The president said he authorized Sunday's assault that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
Osama bin Laden, leader of al Qaida, was killed Sunday in a raid by U.S. forces in Pakistan. President Obama said he authorized the military action that killed the man whose organization killed nearly 3,000 Americans during terrorist attacks on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001."Justice has been done," President Barack Obama said in a live broadcast late Sunday night announcing the death of Osama bin Laden.
After almost a decade of hunting the founder of al-Qaida -- the terrorist organization responsible for collapsing New York City's World Trade Center and turning jet planes into instruments of death on Sept. 11, 2001 -- the elusive bin Laden was killed Sunday in Pakistan after Obama authorized a military team to take out the mastermind of what has come to be known as 9/11, the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
The body of bin Laden, believed to be responsible for thousands of deaths as leader of al-Qaida, was turned over to U.S. officials in Pakistan, according to news reports.
The "killing or capture" of bin Laden had been a nearly decade-long priority of American foreign policy, yet the al-Qaida leader managed to evade detection, allegedly living rough along Pakistan's rugged northern border.
However, the raid by U.S. Special Forces that killed bin Laden took place in a mansion north of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
While many security experts had predicted bin Laden would be caught or killed within days after the 9/11 attacks, that proved not to be the case as the defiant al-Qaida leader taunted the U.S. and its allies in video messages that were posted on the Internet and broadcasted on TV.
Despite the long wait -- and the loss of around 3,000 American lives on 9/11 -- the nation achieved its objective of eliminating the threat of bin Laden, the president said during a live White House broadcast late Sunday that interrupted regularly scheduled programming.
Sept. 11, 2001, galvanized U.S. citizens like never before, creating a period of good will that was evident in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, and the president reminded viewers of that spirit Sunday night.
"The American people came together," he said. "We were united as one American family."
But the death of bin Laden doesn't mean the war against terrorism is over, said Obama, urging vigilance and reminding Americans that Muslims aren't the enemy.
"Bin Laden is not a Muslim leader. He was a mass murderer of Muslims," Obama said.
"The American people did not choose this fight; it came to our shores," he added.
The president said he made a determination last week that the U.S. had enough reliable information to remove bin Laden once and for all. Obama said he issued the order to act on that information Sunday, when U.S. Special Forces conducted the lethal raid north of Islamabad. Details of the assault are still developing.
Meanwhile, random crowds of people descended on the White House late Sunday into early Monday to celebrate the news. Television images showed perhaps thousands -- cheering, applauding and waving American flags -- joining in an impromptu celebration to mark the end of a dark period in American history.
In New York, crowds also reportedly were massing near Ground Zero, the site where the Twin Towers once dominated the Manhattan skyline.
More details will be posted as information becomes available.