”U-S-A.”

By early this morning, thousands of cheering, flag-waving, fist-pumping Americans had gathered to celebrate the news.

They also celebrated at so-called Ground Zero, the Manhattan site of the World Trade Center towers that were felled by al-Qaida terrorists on 9-11.

Stephen Harper says Osama bin Laden’s death brings justice to 24 Canadians killed in the 9-11 terrorist attacks and their families.

The prime minister spoke in Abbotsford, B-C last night shortly after U-S President Barack Obama confirmed bin Laden had been killed.

Like Obama, Harper said bin Laden’s death does not end the threat of international terrorism.

He said it is a reminder of why Canadian soldiers are in Afghanistan, where 154 members of the Forces have been killed since 2002.

New Democrat Leader Jack Layton also weighed in on the death of Osama bin Laden late last night.

In a statement, he said the N-D-P hopes the death of the al-Qaida leader ”marks a turning point in the war on terrorism.”

Layton also offered the party’s ”deep appreciation” to the women and men in uniform who work hard and sacrifice to make the world a safer place.

First came disbelief, then jubilation set in as word of Osama bin Laden’s death spread at a small Canadian patrol base in Afghanistan.

A smiling Warrant Officer Gabriel Bernard gave a double thumb’s up at the base outside Salavat in Afghanistan’s Panjwaii district.

He said the death of bin Laden is ”another indication that we’re winning the war” and hoped it was a step toward ending the conflict in Afghanistan.

Former President George W. Bush, who was in office on the day of the 9-11 attacks, hails bin Laden’s death as a momentous achievement.

In a statement, Bush said the fight against terror goes on, despite the death of the 9-11 mastermind.

But Bush also said the killing of bin Laden sends the unmistakable message that ”no matter how long it takes, justice will be done.”

The New York Police Department is welcoming news about the death of terror leader Osama bin Laden.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says bin Laden’s killing is a “welcome milestone” for the friends and families of those who died on 9-11.

Kelly says he told all police commands that while there’s no information indicating a specific threat, officers should remain alert.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said news of bin Laden’s death will “bring some closure and comfort to all those who lost loved ones” on 9-11.

The U-S State Department has placed American embassies on alert and warned of possible anti-American violence after the bin Laden killing.

In a worldwide travel alert, the State Department said Americans in volatile areas are ”strongly urged to limit their travel” outside their homes and hotels.

It also said they should avoid mass gatherings and demonstrations.

The message also said U-S embassies and consulates may temporarily close or suspend public services, depending on conditions.