Live blog: Reaction to Bin Laden's death

Live blog: Reaction to Bin Laden's death

Leader of Al-Qaeda is dead following US operation in Pakistan.

(All times are local in Doha GMT+3)

In depth: Osama's death 'a good career move'? - Analysis: Killing the alibi - What next after bin Laden death? - Zeroing in on bin Laden

• Timestamp: 

  3:09pm

  Al Jazeera speaks to Peter Bouckaert, Emergencies Director for Human Rights Watch. You can watch it here.

   

   

• Timestamp: 

  2:44pm

  Did investigators use waterboarding in Bin Laden chase or not? Watch these statements by US officials.

   

• Timestamp: 

  2:31pm

  Russia has welcomed the news of Osama bin Laden's death. The Kremlin says the White House informed them of the operation before the official statement by US President Barack Obama.
  
  Russian security forces say they have established long standing links between Al Qaida and insurgents in the troubled North Caucasus.
  
  Al Jazeera'a Neave Barker has this report from Moscow.

   

• Timestamp: 

  2:14pm

  Al Jazeera speaks to Robert Wirsing, Professor of International Politics, Georgetown University Qatar. You can watch it here.

   

• Timestamp: 

  2:09pm

  Some opposition parties have called for the resignation of the Pakistani government over its role in the killing of Osama bin Laden.
  
  Pakistani officials deny they knowingly sheltered one of the world's most-wanted men - and insist they had no knowledge Bin Laden was living near country's top military academy.

• Timestamp: 

  1:46pm

  Navi Pillay, UN human rights chief, is keeping an eye on details of the US military operation that killed Osama bin Laden as they emerge from Washington, her office indicated on Wednesday, according to AFP news agency.
  
  Pillay underlined in a statement earlier that Al-Qaeda's leader had assumed responsibility for planned acts, including mass murder, that amounted to crimes against humanity.
  
  "I note that the United States has clearly stated that their intention was to arrest bin Laden if they could, I fully understand that this was always likely to have been difficult," she added.
  
  "This was a complex operation and it would have been helpful if we knew the precise facts surrounding his killing," the High Commissioner for Human Rights said. All counterterrorism operations had to respect international law, she added.
  
  A spokesman for her office noted that since the remarks had been prepared more details had emerged from the United States on the killing of bin Laden.

• Timestamp: 

  1:23pm

  And more from Kamal Hyder

  "Osama Bin Laden lived in the city of Peshawar, he was a known figure, and given that Americans are extremely popular, so there was a lot of sympathy for him.
  
  "He was very much considered to be a hero, a Che Guevara, if you like. But there is only a sympathy factor – not necessarily support."

• Timestamp: 

  1:20pm

  And now another update from Al Jazeera's correspondent, Kamal Hyder.

  "It has been a huge embarrassment for the government because a lot of people are questioning their ability to tell the truth. The country does not have a foreign minister at this time, since the last one resigned.
  
  "People from across Pakistan, including lawyers as and religious groups, if the government is to be believed, then how did US manage to come so deep inside Pakistan and what is stopping them from challenging Pakistan's sovereignty again."

• Timestamp: 

  11:24am

  The revelation that bin Laden was not armed when he was shot dead has prompted questions about whether the US actually set out to kill him.
  
  Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane reports from Washington.

   

   

   

• Timestamp: 

  11:06am

  Questions remain about how Osama bin Laden was killed, but the impact of his death on Al Qaeda inspired groups is already being evaluated.
  
  Indonesia's government has been fighting its own battle against such groups for years.
  
  And as Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports from Jakarta, it is unlikely much will change.

   

   

• Timestamp: 

  10:47am

  The house where Osama bin Laden was killed is fast becoming a tourist destination.
  
  Hundreds of people have gone to the compound where the Al Qaeda leader is thought to have lived for the past 5 years. Al Jazeera's  Imtiaz Tyab reports from Abbottabad in Pakistan.

   

   

• Timestamp: 

  10:15am

  The circumstances leading up to Bin Laden's death have been a source of embarassment for Pakistan.
  
  Al Jazeera's correspondent, Sohail Rahman, updates from the capital, Islamabad.

   

• Timestamp: 

  10:12am

  Bush declines 'Ground Zero' invite.
  
  Former US President George W Bush has declined an invitation from President Obama, to attend a ceremony marking the killing of Osama bin Laden.
  
  Bush, who was in office during the 9/11 attacks, says he has chosen to stay out of the limelight, following his term in office.
  
  Obama is expected to speak at New York's "Ground Zero" on Thursday, where he will meet families of some of the victims of the 9/11 attacks.

• Timestamp: 

  9:27am

  India has indicated that Pakistan could have been complicit in hiding Osama bin Laden, and other men, wanted for attacks on Indian soil.
  
  Al Jazeera's Nilanjan Chowdhury reports from New Delhi.

   

• Timestamp: 

  9:22am

  Update from Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder: Funeral for Osama bin Laden being held at Peshawar High Court is expected to take place at 0830GMT (1330 Pakistan Standard Time).

• Timestamp: 

  8:34am

  In the wake of Osama Bin Laden's killing, the US State Department has issued a worldwide travel alert.
  
  It has cautioned American citizens to take extra care. And security has been increased at US embassies, consular offices and at "home".
  
  Al Jazeera's Rob Reynolds reports from Los Angeles.

  
  

• Timestamp: 

  8:16am

  
  Al Jazeera speaks to Chip Pitts, International legal expert, about the legal aspects of killing Osama bin Laden as opposed to capturing him alive - you can watch it here.

   

• Timestamp: 

  8:11am

  Al Jazeera's Pakistan correspondent, Kamal Hyder updates us on the latest situation in the wake of Osama Bin Laden's death.

  "The ramifications are going to be huge - many people in Pakistan are asking: Who is in charge? Why the government has not taken people into confidence?
  
  "The Pakistani foreign ministry is changing its statements, now saying that they were not in the loop, that they were not involved.

  "And if they were not involved then (the question arises) why did the Pakistani security forces not go to the compound where the fight went on for 40 minutes?
  
  "Pakistani government is doing a very shabby job, it’s not like US has achieved a major victory. There are serious questions in Pakistan as to what is the leadership of this country doing?
  
  "Right now, people will start chanting slogans against the government for failing to defend the country and failing to uphold the sovereignty of Pakistan.
  
  "The drone strikes have caused a lot of anger, we are receiving reports that hundreds of NATO containers are stranded in Punjab.

  "We are also getting reports that in the Peshawar high court, there will be funeral prayers for Osama Bin Laden."
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  6:05am

  Gary Faulkner, the Samurai sword-wielding self-proclaimed Osama hunter who was arrested in Pakistan last year while attempting to track down the al-Qaeda leader, says that he "had a major hand to play" in the locating of bin Laden.

  "I had a major hand [to] play in this wonderful thing, getting him out of the mountains and down to the valleys... Someone had to get him out of there. That's where I came in," he told ABC News. "I scared the squirrel out of his hole, he popped his head up and he got capped."

• Timestamp: 

  6:02am

  The repercussions of enhanced security in the US following Osama bin Laden's killing spread far and wide. To the Mexican border with the United States at Ciudad Juarez, for example, where long lines of cars have been reported as US authorities check for potentially dangerous goods or persons. It is currently taking about twice as long as it normally does for people wanting to cross the border into El Paso, Texas.

• Timestamp: 

  5:29am

  Hassan Abbas, a professor at Columbia University, tells Al Jazeera that, in his opinion, Pakistan must have provided logistical support to the Abbottabad operation, but is loathe to admit it for fear of a backlash from militants in the country.

  Abbas adds that this is not a particularly smart move, as al-Qaeda is unlikely to view the Pakistani State in a positive light in the wake of Bin Laden's killing, regardless of whether or not it publically accepts that it played a role.

• Timestamp: 

  5:01am

  George W Bush, the former US president, has declined an invitation from Barack Obama, the current president, to visit the site of the World Trade Centre attacks in New York City.

  Said Bush spokesman David Sherzer:

  President Bush will not be in attendance on Thursday. He appreciated the invite, but has chosen in his post-presidency to remain largely out of the spotlight. He continues to celebrate with all Americans this important victory in the war on terror."

  A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, has told the AFP news agency that Obama will be meeting with the families of those killed in the attack on September 11, 2001.

• Timestamp: 

  4:31am

  Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, says the photograph showing Osama bin Laden's corpse is "gruesome" and that "it could be inflammatory".

  He said the White House is still reviewing whether or not to release the photograph.

• Timestamp: 

  4:23am

  The United States' s fight against al-Qaeda is set to continue apace, and CIA director Leon Panetta says that whoever is nominated to replace Osama bin Laden as the head of the group will become the US's new top enemy.

  Speaking to US-based NBC news, he said:

  We think [the deliberations over who suceeds Bin Laden] give us some opportunities to be able to continue to attack them in the confusion and debate that they're going to go through as to who ultimately replaces bin Laden.

  "But I can assure you, whoever takes his place, he will be number one on our list."

  On Pakistan, Panetta said there were no indications that Pakistan was "aware that Bin Laden was there, or that this compound was a place where he was hiding", but nevertheless he pressed authorities in that country to answer why they were unaware.

  Asked if Pakistan should be branded a "terrorist state", he said:

  Look, we are virtually conducting a war in their country going after Al-Qaeda. And at the same time, we're trying to get their help in trying to be able to confront terrorism in that part of the world. And they have given us some help, and they have given us some cooperation."

• Timestamp: 

  3:33am

  On Al Jazeera right now: Inside Story, examining the US-Pakistan relationship in light of what many are saying is the impossibility of Osama bin Laden staying in Pakistan without the knowledge of the authorities. Turn on your televisions, or watch our live stream here.

• Timestamp: 

  3:23am

  Two surveys released on Tuesday show the US President's approval rating has risen nine points from last month to 59 per cent, the Associated Press reports.

• Timestamp: 

  3:14am

  The FBI has warned computer users against clicking on links in unsolicited emails purporting to show photographs or video of the killing of Osama bin Laden.

  The Bureau says the links may contain viruses that can steal personal identification information or infect a computer. 

• Timestamp: 

  2:58am

  At the end of two days of talks between US and Pakistani defence officials, Pakistani defence secretary Athar Ali and US Undersecretary of Defense Michele Flournoy have released a joint statement in which they say both sides "affirmed their mutual commitment in our efforts to their strong defense relations, which they stressed should continue to serve as the foundation of the broader strategic partnership".

   

• Timestamp: 

  2:54am

  Loretta Tuell, the staff director and chief counsel for the US Senate Indian Affairs Committee says it is inappropriate to link "one of the greatest Native American heroes" Geronimo with Osama bin Laden.

  Geronimo was the codename that the US military used to refer to Bin Laden.

  The actual Geronimo was an Apache leader who spent years fighting the Mexican and US armies in the 1800s.

• Timestamp: 

  1:30am

  "The government obviously has been talking about how best to do this, but I don't think there was any question that ultimately a photograph would be presented to the public," Leon Panetta told NBC.

  When contacted by Reuters, a White House spokesman said no decision has been made yet regarding the release of a photograph on Bin Laden's killing.

• Timestamp: 

  1:09am

  Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, says that a picture of Osama bin Laden's death will ultimately be released, Reuters reports.

• Timestamp: 

  10:55pm

  Human Rights Watch (HRW) calls for an investigation over Osama Bin Laden's killing
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  10:20pm

  What do Afghans think of Osama's demise?

• Timestamp: 

  8:30pm

  Speaking to Al Jazeera, Robert Fisk, a journalist with the Independent, a UK newspaper, who has interviewed bin Laden, said that people should stop talking about the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), the Pakistan security forces, as if they were a single entity.
  
  He said: "They're [the ISI] not all one unique institution, they are differing in their views, some of them are pro-American, some of them are very anti-American, some of them are clearly sympathetic towards Islamists, extremists, whatever you like to call them.
  
  "I called up one of the men I know last night and put it to him, 'look, you know, this house was very big, come on, you must have had had some idea.'
  
  "What he said to me was 'sometimes it's better to survey people than to attack them.'
  
  "And I think what he meant was that as long as they knew where he [bin Laden] was, it was much better to just watch rather than stage a military operation that may bring about more outrages, terrorism, whatever you like to call it."

• Timestamp: 

  8:10pm

  
  William Greider asks: "The Ghost of bin Laden:" Now that Osama is dead, can America at last break free of the conceit of endless war?
  
  Full coverage of life after Osama from The Nation Magazine.
  
  
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  7:58pm

  How the American nation reacted to the death of Osama Bin Laden.
  
  A photo essay from The Washington Post.
  
  
  
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  7:40pm

  In Libya, pro-democracy fighters have welcomed the death of Osama bin Laden.
  
  Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught spoke to opposition fighters in the remote Nefusa Mountains in Western Libya.

• Timestamp: 

  6:05pm

  "Burial Lessons: from Che to Bin Laden" by John Lee Anderson in The New Yorker
  
  "There are some uncanny analogies between the story of Osama bin Laden’s life and death and that of a another charismatic political outlaw, a man who “declared war” on the United States. Ernesto “Che” Guevara, the Argentine-Cuban revolutionary and close confidante of Fidel Castro, was no terrorist, but he was a Communist who espoused violent political change, and who defied America by seeking to start guerrilla wars around the world—to create “one, two, three, many Vietnams” to draw in the U.S. military, sap its strength, and ultimately bring about a new, socialist world order"
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  5:10pm

  Osama bin Laden's death is blockbuster news for Hollywood, whose attempts to dramatize the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have largely bombed.
  
  Instead of churning out little-seen films about death and destruction wrought upon civilians and military personnel, the studios can now tap into resurgent American pride with movies about the hunt for the world's most wanted man.
  
  If only John Wayne were still alive or Arnold Schwarzenegger were younger to star in a gung-ho film about the daring strike by dashing Navy SEAL operatives on a compound in suburban Pakistan. Picture "Black Hawk Down" with a happier ending, or "Die Hard" in Islamabad.
  
  Coincidentally, the Oscar-winning director of "The Hurt Locker" -- an Iraq war film that earned just $17 million at the box office -- has a chance to reach a wider audience with an aptly named follow-up, "Kill Bin Laden."

• Timestamp: 

  5:07pm

  Reports filter in that Osama Bin Laden held a Bosnian passport.
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  5:04pm

  US may release photos of Osama bin Ladens burial at sea on Tuesday,but no final decision has been made - US official tells Reuters.

• Timestamp: 

  4:55pm

  Lawmakers question whether Osama bin Laden hid in plain sight of Pakistani army, intelligence

   

   

• Timestamp: 

  2:57pm

  And that Robert Fisk interview which we mentioned earlier is now available for you to watch here.

   

• Timestamp: 

  2:55pm

  Ana Murison, Global Jihad Analyst, speaks to Al Jazeera - you can watch it here.

• Timestamp: 

  2:04pm

  Imtiaz Tyab: The police has told us that there are six to seven bedroom, there was a kitchen garden and some chickens were kept too - so it was a self sufficient compound. They could grow their own food.

• Timestamp: 

  1:55pm

  Marc Grossman, US special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, has held talks with leaders from both countries. It is the second day of his pre-arranged visit to Islamabad.
  
  The talks focused on better cooperation but has been overshadowed by Osama Bin Laden's death.

• Timestamp: 

  12:32pm

  German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she is glad Bin Laden has been killed. A number of his followers met in the German city of Hamburg to plot the 9/11 attacks.
  
  They were mostly students from other countries, but they left behind a legacy that many local Muslims are still struggling with.
  
  Al Jazeera's Nick Spicer reports from Hamburg.

   

• Timestamp: 

  12:23pm

  Having spoken to residents of the area, Imtiaz Tyab reports: "Some say they simply can't believe that the world's most wanted man lived behind these walls. Many people expressing shock and disbelief.

  "They said they never actually had any questions about those living in the compound."

   

• Timestamp: 

  12:21pm

  Al Jazeera's Imtiaz Tyab reports from outside the compound where Osama Bin Laden was killed in Abbottabad: "The compound is very surprising to look at, very much like a prison.

  "It is much larger than other houses in the neighbourhood - a home with an awful lot of security."

• Timestamp: 

  12:12pm

  Robert Fisk: "The basis of Al Qaeda is that if you wake up one morning and say I'm Al Qaeda, then you are."

• Timestamp: 

  12:11pm

  Robert Fisk, Journalist who has interviewed Bin Laden, says "it seems like Bin Laden was given away" - you can watch the interview live on Al Jazeera English.

  And we will have it here very soon.

• Timestamp: 

  11:58am

  In the Pakistani city of Quetta, more than a hundred supporters of an Islamist party took to the streets to protest. Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder updates on the situation from Peshawar.

   

• Timestamp: 

  11:54am

  According to Reuters, China hailed the death of Osama bin Laden while defending its regional partner Pakistan against accusations it had done too little against terror threats.
  
  "We have noted the announcement and believe that this is a major event and a positive development in the international struggle against terrorism," Jiang, Chinese spokeswoman, said about the White House's announcement that Bin Laden was killed in a US raid, Chinese newspapers reported on Tuesday. 
  
  "Pakistan stands at the forefront of the international struggle against terrorism," Jiang told a regular news conference, after her initial statement on Bin Laden had appeared.
  
  "The Pakistani government's determination to fight terrorism is staunch and its actions have been vigorous. Pakistan has made important contributions to the international struggle against terror," she said.
  
  "China will continue staunchly supporting Pakistan developing and implementing its own anti-terror strategy based on its own national conditions."

• Timestamp: 

  11:41am

  Afghanistan, which neighbours Pakistan, was invaded precisely because of the Al Qaeda inspired attack on the World Trade Centre in New York.
  
  But now the country's president says Bin Laden's killing in Pakistan vindicates his view that the main problem is across the border.
  
  Al Jazeera's James Bays reports from Kabul.

  
  

• Timestamp: 

  11:23am

  Pervez Musharraf, the man who was in charge of Pakistan before President Zardari, has also denied that Pakistan knew where Bin Laden was.

• Timestamp: 

  10:57am

  Al Jazeera speaks to Mike Griffin, Author and Al Qaeda expert - you can watch it here.

• Timestamp: 

  10:53am

  Al Jazeera's Zein Basravi reports on the anti-US sentiment in Pakistan and the Pakistani government's reaction.

• Timestamp: 

  10:45am

  David Cameron, UK prime minister says Britain would continue working with Pakistan to combat militancy despite questions over who knew that al Qaeda
  leader Osama Bin Laden was hiding in the country.
  
  "The right choice is to engage with Pakistan and to deal with the extremists rather than just throw up our hands in despair and walk away which would be a disastrous choice," he told BBC radio.
  
  Asked if the death of Bin Laden would allow Britain to speed up the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, Cameron said: "It is clearly a helpful development, I don't think it will necessarily change any timetables , but we should use it as an opportunity to say to the Taliban, now is the moment to separate yourself from al Qaeda, to give up violence, to accept the basic tenets of the Afghan constitution."

• Timestamp: 

  10:41am

  The United Arab Emirates has described the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as a "positive step" but called for "caution and vigilance", AFP reported.
  
  Bahrain has also welcomed bin Laden's death in what it hoped would be "an opportunity to unify international efforts to find solutions to eradicate terrorism and the deviant ideology on which it grows".

• Timestamp: 

  10:39am

  According to AFP news agency, Israeli media have hailed the US raid that killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, comparing it to so-called targeted killings carried out by Israeli troops against alleged terror leaders.
  
  "The United States has succeeded in carrying out a targeted killing operation par excellence," one public radio commentator said, in a view that was repeated across much of the Israeli media.

• Timestamp: 

  9:33am

  And here is an update from Al Jazeera's correspondent, So Rahman, who is in Islamabad.

• Timestamp: 

  9:28am

  With Bin Laden dead, Muslims living in the US hope for a new beginning. Watch this report.

• Timestamp: 

  8:31am

  Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane reports on what's next after Bin Laden's death. You can watch it here.

• Timestamp: 

  6:28am

  AFP reports that the US embassy in Islamabad and all consulates in other cities are closed to the public. 

• Timestamp: 

  5:56am

  China has joined world governments in welcoming the US announcement that Osama bin Laden has been killed.

  "We have noted the announcement and believe that this is a major event and a positive development in the international struggle against terrorism," Jiang Yu, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said in a statement issued by the ministry's website.

  "China advocates that the international community should strengthen cooperation and together combat terrorism." 

• Timestamp: 

  5:46am

  ABC news reports that the video of Osama bin Laden's body being buried at sea will be made public, though officials will do "cautiously". 

• Timestamp: 

  5:39am

  The Associated Press also reports, citing a US official, that 23 children and nine women were in the compound where Osama bin Laden was killed, and that it had served as his home for six years.

  US Navy SEALs who carried out the operations also recovered a large amount of material in the form of computer hardware, DVDs and documents, the official said.

• Timestamp: 

  5:37am

  The Associated Press reports that the courier who eventually led them to Osama bin Laden was Kuwait-born Sheikh Abu Ahmed.

• Timestamp: 

  5:19am

  And here's that Carrie Lemack interview we promised you earlier.

• Timestamp: 

  5:01am

  That Op-Ed by Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, was published in the Washington Post.

  Entitled "Pakistan did its part", the piece insists that the Pakistani people, government, military and intelligence agencies are "united" in their fight against extremism in the country. He lauds the death of Bin Laden as marking the "beginning of the end" of the war against religious militancy in the name of Islam.

  As he often does in op-eds, Zardari also makes reference to Benazir Bhutto, his wife and the former prime minister of the country who was killed by members of the Pakistani Taliban. 

  You can read the published Op-Ed here.

   

• Timestamp: 

  4:53am

  In an opinion column, Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani President, confirms that Pakistan was not involved in the operation to kill Osama bin Laden, adding that the al-Qaeda leader was "not anywhere we had anticipated", Reuters reports.

  He has also rejected speculation that Pakistan is not wholeheartedly pursuing militants in the country.

• Timestamp: 

  4:45am

  Here's that promised interview with Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as chief of staff to former US secretary of state Colin Powell.

   

• Timestamp: 

  4:05am

  Carrie Lemack, the founder of the Global Survivors Network, whose mother died in the September 11th attacks, has told Al Jazeera that while she is glad that the voice of a "mad man" has been silenced, this should not be seen as a moment of celebration.

  Lemack said that the focus should be on telling the stories of survivors of terrorist attacks around the world.

  Video of that interview to follow.

• Timestamp: 

  4:02am

  Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as chief of staff to former US secretary of state Colin Powell, has just been on Al Jazeera, admitting that the Bush administration took its "eye off the ball" when it invaded Iraq, insomuch as that country was not connected to al-Qaeda operations.

  Furthermore, Wilkerson says that the US should pull out of Afghanistan as quickly as possible, as the situation in that country is causing Pakistan to become destabilised.

  Video of that interview to follow shortly.

• Timestamp: 

  2:39am

  Barack Obama, the US President, will be visiting the site of the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Centre in New York City on Thursday.

  Meanwhile, AFP reports that Pakistan will be launching a full inquiry into the "intelligence lapse" that allowed Osama bin Laden to live in Abbottabad undetected.

• Timestamp: 

  2:15am

  The White House has released photographs of President Barack Obama discussing the mission against Osama bin Laden with his national security team. 

  

  

  

  

• Timestamp: 

  2:06am

  CNN reports that President Obama watched the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, along with his national security team and key advisors, live from a room in Washington DC.

  In a press conference, John Brennan, the US president's deputy national security advisor, said:

  "We were able to monitor on a real-time basis the progress of the operation, from its commencement, to its time on target, to the extraction of the remains. We were able to have regular updates to ensure that we had real-time visibility into the progress of the operation."

• Timestamp: 

  1:50am

  John Brennan, the US deputy national security advisor to President Obama, has been speaking with the media in Washington DC about the Abbottabad raid. Here's an excerpt from that press conference.

• Timestamp: 

  11:21pm

  A photo of a battered and bruised dead corpse of Osama Bin Laden is fake, the Guardian says. 
   
  
  
  
   

• Timestamp: 

  10:25pm

  Robert Fisk on the latest developments re: Osama Bin Laden's death and what it means in the larger "fight against terrorism".
  
   

• Timestamp: 

  9:35pm

  Is it legal to kill Osama Bin Laden? Foreign Policy explores the murky territory.

  The murky legal framework of the war on terror complicates things somewhat. While the U.S. government would never condone the extrajudicial killing of a most-wanted fugitive like Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger, the United States maintains that senior members of al Qaeda are "enemy combatants" and therefore not subject to civilian due process. Some vehemently disagree with this interpretation, but if a CIA drone pilot had bin Laden in his sights, it's unlikely that his first call would be to a lawyer.
  
   

• Timestamp: 

  9:01pm

  Aerial views, released by the United State Department of Defense May 2, 2011, shows before (L) and after (R) views of the compound that Osama bin Laden was killed in on Monday in Abbottabad, Pakistan; via Reuters.
   

• Timestamp: 

  8:35pm

  A drawing, released by the United State Department of Defense May 2, 2011, shows the compound that Osama bin Laden was killed in on Monday in Abbottabad, Pakistan; via Reuters.
  
  

• Timestamp: 

  7:39pm

  AFP reports that US forces administered Muslim religious rites for Osama bin Laden aboard an aircraft carrier Monday in the Arabian Sea, an American official said after the raid that killed the Al-Qaeda leader.

  Traditional procedures for Islamic burial were followed. The deceased's body was washed and then placed in a white sheet. The body was placed in a weighted bag.A military officer read prepared religious remarks which were translated into Arabic by a native speaker. After the words were complete, the body was  placed on a prepared flat-board... (and) eased into the sea. The ceremony began at 0510 GMT and ended some 50 minutes later aboard the aircraft carrier which is stationed off the coast of Pakistan to help US and coalition forces in Afghanistan.

   

• Timestamp: 

  6:30pm

  Hillary Clinton issues a statement on Osama Bin Laden's death.
  
   

• Timestamp: 

  5:51pm

  Tech Crunch tracks the series of tweets from the guy who unwittingly live-tweeted the raid on Bin Laden
  
   

• Timestamp: 

  5:43pm

  Head of the Palestinian dissolved government Ismail Haniya has decried the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden and described the man as an Arab Muslim Jihadist, despite the differences in viewpoints among the Arab and Muslim worlds on al-Qaeda’s role.

  Speaking at a meeting with Palestinian journalists in his Gaza office, Haniya said the assassination was a continuation of the US policy of repression in the region.

  In Somalia, Sheikh Hassan Tahir Owais, the leading figure in Shababal Mujahidin in Somalia said the jihadist mission would never be put off  by Bin Laden’s death, while so many people had died for the same cause.

  Head of the Iranian parliament national security committee and foreign policy, Ala-addin Brojardi said killing Bin Laden was not a great victory for the US.

  The timing of the Bin Laden’s killing operation and the US announcement of it, was aimed at justifying the argument for keeping permanent US military bases in Afghanistan, Brojardi added.

• Timestamp: 

  5:20pm

  No statement was issued by al-Qaeda to confirm or deny the death of Osama Bin Laden via  forums used by the organization for disseminating al-Qaeda statements and messages by its leaders.

  But the AFP has quoted an al-Qaeda member in Yemen as confirming after contacts he said he had made with colleagues in Pakistan, the news that al-Qaeda leader Usama Bin Laden was killed. w

  A website named “Shumoukh al-Islam” has posted a comment by Asadul Jihad Ithnein who is viewed as being very close to al-Qaeda, he mourned  Bin Laden, saying, the battle against international tyranny would never end by the death of Bin Laden whom he described as Assadul Islam (God’s Lion)

  But Assadul Jihad did not confirm Bin Laden’s death, while other al-Qaeda members called for calm in dealing with the news, prior to the release of an official statement by the organization.

  Many respondents have called for revenge if the news was authentic, reasserting that the message of jihad would never be defunct by the death of Bin Laden.

• Timestamp: 

  5:11pm

  It is reported that three other males and one female were also killed in the 40 minute raid on the house Osama Bin Laden was staying in.

• Timestamp: 

  4:40pm

  Hillary Clinton issues statement on Osama Bin Laden's death:

  This has been a broad, deep, very impressive operation. We must redouble our efforts. In Afghanistan we will continue taking the fight to al-Qaeda, the Taliban and their allies ... In Pakistan we are committed to supporting the people and government"

• Timestamp: 

  3:39pm

  The FBI has updated its list of Most Wanted terrorists to note that Osama bin Laden is dead. Its website - with details about bin Laden and the $27 million being offered in rewards - now includes a large red-and-white "deceased" label atop bin Laden's photograph.

  Nine other highly sought after terrorists are still included on the FBI's list, including bin Laden's deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahiri. 

  

• Timestamp: 

  3:16pm

  The US special forces team that hunted down Osama bin Laden was under orders to kill the al-Qaeda mastermind, not capture him, a US national security official told Reuters.

  "This was a kill operation," the official said, making clear there was no desire to try to capture bin Laden alive in Pakistan.

• Timestamp: 

  3:08pm

  An Indonesian Islamist group has hailed assassinated Osama bin Laden as a "martyr" who championed Islam against America. Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) spokesman Son Hadi told AFP:

  If it's true Osama bin Laden is dead, then he died a martyr. He fought for Islam and he fought for the lands colonised by America. Al-Qaeda didn't die with him. Jihad will not be dampened just because he's dead because jihad is a command of the religion, not of individuals.

• Timestamp: 

  2:59am

  Saudi Arabia, the country of bin Laden's birth, hopes his killing will help the international fight against terrorism and stamp out the "misguided thought" behind it, the Saudi state news agency said.

  "An official source expressed the hope of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia that the elimination of the leader of the terrorist al Qaeda organisation would be a step toward supporting international efforts aimed at fighting terrorism," the news agency said.

• Timestamp: 

  2:32pm

  Iran says the death of bin Laden has removed "any excuse" for the United States and its allies for deploying forces in the Middle East under the pretext of fighting terrorism.

• Timestamp: 

  2:17pm

  The Palestinian group Hamas condemned the killing of Osama bin Laden, saying that this was a "a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood".

  Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip, noted doctrinal differences between bin Laden's al-Qaeda and Hamas, but said:

  We condemn the assassination and the killing of an Arab holy warrior. We ask God to offer him mercy with the true believers and the martyrs.

• Timestamp: 

  1:57pm

  The death of bin Laden was greeted with near-silence on Monday from Gulf Arab states, including his birthplace Saudi Arabia.

  By mid-afternoon, the only official comment from the Arabian Peninsula came from Yemen, bin Laden's ancestral homeland, where an official speaking on condition of anonymity hoped the killing would "root out terrorism throughout the world".

  Saudi Arabia's official news agency merely noted that the United States and Pakistan had announced bin Laden had been killed in a US military operation in Pakistan but gave no clue to Riyadh's thinking.

  The foreign ministers of Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, attending a meeting of Gulf foreign ministers in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, all declined to comment on bin Laden's death.

• Timestamp: 

  1:50pm

  NATO Secretary-General statement on Osama bin Laden

  I congratulate President Barack Obama and all those who made the operation against Osama Bin Laden possible. This is a significant success for the security of NATO Allies and all the nations which have joined us in our efforts to combat the scourge of global terrorism to make the world a safer place for all of us.

  NATO made clear that it considered the September 11 attacks on the United States an attack against all Allies. We remember the thousands of innocent lives lost to terrorist atrocities in so many of our nations, in Afghanistan, and around the world.

  As terrorism continues to pose a direct threat to our security and international stability, international cooperation remains key and NATO is at the heart of that cooperation. NATO Allies and partners will continue their mission to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for extremism, but develops in peace and security. We will continue to stand for the values of freedom, democracy and humanity that Osama Bin Laden wanted to defeat.

• Timestamp: 

  1:38pm

  Japan, a key US ally, welcomed the death of Osama bin Laden and said it would step up security at military bases in case of possible reprisal attacks. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said:

  We welcome this significant progress in counter-terrorism measures, and I pay respect to the efforts by the officials concerned, including those in the United States and Pakistan. 

• Timestamp: 

  1:25pm

  Libyan rebels, fighting to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi, broadly welcome the news of the death of al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden.

• Timestamp: 

  1:23pm

  Afghanistan's president lauded bin Laden's death as a serious blow to terrorism and argued that the strike in Pakistan proves the real fight against terrorists is outside his country's borders. President Hamid Karzai told an assembly of district government officials in Kabul, as the hall erupted in applause:

  This is a very important day. Maybe you have already heard on the television or on the radio that American forces have killed Osama bin Laden, delivering him his due punishment.

• Timestamp: 

  11:35am

  Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden will have to answer to God for having killed many people and exploiting religion to spread hate, the Vatican said.

  Spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that while Christians "do not rejoice" over a death, it serves to remind them of "each person's responsibility before God and men".

  Osama bin Laden, as everyone knows, had the grave responsibility of having spread division and hate among people, causing the deaths of an innumerable number of people and exploiting religion for these purposes.

• Timestamp: 

  11:30am

  Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told AFP in an interview that the US killing of Osama bin Laden, not far from the Pakistani capital, was a "great victory".

• Timestamp: 

  10:54am

  Pakistan's foreign ministry says the death of bin Laden shows the resolve of his country and the world to battle terrorism. Pakistan's first official statement about the operation to kill bin Laden said Monday's raid was a US operation.

  Bin Laden was killed an a luxury house in the town of Abbottabad not far from a Pakistani military academy, raising questions over whether Pakistani may have known of his whereabouts. The statement did not address those questions.

• Timestamp: 

  10:50am

  Al Jazeera's Andrew Coombes took this picture outside the White House after the "Bin Laden is dead" announcement:

  

• Timestamp: 

  10:46am

  After bin Laden was killed, 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 US decided to bury him at sea. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security matters, did not immediately say where that occurred. (Associated Press)

• Timestamp: 

  10:43am

  Osama bin Laden's body was taken to Afghanistan and later buried at sea after he was slain in Pakistan. (New York Times)

• Timestamp: 

  10:37am

  Britain has told its embassies to review their security for fear of reprisals following the killing of bin Laden, Foreign Secretary William Hague said. Hague told BBC Radio 4:

  There may be parts of al-Qaeda that will try to show that they are still in business in the coming weeks as indeed some of them are.

  I have already this morning asked our embassies to review their security, to make sure that vigilance is heightened and I think that will have to be our posture for some time to come.

• Timestamp: 

  10:28am

  This is a picture gallery of some reactions around the world to the death of Osama bin Laden.
• Timestamp: 

  10:22am

  Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said that US soldiers should be withdrawn from Afghanistan and Iraq after the killing of Osama bin Laden. Essam al-Erian, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's governing body, told Reuters:

  With Bin Laden's death, one of the reasons for which violence has been practised in the world has been removed. It is time for Obama to pull out of Afghanistan and Iraq and end the occupation of U.S. and Western forces around the world that have for so long harmed Muslim countries.

• Timestamp: 

  10:00am

  The Western-backed Palestinian Authority said that the killing of Osama bin Laden by US forces was "good for the cause of peace". PA spokesman Ghassan Khatib said:

  Getting rid of Bin Laden is good for the cause of peace worldwide but what counts is to overcome the discourse and the methods -- the violent methods -- that were created and encouraged by Bin Laden and others in the world. 

• Timestamp: 

  9:47am

  Kenya's prime minister, Raila Odinga, thanks America and Pakistan for bin Laden's killing, saying that it was positive for Kenya.

  Kenyans are happy and thank the US people, the Pakistani people and everybody else who managed to kill Osama. Osama's death can only be positive for Kenya but we need to have a stable government in Somalia.

• Timestamp: 

  9:34am

  The killing of Osama bin Laden is "good news for all men in the world who think freely and are peaceful," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said.

• Timestamp: 

  9:23am

  Americans cheer outside the White House in Washington after US President Barack Obama announced live on television the death of Osama bin Laden. [Reuters]

  

• Timestamp: 

  9:20am

  Said Agil Siradj, chairman of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, says bin Laden's death will help restore Islam's image as one of people, not violence.

  But he believes terrorism will continue as long as there is injustice against Muslims.

• Timestamp: 

  9:14am

  Sohaib Athar, a resident of Abbottabad, tweeted from his account (@ReallyVirtual) when the raid on Osama bin Laden probably happened. Here are some tweets:

  A huge window shaking bang here in Abbottabad Cantt. I hope its not the start of something nasty :-S” (posted 10 hours ago)

  Since taliban (probably) don't have helicpoters, and since they're saying it was not "ours", so must be a complicated situation #abbottabad (posted 9 hours ago)

• Timestamp: 

  9:00am

  Al Jazeera's Tarek Bazley prepared this report:

• Timestamp: 

  8:46am

  At least two Pakistani television stations broadcast pictures of what they called unconfirmed images of Osama bin Laden's bloodied face after the United States said he had been killed.

  This picture was uploaded on Twitter by user Shaheryar Mirza:

  

• Timestamp: 

  8:43am

  The dollar rebounded from three-year lows and US crude slid more than 1 per cent on after news that Osama bin Laden was killed reduced the perception of security risks facing the United States.

• Timestamp: 

  8:37am

  A leading US Muslim organisation welcomed  the killing of bin Laden, saying he was a threat to America and the world. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement:

  We join our fellow citizens in welcoming the announcement that Osama bin Laden has been eliminated as a threat to our nation and the world through the actions of American military personnel.

  As we have stated repeatedly since the 9/11 terror attacks, bin Laden never represented Muslims or Islam. In fact, in addition to the killing of thousands of Americans, he and Al-Qaeda caused the deaths of countless Muslims worldwide.

• Timestamp: 

  8:30am

  India said the killing of Osama Bin Laden was a "victorious milestone" in the war against terrorism but urged the world to continue battling militancy, a statement from the foreign ministry said.

  The world must not let down its united effort to overcome terrorism and eliminate the safe havens and sanctuaries that have been provided to terrorists in our own neighbourhood. The struggle must continue unabated.

• Timestamp: 

  8:16am

  Thousands have flocked to Ground Zero to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden, alleged mastermind of the devastating September 11 attacks on New York nearly 10 years ago.

  New York's police chief Raymond Kelly called the death of bin Laden a "welcome milestone" for the families of the 3,000 victims of the 2001 strikes by Al-Qaeda.

• Timestamp: 

  8:13am

  Abbottabad is named after a colonial officer, so the 'Abbott' is the same as the Western pronunication of the name.

  'abad'= aa-baa-d. Low 'a's, as in the British pronunciation of 'class'.

• Timestamp: 

  8:00am

  This background on the operation to kill bin Laden was given to Al Jazeera by a senior US offiicial:

  On June 2, 2009 the President signs a memo to Director Panetta stating “in order to ensure that we have expanded every effort, I direct you to provide me within 30 days a detailed operation plan for locating and bringing to justice Usama Bin Ladin…”

  In the lead up to this operation, the President convened at least 9 meetings with his national security Principals. Principals met formally an additional five times themselves; and their Deputies met 7 times. This was in addition to countless briefings on the subject during the President’s intelligence briefings; and frequent consultations between the NSC, CIA, DoD and Joint Staff. The President was actively involved in reviewing all facets of the operation.

  The President made the decision to undertake the operation at 8:20am on April 29th in the Diplomatic Room before he left for Alabama. In the Dip Room were Donilon, Daley, Brennan and McDonough. Donilon then prepared the formal orders and convened the Principals at 3pm to complete the planning.

  May 1 -- staff worked pretty much all day today on the operation. Principals have been in the Situation Room since 1pm.

  2:00pm the President met with the Principals to review final preparations.

  3:32pm the President returned to the Sit Room for an additional briefing.

  3:50pm the President first learns that UBL was tentatively identified.

  7:01pm the President learns that there’s a “high probability” the HVT was UBL.

  8:30pm the President receives further briefings.

• Timestamp: 

  7:00am

  US president Barack Obama said Osama bin Laden, the most-wanted fugitive on the US list, was killed on Sunday in a US operation in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, about 150km north of Islamabad. Click here for more.