Reactions to the death of Osama bin Laden
Encyclopedia
On May 1, 2011, United States President Barack Obama
confirmed that al-Qaeda
leader Osama bin Laden
had been killed
in his compound
in Abbottabad
, Pakistan
.
and related groups. Those who welcomed it included the United Nations
, European Union
, NATO, and some nations in Asia, Africa, Oceania, South America, and the Middle East, including Yemen
, Lebanon
, Saudi Arabia
, India
, Israel
, Indonesia
, Somalia
, Philippines
, Turkey
, Iraq
, Australia
, Argentina
, and the rebel Libyan Republic
.
His killing was condemned, however, by the Hamas
administration of the Gaza Strip
, the Muslim Brotherhood
, and the Taliban. Iran
and the Muslim Brotherhood opined that bin Laden's death removed "the last excuse" for western forces to remain in the Middle East, and urged their withdrawal. The monitoring of Jihadist websites after bin Laden's death, by intelligence agency SITE
, revealed encouragement of attacks in retaliation for his killing.
Within minutes of the official announcement, crowds gathered spontaneously to celebrate outside the White House
, where thousands assembled. Hundreds of New Yorkers also gathered in Times Square
and at Ground Zero
, the site of the September 11, 2001, attacks. In Dearborn
, Michigan
, a suburb of Detroit with a large Muslim
and Arab
population, a small crowd gathered outside the City Hall in celebration, many of them of Middle Eastern descent. From the beginning to the end of Obama's speech, 4,000 tweets per second were sent on Twitter
.
Fans attending a nationally televised Sunday Night Baseball
Major League Baseball
game between two National League East
rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies
and the New York Mets
, at Citizens Bank Park
in Philadelphia initiated U-S-A! cheer
s in response to the news, confusing players and officials alike because no official announcement was made until later. Likewise, at WWE Extreme Rules 2011
, a pay-per-view broadcast emanating from the St. Pete Times Forum
in Tampa
, Florida
, newly crowned WWE Champion John Cena
announced the news to the audience following the event's conclusion, resulting in a massive "U-S-A!" chant from the crowd. Hundreds of students at the University of Notre Dame
, located in Notre Dame
, Indiana
, spontaneously gathered and celebrated by setting off fireworks, yelling loud chants, and running through busy student centers and libraries, many screaming the entire way through and carrying American flags. Students at the University of Southern California
celebrated on USC's Greek Row, playing the national anthem and blasting fireworks. Students from many other universities, including cadets from the U.S. Military Academy and other U.S. armed forces academies, also celebrated when they got the news. Indian Americans hailed the U.S. Special Forces, and accused Pakistan of sheltering bin Laden and other terrorists.
All three major broadcast television networks (ABC
, CBS
, and NBC
) interrupted their regularly scheduled programming to cover the news. Nine television networks in total carried Obama's announcement, watched by 56.5 million Americans, his largest audience since election night. Lisa Provence of The Hook said, "Some Americans responded to news about the death of Osama bin Laden much like the Munchkin
s did when Dorothy
vanquished the Wicked Witch
in the Wizard of Oz
: with jubilant cheers and official proclamations."
In addition to the jubilant celebrations, many visitors quietly reflected at the Pentagon Memorial
.
said that "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". Former U.S. President Bill Clinton
described it as "a profoundly important moment for people all over the world who want to build a common future of peace, freedom, and cooperation for our children". U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton
said: "The fight [against terrorism
] continues, and we will never waver. I know there are some who doubted this day would ever come, who questioned our resolve and our reach. But let us remind ourselves, this is America. We rise to the challenge, we persevere, and we get the job done."
New York City Mayor
Michael Bloomberg
said that he hoped the death of bin Laden "would comfort those who lost loved ones" in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
characterized the news as "absolutely thrilling", adding that she was "overwhelmed with gratitude and continue[s] to be amazed at what our military has achieved". The event was also applauded by past and presumed future Republican
presidential contenders former Massachusetts governor
Mitt Romney
, former Minnesota governor
Tim Pawlenty
, and Senator John McCain
. Several U.S. senators questioned whether Pakistani authorities knew about bin Laden's presence in Pakistan, and had protected him.
On May 12, 2011, former Supreme Court
Justice John Paul Stevens
, speaking at a Northwestern University
symposium, told the audience that based on his knowledge of the facts, "It was not merely to do justice and avenge Sept. 11, [but] to remove an enemy who had been trying every day to attack the United States.... I haven't the slightest doubt it was entirely appropriate for American forces to act" as they did.
In an interview with 60 Minutes
, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
said "I worked for a lot of these guys [referring to the eight U.S. commanders-in-chief he has worked for during his career]. And this is one of the most courageous calls, decisions that I think I've ever seen a president make. For all of the concerns that I've just been talking about. The uncertainty of the intelligence. The consequences of it going bad. The risk to the lives of the Americans involved. It was a very gutsy call."
Asif Ali Zardari
convened emergency talks with Prime Minister
Yousuf Raza Gilani and security chiefs in Islamabad
. Gillani said: "We will not allow our soil to be used against any other country for terrorism and therefore I think it's a great victory, it's a success and I congratulate the success of this operation." Later Gilani blamed the world for their failure to capture bin Laden.
The day after the raid, the Pakistani government lashed out at the U.S., saying that the United States had taken "an unauthorized unilateral action" that would not be tolerated in the future. The foreign ministry further said, "Such an event shall not serve as a future precedent for any state, including the United States."
JUI-F deputy parliamentary leader Mufti Kifayatullah, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, declared "Osama is a hero..." and that "The great Muslim heroes are being killed here in Pakistan and it is a matter of shame for the Pakistan Army when the foreign forces come and kill people on our soil,"
Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir
said, "Any other country that would ever act on assumption that it has the right to unilateralism of any sort will find as far as Pak is concerned that it has made a basic mistake". He further stated that Pakistani military had scrambled F-16s after they became aware of the attack but that they reached the compound after American helicopters had left. Bashir also warned the U.S. and India against any such covert operations in the future, saying this would lead to a "terrible catastrophe".
Former Pakistani President
Pervez Musharraf
criticized the operation, saying, "America coming to our territory and taking action is a violation of our sovereignty, handling and execution of the operation [by U.S. forces] is not correct. The Pakistani government should have been kept in the loop."
Speaking at the Lahore Press Club
, former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi
criticised the government and openly demanded an explanation from top officials regarding the incident. He also called for President Zardari and Prime Minister Gillani to resign. Terming the American raid as "unprovoked aggression", Qureshi added that instead of addressing the nation during the crisis, Zardari instead chose to write an opinion piece in a foreign newspaper.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan
said Pakistan had "lost its dignity and self-esteem" in the wake of the Osama operation and lashed out at the government and the intelligence. "The big questions that everyone began asking, and for which no answers have been forthcoming, were: who allowed the Americans to come to Pakistan and carry out this attack? And whatever happened to the Pakistani Army and its intelligence?"
(It should be noted that an agreement made between George W. Bush
and then-Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf
nearly a decade prior to the raid, then renewed during the civilian government elections of 2008, authorised a unilateral raid with little or no notice should bin Laden be located on Pakistani soil, and also set up the afterward Pakistan government protest )
admitted that there had been an intelligence failure. An official stated that the same compound had been raided in 2003, but since then had not been monitored. However, this account was disputed by American officials who said that satellite photos show that even as late as 2004, the site was an empty field. Pakistan's Military chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani
called the operation a "misadventure" and stated that no further raids would be tolerated. In addition he announced that the number of private American military personnel in Pakistan
will be reduced "to the minimum essential".
According to a statement by Pakistan Air Force
Chief Marshall Rao Qamar Suleman
, there had been an air-surveillance failure. Qamar covered the inquiry by saying that the air space was unable to detect the American helicopters because the radar
installed on the western borders were inactive on the day of the incident. The U.S. helicopters also reportedly used radar-evading measures, such as stealth technology
, to avoid detection.
, Karachi
and Islamabad
showed that 75% of them disapproved the U.S. operation and 66% disbelieved that Osama Bin Laden had been killed at the compound in Abbottabad. There was also frustration and fierce criticism among the public and in Pakistani media against the military for its inability and failure in not detecting the American raid and allowing it to occur.
A local resident, in reference to the security forces, commented: "This is what they are paid for, to defend the borders, not to run bakeries and banks and real-estate empires."
Numerous mobile text messages were observed doing the rounds in the country, apparently ridiculing the defence agencies for the security lapse.
There was mounting public outrage against President Zardari, who offered no official remarks even five days after the incident. Zardari also left for state visits to Kuwait
and Russia
immediately after the operation while Prime Minister Gillani left for a three-day state visit to France after the operation as well, provoking public sentiment that both had got their priorities wrong.
spokeswoman Jiang Yu
made the remarks when asked to comment on the killing of the al-Qaida leader. China supported Pakistan amid growing questions in the U.S. about whether the country was complicit in harboring Osama bin Laden saying the, "Pakistani government's determination to fight terrorism are staunch and its actions have been vigorous." Chinese Premier
Wen Jiabao
discussed the issue with the U.S. in official talks. He asked the U.S. to respect Pakistan's sovereignty, and acknowledge its sacrifices in the war against terror. China also indicated that it would be assisting Pakistan in strengthening its Counter-Terrorism efforts, police force and army, with a specific focus on dealing with the specific domestic issues in Pakistan.
stated that bin Laden's death, and the aftermath of such, would not affect Beijing's policies towards Islamabad. Political analyst Hasan Askari
stated that while China and Pakistan will remain close, China would not risk its relations with the West over it, citing technological and monetary concerns.
indicated that sixty percent agreed that bin Laden's death was a sad event because "he was an anti-US warrior".
On Sina Weibo
, Chinese citizens were celebrating bin Laden's death, since his agenda has been responsible for deaths in Xinjiang
. Tech-savvy Chinese activists and intellectuals have used the event to criticise, or call attention to, China's domestic policies.
, with Indian Army Chief General V K Singh
telling reporters, “I would like to say only this that if such a chance comes, then all the three arms (of the Indian Defense Forces) are competent to do this”. Indian Air Chief Marshal P V Naik
said that India has the capability to carry out such surgical strikes against terrorists.
Following the death of bin Laden in Pakistan, the Border Security Force
of India was put on high alert along India's 553 km border with Pakistan, in Punjab. However, a former Pakistani Air Force commander dismissed this as the rhetoric of "paper tigers", and Indian Minister for Home Affairs
P. Chidambaram
cautioned that India might be unable to carry out such an attack because, "We don't have our forces on Pakistani soil. We are not invited there. We don't have any support from Pakistan."
celebrated the death of bin Laden across its various cities, by thanking and congratulating the United States. In the Indian capital New Delhi
, crowds gathered in the streets to celebrate the occasion, thanking U.S. President Barack Obama. "Festival like celebrations" were seen in Ahmedabad
, where people lit firecrackers and burned photographs of bin Laden while shouting slogans. People in the coastal town of Udupi rejoiced on Monday by exchanging greetings and distributing sweets. Celebratory crowds in Udupi, headed by the chief of Shiroor Matha, shouted slogans and burned an effigy of bin Laden. In Bangalore
, over 100 members of the Sri Ram Sene converged in Freedom Park in a jubilant mood to celebrate with firecrackers and the passing out of sweets to passers-by. The news of bin Laden's death was watched by 42.6 million Indians, beating the ratings in that country for the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
.
Manmohan Singh
welcomed the news of bin Laden's death, saying, "I welcome it as a significant step forward and hope that it will deal a decisive blow to Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. The international community and Pakistan in particular must work comprehensively to end the activities of all such groups who threaten civilized behaviour and kill innocent men, women and children." Minister for Home Affairs
P. Chidambaram
said that bin Laden hiding near Islamabad was a matter of grave concern for India as evidence the country was a "sanctuary" for terrorists. He called on Pakistan to arrest the "many of the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks
, including the controllers and the handlers of the terrorists who actually carried out the attack", who he alleged "continue to be sheltered in Pakistan".
Minister of External Affairs S. M. Krishna
hailed the killing of bin Laden as "historic" and a "victorious milestone" in the global war against terrorism. The Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi
, expressed his happiness about bin Laden's death, and the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) also hailed the news. The BJP said that bin Laden was the most dangerous face of global and jihadi terrorism and needed to be punished for his evil ideologies and stressed that his death in Pakistan proved India's repeated assertion that "Pakistan is the epicenter of global terrorism". Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj
(also the opposition leader in the Indian Parliamanet) said, "Osama was enemy number one of humanity".
, Jerzy Buzek
said, "We have woken up in a more secure world."
on the May 8, 2011, edition of 60 Minutes
, "For more than a decade, bin Laden managed to elude the U.S. military and intelligence establishments, and he taunted three U.S. presidents. That finally ended last Sunday, and the last thing bin Laden saw was a Navy SEAL in the third floor bedroom of his compound in Pakistan." According to The Economist
, "The silence of the usual critics of 'illegal', 'extrajudicial', targeted killing
in the wake of America's killing of Osama bin Laden might reflect hypocrisy, sure. But this can be tough to distinguish from resignation to the fact that Mr Obama didn't submit his case for executing Mr bin Laden to some global civil authority because there isn't one and he didn't have to—because America's the biggest kid on the block and, ultimately, what America says goes. And, if it comes down to it, Britain, France, Italy, Russia and other powerful governments hope America will indulge their own kill-squad adventures with similar approving silences. Of course, if some aggrieved faction in the future seeks retribution through the targeted killing of one of these countries' leaders, that will be raw vengeance, that will be terrorism, that will be an international crime, because, like it or not, that's how it works."
George Will
suggested that America could use bin Laden's death to "draw a deep breath and some pertinent conclusions" including that, "bin Laden was brought down by intelligence gathering that more resembles excellent police work than a military operation." He added that, "There remains much more to al-Qaeda than bin Laden, and there are many more tentacles to the terrorism threat than al-Qaeda and its affiliates. So "the long war" must go on. But perhaps such language is bewitching our minds, because this is not essentially war."
, and has for years been engaged in terrorist activities aimed at destabilizing the Horn of Africa
." – Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga
said, "It's a major achievement in the war against terrorism." The Kenyan President, Mwai Kibaki
, called his killing an, "act of justice to those Kenyans who lost their lives and the many more who suffered injuries" referencing the bombings in Nairobi
, believed to be the work of Al Qaeda. "We should not celebrate the killing of Osama to the point where we forget to take precautions," said Joseph Kamotho, Kenyan Cabinet Minister. "The world needs to be vigilant because al-Qaida has a strong network and they may plan to retaliate." Kenyans injured in the bombings expressed relief and celebration upon hearing the news. - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing the Liberian government's "profound delight" over the killing, saying that "the Liberian Government views this remarkable development as a positive achievement towards the fight against terrorism as well as the attainment and promotion of global peace and stability." National Transitional Council
– Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani
, a spokesman for the rebel military at the time fighting against forces loyal to Libya
n ruler Muammar Gaddafi
, said that "We are very happy" to hear the news of bin Laden's death, and considered bin Laden as another enemy fighting against the rebels. Bani added that he wished Gaddafi would suffer the same fate as bin Laden, saying, "We want the Americans to do the same to Gaddafi." – Communications Minister Khalid Naciri said that "the entire world suffered from bin Laden and the organization he created". The Moroccan government also believes that an al-Qaeda affiliated group was responsible for the April 28, 2011 Marrakech bombing
. - Security consultant Evawere Oyede said that there was a "mixed" reaction in Nigeria towards bin Laden after his death. Oyede elaborated by saying, "Some people see it as a relief. While some people see it as a man who was trying to fight the Western world
. Many people saw Osama as a hero." The country's Chief of Police, Hafiz Ringim, announced that Nigeria was put on red alert
following bin Laden's death. - Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed hailed the death of bin Laden by saying, "We welcome the operation which U.S intelligence carried and killed the leader of al-Qaeda, Bin Laden, who already confessed he was the mastermind of mass killing in different places in the world." The Prime Minister also "accused Bin Laden for providing huge support to the Al-Shabaab group". He also added that "Somalia is the real victim of Osama's war ideology". Somali president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed welcomed the death of Bin laden saying he was instrumental in the problems of Somalia and that peace will prevail in Somalia as a result of the killing of bin Laden. Hundreds of the resident of Mogadishu
rallied in the streets to celebrate the death of bin Laden. – The Department of International Relations and Cooperation issued a statement that the government "has noted the news of the passing on of Mr. Osama bin Laden as announced" and reaffirmed the country's support for stemming the "demon of terrorism, in all its manifestations", using "the system of global governance of multilateralism". The governing ANC
's national spokesperson, Jackson Mthembu
, refused to comment the news and said that the ANC will not issue a formal statement, until there is evidence of the dead body, claiming that "even President Obama hasn't seen the body". The leader of the ruling party's youth wing, Julius Malema
, condemned the killing. - Uganda's government described bin Laden's death as a "momentous event". Spokesman Fred Opolot pledged that "Ugandan troops in an African Union
force in Somalia will continue to fight the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Shabaab militia". "The death of Bin Laden hopefully will bring about a new era," Kintu Nyango said, on behalf of the Ugandan President. "The world will become a better place."
addressed a letter to President Obama in which she highlighted the ongoing threat of terrorism as a central issue in today's society, and expressed her wish that the news of Bin Laden's death not hinder hopes for peace in the Middle East; "Bin Laden's activities," she concluded, "are repudiated by all people and nations who truly believe in the dignity of the human condition, and we stand in support of all his victims." The Governor of Buenos Aires Province
, Daniel Scioli
, considered the capture of Bin Laden a step forward in the war against terror; the nation's Chief of the Ministers' Cabinet, Aníbal Fernández
, announced that Argentina would take the threat of counter-attacks by al-Qaeda seriously. – Brazilian Foreign Minister
Antonio Patriota
said that, "We're very worried that there will be reprisals. We hope that this event doesn't trigger an attack." but added that it was "important and positive" with the Arab world calling for increased freedom of expression. He continued, "Insofar as Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden were and remain behind political strategies that prioritize acts of terrorism, (the Brazilian government) can only express our solidarity with the victims and with those who seek justice." – Canadian Prime Minister
Stephen Harper
said that the death of bin Laden "secures a sense of justice for the families of the 24 Canadians murdered (on September 11, 2001)" and said that "Canada receives the news of the death of Osama bin Laden with sober satisfaction". The Canadian government also urged caution, for those Canadians in Pakistan, citing security concerns in a volatile environment. Those whose lives were effected by the September 11 attacks, expressed a feeling of closure, or muted victory. – President Sebastián Piñera
celebrated the death of bin Laden, saying he spoke with President Obama to express his satisfaction with the operation. He said he was "glad that the whole world learned that, though late, justice arrives, and that crimes committed against innocent people around the world will not go unpunished". Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno hailed the death of bin Laden as "a very important advancement in the war against terrorism". – Colombian President
Juan Manuel Santos
congratulated Obama, stating in a press release that the raid "proves once again that terrorists, sooner or later, always fall. In the global fight against terrorism there is only one way: to persevere, persevere and persevere." – Former President of Cuba Fidel Castro
stated that "whatever the actions attributed to bin Laden, the assassination of an unarmed human being surrounded by his family constitutes an abhorrent act". While criticizing bin Laden for international terrorism, he called the attack an "execution". He added that Pakistan's laws had been violated, and that its "national dignity [was] offended". – Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño commented on bin Laden's death by stating, "If the United States managed to kill Bin Laden, they can celebrate it. I'm not celebrating anyone's death." – Foreign Secretary
Patricia Espinosa Cantellano said, "It is of great importance in efforts to free the world from the scourge of terrorism, which threatens peace and security, particularly one who leads one of the most ruthless and bloody terrorist organizations in the world." – Peruvian President Alan García credited the death of bin Laden to late and recently beatified Pope
John Paul II, saying, "His first miracle was to remove from the world the incarnation of evil, the demonic incarnation of crime and hatred..." He also said that bin Laden's death "vindicates [former U.S. President] George W. Bush
's decision to punish Bin Laden and patiently continue this work that has borne fruit". – Vice President Elias Jaua
condemned the killing and subsequent celebrations, saying: "It surprises me to no end how natural crime and murder [have] become, how [they are] celebrated". He added: "At least before imperial governments were more subtle." Jaua elaborated this, stating that now the deaths, both of people working outside the law and of families of presidents (an apparent reference to Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, a target of the 2011 Libyan civil war
who had been killed the day prior to bin Laden's death) "are openly celebrated by the leaders of the nations that bomb them".
Hamid Karzai
, speaking on the death of bin Laden, said, "It's wonderful. It's great news", elaborating that bin Laden has "been one of the key enemies of humanity, civilization, and it's really been a major problem for the human race". He emphasized that "Afghanistan was right" in saying that "the fighting against terrorism is not in the villages of Afghanistan, not among the poor people of Afghanistan", but in "safe havens", and called on the Taliban to lay down their arms. – Armenian spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tigran Balayan, said: "Being involved in the struggle of the international community against terrorism, we share the feelings of Americans and all other, who fight terrorism, regarding the extermination of Bin Laden". – The Foreign Office of Bangladesh praised bin Laden's death as "a major development" and pledged to continue its efforts in the global fight against terrorism. – Ansyaad Mbai, the head of Indonesia's counter-terrorist
agency, said that bin Laden's death "would bring positive impact" and that "it would reduce movements organized by radical groups since their main figure had died". – Japanese Foreign Minister
Takeaki Matsumoto
said, "I pay respect to the US officials concerned. While his death was confirmed, it does not mean that terrorism was eliminated." – The Kazakh Foreign Ministry
issued a statement saying that the death of bin Laden was a "major blow to international terrorism." – Malaysian Home Minister
Hishammuddin Hussein
said he hoped that the death of bin Laden would help bring universal peace and harmony. – Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "The war against terrorism has always remained a priority of Nepal's government and we take bin Laden's death as a victory against terrorism". – Filipino President
Benigno Aquino III
praised Barack Obama and said, "The death of Osama bin Laden marks a signal defeat for the forces of extremism and terrorism", while the Philippine National Police
described bin Laden's death as "a victory for all peace loving citizens and a major blow to terrorists and terrorism". Authorities in the Philippines believe that there are people who are linked to bin Laden's al-Qaeda network and may commit a retaliation attack. – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
said, "the killing of Osama bin Laden ... is a significant milestone in the struggle against international terrorism." – A spokesman for President Lee Myung-bak
said, "Our government welcomes and supports the efforts shown by the U.S. government through this operation to eradicate terrorism." – The ROC government raised the terror alert levels across the ROC (Taiwanese) territories, including the island of Taiwan, after learning about bin Laden's death. Also, President
Ma Ying-jeou
said that "this is a huge progress for the international counter-terrorism movement." Vice Premier Sean Chen, along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, echoed that statement. – Nguyen Phuong Nga, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry of Vietnam
said this when asked about the death of bin Laden, "Terrorists must bear responsibility for their acts and should be severely punished". She continued, "Vietnam will continue to join the international community in the fight against terrorism, based on the UN Charter and the basic principles of international law, to eliminate terrorism".
said that bin Laden's death "is a significant milestone in the fight against terrorism, in the effort to achieve a more secure world, though it is far from its end. It is an important symbolic message to the survivors of victims of terrorist attacks by Al-Qaeda and a clear signal to all parties without respect for law and human lives anywhere in the world: human life is irreplaceable, but its wasting won't stay unpunished." Czech President
Václav Klaus
said, "I accept this message about the destruction of a symbol of world terrorism, Osama bin Laden, with great relief and I believe it will significantly increase safety and create a calm atmosphere in the world." – Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi
said bin Laden's death "is a major success in the war on international terrorism, but it doesn't mean the end of this war. A very important and determined enemy of our entire civilization has fallen." – The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "Justice has been done. Congratulations to our allies. We share this moment of happiness with the American people." It further added, "Let yesterday be a reminder of what will happen to those who continue to align themselves with bin Laden and to those who continue to plan further terrorist attacks." – "Russia was among the first countries to face the dangers inherent in global terrorism, and unfortunately knows what al-Qaeda is not from hearsay," the Kremlin
said. "Retribution will inevitably reach all terrorists." – Ukrainian President
Viktor Yanukovych
said that bin Laden's death was "important for all countries that wish to live in the world without terrorism".
Lars Løkke Rasmussen
said, "I congratulate President Obama and the American people with the success in finishing the era of bin Laden's unscrupulous and inhumane violence and destruction". Danish Foreign Minister Lene Espersen
called bin Laden's demise a "great symbolic victory", but warned that the War on Terror
had not yet ended. – President of Finland Tarja Halonen
said, "Hopefully this is the end of an era." She also commented on the importance of the international community to create a system which would be constructive and build on co-operation. – Taoiseach
Enda Kenny
said the removal of bin Laden's ability to plot heinous acts is a major achievement in the effort to rid the world of the threat of terrorism. – Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre
called the death of bin Laden "a break-through in the fight against terror", but insisted that the threat from al-Qaeda remained. – Swedish Foreign Minister
Carl Bildt
wrote a tweet saying that "a world without Osama Bin Laden is a better world. His hatred was a threat to us all". – Prime Minister
David Cameron
said that bin Laden's death would "bring great relief" around the world. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair
said that "the operation shows those who commit acts of terror against the innocent will be brought to justice, however long it takes. This is a huge achievement in the fight against terrorism, but we know the fight against terrorism and the ideology that Bin Laden represents continues and is as urgent as ever." Labour Party
and opposition leader Ed Miliband
stated that "the world is a safer place with the death of Osama bin Laden because he is no longer there to command and encourage terrorism". Ken Livingstone
, the former Mayor of London, criticized Obama for having Bin Laden assassinated rather than captured alive. He stated that the killing would increase the chance of terrorism, although may disagree with Livingstone's remark.
, through a message conveyed to the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama
, commends the elimination of Osama Bin Laden
, by considering it as one of the greatest victories in the war against international terrorism. "Please allow me to congratulate you on the completion of the mission justice restored, with the final elimination of Osama Bin Laden by American troops, thus achieving one of the most important victories in the long and difficult war against international terrorism! As President of the Republic of Albania, on behalf of the Albanian nation, I would like to express my most sincere congratulations for the achievement of this objective that gave me joy and at the same time made me proud that my country is lined up on the side of the greatest ally and friend of Albania; the United States of America, the country that believed in the war without compromise against evil, against terrorism, by defending the holy principles of freedom and democracy all over the world, as well as ensuring the security, peace and stability in all parts of the world. Allow me, Mr. President, on behalf of the Albanian people and me personally, to express to You once more the best wishes for this great victory and at the same time to ensure you that Albania will continue to complete with devotion its engagements in the framework of NATO, by giving its own contribution in the future challenges for freedom, democracy, as well as in constructing a better world for the nations and their future”! – emphasizes the message of President Topi." Prime Minister Sali Berisha
reacted today to the Al-Qaeda leader also the mastermind of terrorist acts, Osama Bin Laden, being killed by the US forces in Pakistan and appreciated it as a great victory of the USA over terrorism. Speaking to reporters, PM Berisha said that Bin Laden got what he deserved and emphasized that his death relieves the pain of thousands of September 11 victims. Berisha said “Today’s headline of the international news is elimination of one of the blackest figures of the history of mankind. It’s the death of the man who by his primitiveness and aggressive behavior took the lives of thousands of people in New York, but even in other countries worldwide; they were innocent people, on whom this cruel man, Bin Laden, wanted to realize his medieval and the most inhuman ends. But, now he got the deserved response while hidden in his den for years. This marks a great victory of the United States of America, President Barack Obama; it’s the victory of peace and all those who consider terrorism the number one enemy of peace and their freedom. This is the most consoling news for families of thousands of innocent victims of the attacks that the chief terrorist Osama Bin Laden masterminded in many countries of the world.”The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania
hails the elimination of the arch-terrorist Osama Bin Laden during a successful operation conducted by US forces. On this day, the Albanian people joins the feelings and the solidarity of the peoples of the whole world, who have suffered from the unparalleled acts perpetrated by international terrorism, including the one on 11 September. As one of the first countries to join the alliance against international terrorism, Albania expresses the confidence that the unwavering stance in encountering these terrorist acts and their masterminds is the key to the success of our common struggle to uphold peace and freedom worldwide. – Bosnia and Herzegovina Minister of Security, Sadik Ahmetović said that the news of bin Laden's discovery and death was "received with relief". Ahmetović added that "terrorism is the evil of modern times whose victims are mainly innocent civilians so we have to fight it with all means". – Following the news and the statements made by Obama, the Cyprus Police have increased their security measures for the protection of potential Western and US targets within their country. A spokesman for the Cyprus Police, Michalis Katounotos, stated that "the force has adopted additional security measures in the event of new terrorist activities or reaction to the death of bin Laden." – Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas made the following statement: "International terrorism is an abhorrent phenomenon, a constant threat to international peace and security that undermines the prospects of societies throughout the world for prosperity and development. Osama Bin Laden's death dealt a strong blow to terrorism. But the fight does not end here. The international community – irrespective of religious beliefs and political considerations – needs to remain united in the international effort to end this scourge." – Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi
said of bin Laden's killing, "This is a great outcome in the fight against evil, in the fight against terrorism, a great outcome for the United States and for all democracies." Minister of Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini hailed the killing of bin Laden as "a great victory" for the U.S. and the international community as a whole in the struggle against al-Qaeda and terrorism. The Minister has praised U.S. officials for the operation. Minister of the Interior
Roberto Maroni
said that "Bin Laden's elimination is a good news" and he shared Interpol chief's concerns about risks of immediate terrorist reactions. – The President of Kosovo
, Atifete Jahjaga
, said, "Terrorist Osama Bin Laden took the deserved punishment after all the killings, suffering, pain and damage he inflicted on the world. Justice was put into place. The good won against evil. People will live in peace, progress, fearless and safe. The war against international terrorism is in function of peace, prosperity, security for all, in defense of life and human dignity." – The Macedonian government praised the death of bin Laden as "a victory for justice and is a big success and a big step forward in the attempt to make a safer world and eliminate the terror threats against humanity". – The Maltese government said in an official statement: "Osama bin Laden was responsible for some of the worst terrorist attacks in recent history that cost the lives of thousands of innocent people. We hope that the world will be safer place to live in and that the international community will continue to strive to combat the scourge of extremism and to build a world of peace, security and prosperity for all." – The President of Portugal
, Aníbal Cavaco Silva
, sent a message to the U.S. President in which he expressed his solidarity with the feelings of the American people when the outcome of the military operation of which ended with the death of bin Laden became known. – Prime Minister of Spain
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
sent a telegram to Barack Obama to expressed "in name of [his] Government and the Spanish society, the satisfaction shared with the American people for the result of the anti-terrorist operation which led to bin Laden's death. Satisfaction for the meaning it has as a decisive and determining step in fighting Al-Qaeda's terrorism. Satisfaction inseparable of the memories of the victims caused by the horrible terrorist strikes which will never leave our memory. Spain will stay fully committed with the International Community in fighting terrorism." Holy See
– Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi
said that bin Laden "was gravely responsible for promoting division and hatred between peoples, causing the end of countless innocent lives, and of exploiting religions to this end. Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of each and every one of us before God and before man, and hopes and commits himself so that no event is an opportunity for further growth of hatred, but for peace". – President Abdullah Gul
welcomed the news of bin Laden's death, and said, "It should teach a lesson to terrorist organisations of the world; that the leader of the world's most dangerous and sophisticated terrorist organization is captured this way."
welcomed the news, calling it "a relief for many people", but warned that it must not be interpreted as a "final victory over terrorism". – Belgian resigning Prime Minister Yves Leterme
said, "Many people have a sense of relief, especially the victims of the attacks. One would normally expect a trial, but I think this is a good solution, given what happened in the past on the initiative of Osama bin Laden." – French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé
said that bin Laden's death is a "victory for all democracies fighting the abominable scourge of terrorism". He went on to say, "France, the United States and European states work closely together to fight terrorism, so I'm overjoyed at the news." – German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle
said, "That a stop could be put to this terrorist's bloody trade is good news for all peace-loving and free-thinking people in the world." German Chancellor Angela Merkel
expressed joy that bin Laden had been successfully killed, a statement that drew some criticism in Germany. – Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte
praises the courage and the determination that people showed during the mission. He further says that this is a major blow to the al-Qaeda network. He has presented his compliments to President Obama but also said this is not the end of terrorism.
, the government of the Gaza Strip, denounced the killing of bin Laden: "We condemn the assassination and the killing of an 'Arab holy warrior'. We regard this as a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood." Ismail Haniya
, a senior political leader of Hamas and one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority
, said: "We condemn any killing of a holy warrior or of a Muslim and Arab person and we ask God to bestow his mercy upon him." Ismail al-Ashqar, a Hamas lawmaker, called it "state terrorism that America carries out against Muslims".
Julia Gillard
welcomed the news of bin Laden's death, by saying: "Osama bin Laden declared war on innocent people and today he has paid the price for that declaration. Osama bin Laden was directly responsible for despicable acts of violence against innocent people and he inspired acts of violence by others. Today of all days we remember the lives lost, particularly the lives of Australians." She also said it was "a small measure of justice", but stated that the "War on Terror
is not over", and "must be continued". – New Zealander Prime Minister
John Key
stated that "the world is a safer place without Osama bin Laden", but "bin Laden's death may not mean an end to terrorism".
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Sudan
Turkey
United Kingdom
India: May 6, Separatist Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani
led a gathering for funeral prayers at Batmaloo, Srinagar
for al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. Special prayers were given at Pulwama, Bijbehara
and Baramulla
in Indian-administered Kashmir
. These prayers were attended by about a hundred Kashmiri muslims
who called Osama a martyr. Protesters also shouted anti-U.S and pro-freedom slogans
. Although a relatively minor incident, it led to a small riot between police and protesters.
Egypt
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
confirmed that al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
leader Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
had been killed
Death of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden, then head of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. local time by a United States special forces military unit....
in his compound
Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad
Osama bin Laden's compound, known locally as the Waziristan Haveli , is the safe house in which Osama bin Laden was hiding when he was killed. The structure is located at the end of a dirt road in Abbottabad, Pakistan. About 35 Miles north of the capital, Islamibad, and just 0.8 miles southwest of...
in Abbottabad
Abbottabad
Abbottabad is a city located in the Hazara region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan. The city is situated in the Orash Valley, northeast of the capital Islamabad and east of Peshawar at an altitude of and is the capital of the Abbottabad District...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Official reaction
Bin Laden's death was welcomed throughout much of the world as a fitting end to a figure who had inspired mass bloodshed, and a positive and significant turning point in the fight against al-QaedaAl-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
and related groups. Those who welcomed it included the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, NATO, and some nations in Asia, Africa, Oceania, South America, and the Middle East, including Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, and the rebel Libyan Republic
National Transitional Council
The National Transitional Council of Libya , sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, the Interim National Council, or the Libyan National Council,...
.
His killing was condemned, however, by the Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
administration of the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, the Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
, and the Taliban. Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and the Muslim Brotherhood opined that bin Laden's death removed "the last excuse" for western forces to remain in the Middle East, and urged their withdrawal. The monitoring of Jihadist websites after bin Laden's death, by intelligence agency SITE
SITE Institute
The Search for International Terrorist Entities Intelligence Group is an organization that tracks the online activity of terrorist organizations. The SITE Institute was founded in 2002 by Rita Katz and Josh Devon, who had left the Investigative Project...
, revealed encouragement of attacks in retaliation for his killing.
United States
Within minutes of the official announcement, crowds gathered spontaneously to celebrate outside the White HouseWhite House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, where thousands assembled. Hundreds of New Yorkers also gathered in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
and at Ground Zero
World Trade Center site
The World Trade Center site , also known as "Ground Zero" after the September 11 attacks, sits on in Lower Manhattan in New York City...
, the site of the September 11, 2001, attacks. In Dearborn
Dearborn, Michigan
-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, a suburb of Detroit with a large Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
and Arab
Arab American
An Arab American is a United States citizen or resident of Arab ethnic, cultural and linguistic heritage or identity, who identifies themselves as Arab. Arab Americans trace ancestry to any of the various waves of immigrants of the countries comprising the Arab World...
population, a small crowd gathered outside the City Hall in celebration, many of them of Middle Eastern descent. From the beginning to the end of Obama's speech, 4,000 tweets per second were sent on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
.
Fans attending a nationally televised Sunday Night Baseball
Sunday Night Baseball
Sunday Night Baseball is the Major League Baseball exclusive game of the week that is televised Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN during the regular season...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
game between two National League East
National League East
The National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...
rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, at Citizens Bank Park
Citizens Bank Park
Citizens Bank Park is a 43,647-seat baseball park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, and home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Citizens Bank Park opened on April 3, 2004, and hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 12 of the same year, with the...
in Philadelphia initiated U-S-A! cheer
U-S-A! cheer
U-S-A! is a chant that was first popularized after being yelled by fans during the 1980 Winter Olympics, held in Lake Placid, New York, USA, where the US men's ice hockey team defeated the Soviet Union in what became known as the "Miracle on Ice", later moving on to beat Finland for the gold...
s in response to the news, confusing players and officials alike because no official announcement was made until later. Likewise, at WWE Extreme Rules 2011
Extreme Rules (2011)
Extreme Rules was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE, which took place on May 1, 2011 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida...
, a pay-per-view broadcast emanating from the St. Pete Times Forum
St. Pete Times Forum
The St. Pete Times Forum is an arena in Tampa, Florida, that has been used for ice hockey, basketball, and arena football games, as well as concerts....
in Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, newly crowned WWE Champion John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
announced the news to the audience following the event's conclusion, resulting in a massive "U-S-A!" chant from the crowd. Hundreds of students at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, located in Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
Notre Dame is a census-designated place north of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States; it includes the campuses of three colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College. Notre Dame is split between Clay and Portage Townships...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, spontaneously gathered and celebrated by setting off fireworks, yelling loud chants, and running through busy student centers and libraries, many screaming the entire way through and carrying American flags. Students at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
celebrated on USC's Greek Row, playing the national anthem and blasting fireworks. Students from many other universities, including cadets from the U.S. Military Academy and other U.S. armed forces academies, also celebrated when they got the news. Indian Americans hailed the U.S. Special Forces, and accused Pakistan of sheltering bin Laden and other terrorists.
All three major broadcast television networks (ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
) interrupted their regularly scheduled programming to cover the news. Nine television networks in total carried Obama's announcement, watched by 56.5 million Americans, his largest audience since election night. Lisa Provence of The Hook said, "Some Americans responded to news about the death of Osama bin Laden much like the Munchkin
Munchkin
The Munchkins are the natives of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. They first appeared in the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which they are described as being somewhat short of stature, and wear only blue...
s did when Dorothy
Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale is the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum, and the best friend of Oz's ruler Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels...
vanquished the Wicked Witch
Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character and the most significant antagonist in L. Frank Baum's children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
in the Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
: with jubilant cheers and official proclamations."
In addition to the jubilant celebrations, many visitors quietly reflected at the Pentagon Memorial
Pentagon Memorial
The Pentagon Memorial, located just southwest of The Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, is a permanent outdoor memorial to the 184 men and women who lost their lives as victims of the attack, killed both in the building and on American Airlines Flight 77 in the September 11, 2001...
.
Current and former officials
Former U.S. President George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
said that "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". Former U.S. President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
described it as "a profoundly important moment for people all over the world who want to build a common future of peace, freedom, and cooperation for our children". U.S. Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
said: "The fight [against terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
] continues, and we will never waver. I know there are some who doubted this day would ever come, who questioned our resolve and our reach. But let us remind ourselves, this is America. We rise to the challenge, we persevere, and we get the job done."
New York City Mayor
Mayor of New York City
The Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
said that he hoped the death of bin Laden "would comfort those who lost loved ones" in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
characterized the news as "absolutely thrilling", adding that she was "overwhelmed with gratitude and continue[s] to be amazed at what our military has achieved". The event was also applauded by past and presumed future Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
presidential contenders former Massachusetts governor
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
, former Minnesota governor
Governor of Minnesota
The Governor of Minnesota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty different people have been governors of the state, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial...
Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
, and Senator John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
. Several U.S. senators questioned whether Pakistani authorities knew about bin Laden's presence in Pakistan, and had protected him.
On May 12, 2011, former Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
Justice John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from December 19, 1975 until his retirement on June 29, 2010. At the time of his retirement, he was the oldest member of the Court and the third-longest serving justice in the Court's history...
, speaking at a Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
symposium, told the audience that based on his knowledge of the facts, "It was not merely to do justice and avenge Sept. 11, [but] to remove an enemy who had been trying every day to attack the United States.... I haven't the slightest doubt it was entirely appropriate for American forces to act" as they did.
In an interview with 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
Robert Gates
Dr. Robert Michael Gates is a retired civil servant and university president who served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011. Prior to this, Gates served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and under President George H. W....
said "I worked for a lot of these guys [referring to the eight U.S. commanders-in-chief he has worked for during his career]. And this is one of the most courageous calls, decisions that I think I've ever seen a president make. For all of the concerns that I've just been talking about. The uncertainty of the intelligence. The consequences of it going bad. The risk to the lives of the Americans involved. It was a very gutsy call."
Government
Following the death of bin Laden, PresidentPresident of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
Asif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari is the 11th and current President of Pakistan and the Co-Chairman of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party . He is also the widower of Benazir Bhutto, who served two nonconsecutive terms as Prime Minister....
convened emergency talks with Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
Yousuf Raza Gilani and security chiefs in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
. Gillani said: "We will not allow our soil to be used against any other country for terrorism and therefore I think it's a great victory, it's a success and I congratulate the success of this operation." Later Gilani blamed the world for their failure to capture bin Laden.
The day after the raid, the Pakistani government lashed out at the U.S., saying that the United States had taken "an unauthorized unilateral action" that would not be tolerated in the future. The foreign ministry further said, "Such an event shall not serve as a future precedent for any state, including the United States."
JUI-F deputy parliamentary leader Mufti Kifayatullah, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, declared "Osama is a hero..." and that "The great Muslim heroes are being killed here in Pakistan and it is a matter of shame for the Pakistan Army when the foreign forces come and kill people on our soil,"
Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir
Salman Bashir
Salman Bashir is a Pakistani diplomat and the current Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 26 April, 2008. Bashir did his masters in History and LLB before joining the Foreign Service of Pakistan in February 1976...
said, "Any other country that would ever act on assumption that it has the right to unilateralism of any sort will find as far as Pak is concerned that it has made a basic mistake". He further stated that Pakistani military had scrambled F-16s after they became aware of the attack but that they reached the compound after American helicopters had left. Bashir also warned the U.S. and India against any such covert operations in the future, saying this would lead to a "terrible catastrophe".
Former Pakistani President
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
criticized the operation, saying, "America coming to our territory and taking action is a violation of our sovereignty, handling and execution of the operation [by U.S. forces] is not correct. The Pakistani government should have been kept in the loop."
Speaking at the Lahore Press Club
Lahore Press Club
The Lahore Press Club , is an association of primarily news journalists, but also includes academics, business people and members of the public service in Lahore, Pakistan. The second biggest press club in the country , the LPC has a total membership of 923 and is well-known for its gatherings...
, former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi
Shah Mehmood Qureshi
Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Hussain Qureshi is well-known Politician in Pakistan. He was the Foreign Minister of Pakistan in the coalition government of PPP, Muttahida Quami Movement[MQM], ANP and JUI-F formed after the 2008 general elections. He was a senior leader of Pakistan Peoples Party, where...
criticised the government and openly demanded an explanation from top officials regarding the incident. He also called for President Zardari and Prime Minister Gillani to resign. Terming the American raid as "unprovoked aggression", Qureshi added that instead of addressing the nation during the crisis, Zardari instead chose to write an opinion piece in a foreign newspaper.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan
Imran Khan
Imran Khan Niazi is a Pakistani politician and former Pakistani cricketer, playing international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century. After retiring, he entered politics...
said Pakistan had "lost its dignity and self-esteem" in the wake of the Osama operation and lashed out at the government and the intelligence. "The big questions that everyone began asking, and for which no answers have been forthcoming, were: who allowed the Americans to come to Pakistan and carry out this attack? And whatever happened to the Pakistani Army and its intelligence?"
(It should be noted that an agreement made between George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and then-Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
nearly a decade prior to the raid, then renewed during the civilian government elections of 2008, authorised a unilateral raid with little or no notice should bin Laden be located on Pakistani soil, and also set up the afterward Pakistan government protest )
Military
Pakistan's military officials declined to comment, referring questions to the foreign ministry. After the operation, Pakistan's Inter-Services IntelligenceInter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
admitted that there had been an intelligence failure. An official stated that the same compound had been raided in 2003, but since then had not been monitored. However, this account was disputed by American officials who said that satellite photos show that even as late as 2004, the site was an empty field. Pakistan's Military chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani
Ashfaq Parvez Kayani
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, NI, HI is a four-star general in the Pakistan Army, and the current Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army. He replaced General Pervez Musharraf as the Chief of Army Staff and the commandant of the army on November 29, 2007...
called the operation a "misadventure" and stated that no further raids would be tolerated. In addition he announced that the number of private American military personnel in Pakistan
Americans in Pakistan
Americans in Pakistan form a small expatriate community. According to early statistics of 1999 based on registrations with the local American embassy and consulates, there are between 4,000 and 5,000 Americans in the country, with 2,100 in Pakistan's financial capital Karachi, about 1,250 in...
will be reduced "to the minimum essential".
According to a statement by Pakistan Air Force
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
Chief Marshall Rao Qamar Suleman
Rao Qamar Suleman
Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, NI, SBt is the current Pakistan Air Force Chief of Air Staff who replaced Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed on 18 March 2009....
, there had been an air-surveillance failure. Qamar covered the inquiry by saying that the air space was unable to detect the American helicopters because the radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
installed on the western borders were inactive on the day of the incident. The U.S. helicopters also reportedly used radar-evading measures, such as stealth technology
Stealth technology
Stealth technology also termed LO technology is a sub-discipline of military tactics and passive electronic countermeasures, which cover a range of techniques used with personnel, aircraft, ships, submarines, and missiles, to make them less visible to radar, infrared, sonar and other detection...
, to avoid detection.
Public
A poll conducted among educated respondents from LahoreLahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
and Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
showed that 75% of them disapproved the U.S. operation and 66% disbelieved that Osama Bin Laden had been killed at the compound in Abbottabad. There was also frustration and fierce criticism among the public and in Pakistani media against the military for its inability and failure in not detecting the American raid and allowing it to occur.
A local resident, in reference to the security forces, commented: "This is what they are paid for, to defend the borders, not to run bakeries and banks and real-estate empires."
Numerous mobile text messages were observed doing the rounds in the country, apparently ridiculing the defence agencies for the security lapse.
There was mounting public outrage against President Zardari, who offered no official remarks even five days after the incident. Zardari also left for state visits to Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
immediately after the operation while Prime Minister Gillani left for a three-day state visit to France after the operation as well, provoking public sentiment that both had got their priorities wrong.
Government
China said on Monday evening that the death of Osama bin Laden was "a milestone and a positive development for the international anti-terrorism efforts". Chinese Foreign MinistryMinistry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China is an executive agency responsible for foreign relations between the People's Republic of China and other countries in the world. The agency is led by the Foreign Minister. The current minister is Yang Jiechi...
spokeswoman Jiang Yu
Jiang Yu
Jiang Yu is the current Foreign Ministry Spokesperson for the People's Republic of China.- Biography :A native of Beijing, she has been working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for over twenty years and she had been posted around the world, including the United Nations Headquarters in New York...
made the remarks when asked to comment on the killing of the al-Qaida leader. China supported Pakistan amid growing questions in the U.S. about whether the country was complicit in harboring Osama bin Laden saying the, "Pakistani government's determination to fight terrorism are staunch and its actions have been vigorous." Chinese Premier
Premier of the People's Republic of China
The Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , sometimes also referred to as the "Prime Minister" informally, is the Leader of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , who is the head of government and holds the highest-ranking of the Civil service of the...
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao is the sixth and current Premier and Party secretary of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, serving as China's head of government and leading its cabinet. In his capacity as Premier, Wen is regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy...
discussed the issue with the U.S. in official talks. He asked the U.S. to respect Pakistan's sovereignty, and acknowledge its sacrifices in the war against terror. China also indicated that it would be assisting Pakistan in strengthening its Counter-Terrorism efforts, police force and army, with a specific focus on dealing with the specific domestic issues in Pakistan.
Political Analysis
The vice president of the University of International RelationsUniversity of International Relations
University of International Relations is an institute of higher education located in Beijing that was first established in 1949 to train foreign affairs cadres...
stated that bin Laden's death, and the aftermath of such, would not affect Beijing's policies towards Islamabad. Political analyst Hasan Askari
Hasan Askari
Muhammad Hasan Askari was one of the most respected name among scholars, critics, writers and linguists of modern Urdu. He was an important voice within the modernist movement....
stated that while China and Pakistan will remain close, China would not risk its relations with the West over it, citing technological and monetary concerns.
Public Response
An online poll of 500,000 Chinese citizens, conducted by Phoenix TelevisionPhoenix Television
Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings Ltd or Phoenix Television is a Hong Kong-based Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese television broadcaster that serves the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong along with other markets with substantial Chinese viewers...
indicated that sixty percent agreed that bin Laden's death was a sad event because "he was an anti-US warrior".
On Sina Weibo
Sina Weibo
Sina Weibo is a Chinese microblogging website. Akin to a hybrid of Twitter and Facebook, it is one of the most popular sites in China, in use by well over 30% of Internet users, with a similar market penetration that Twitter has established in the USA...
, Chinese citizens were celebrating bin Laden's death, since his agenda has been responsible for deaths in Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
. Tech-savvy Chinese activists and intellectuals have used the event to criticise, or call attention to, China's domestic policies.
Military
In the wake of Operation Neptune's Spear there were calls for similar strikes conducted by India against Hafeez Saeed and Dawood IbrahimDawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
, with Indian Army Chief General V K Singh
Vijay Kumar Singh
General Vijay Kumar Singh PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ADC is the 26th General of the Indian Army and the current Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army.- Early Life and education:...
telling reporters, “I would like to say only this that if such a chance comes, then all the three arms (of the Indian Defense Forces) are competent to do this”. Indian Air Chief Marshal P V Naik
Pradeep Vasant Naik
Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik is the current Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force. He took office on May 31, 2009, becoming the nineteenth Chief of Air Staff following the retirement of Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major....
said that India has the capability to carry out such surgical strikes against terrorists.
Following the death of bin Laden in Pakistan, the Border Security Force
Border Security Force
The Border Security Force is a border patrol agency of the Government of India. Established on December 1, 1965, it is one of the Central Armed Police Forces. Its primary role is to guard India's international borders during peacetime and also prevent transnational crime...
of India was put on high alert along India's 553 km border with Pakistan, in Punjab. However, a former Pakistani Air Force commander dismissed this as the rhetoric of "paper tigers", and Indian Minister for Home Affairs
Minister for Home Affairs (India)
The Home Minister, or more properly the Minister for Home Affairs, is a position in the Indian Cabinet, at both State and Union levels. The Home Ministry is one of the most important, powerful and high profile ministry after the Prime Minister...
P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram or Chidambaram Palaniappan, sometimes written Palaniappan Chidambaram is an Indian politician with the Indian National Congress and present Union Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of India. Previously he was the Finance Minister of India from May 2004 to November 2008...
cautioned that India might be unable to carry out such an attack because, "We don't have our forces on Pakistani soil. We are not invited there. We don't have any support from Pakistan."
Public
The public in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
celebrated the death of bin Laden across its various cities, by thanking and congratulating the United States. In the Indian capital New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, crowds gathered in the streets to celebrate the occasion, thanking U.S. President Barack Obama. "Festival like celebrations" were seen in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, where people lit firecrackers and burned photographs of bin Laden while shouting slogans. People in the coastal town of Udupi rejoiced on Monday by exchanging greetings and distributing sweets. Celebratory crowds in Udupi, headed by the chief of Shiroor Matha, shouted slogans and burned an effigy of bin Laden. In Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, over 100 members of the Sri Ram Sene converged in Freedom Park in a jubilant mood to celebrate with firecrackers and the passing out of sweets to passers-by. The news of bin Laden's death was watched by 42.6 million Indians, beating the ratings in that country for the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
The wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton took place on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London. Prince William, the eldest son of Charles, Prince of Wales, first met Catherine Middleton in 2001, when both were studying at the University of St Andrews. Their...
.
Government
Prime Minister of IndiaPrime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
welcomed the news of bin Laden's death, saying, "I welcome it as a significant step forward and hope that it will deal a decisive blow to Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. The international community and Pakistan in particular must work comprehensively to end the activities of all such groups who threaten civilized behaviour and kill innocent men, women and children." Minister for Home Affairs
Minister for Home Affairs (India)
The Home Minister, or more properly the Minister for Home Affairs, is a position in the Indian Cabinet, at both State and Union levels. The Home Ministry is one of the most important, powerful and high profile ministry after the Prime Minister...
P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram or Chidambaram Palaniappan, sometimes written Palaniappan Chidambaram is an Indian politician with the Indian National Congress and present Union Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of India. Previously he was the Finance Minister of India from May 2004 to November 2008...
said that bin Laden hiding near Islamabad was a matter of grave concern for India as evidence the country was a "sanctuary" for terrorists. He called on Pakistan to arrest the "many of the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks
2008 Mumbai attacks
The 2008 Mumbai attacks were more than 10 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, India's largest city, by Islamist attackers who came from Pakistan...
, including the controllers and the handlers of the terrorists who actually carried out the attack", who he alleged "continue to be sheltered in Pakistan".
Minister of External Affairs S. M. Krishna
S. M. Krishna
Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna , generally referred to as S. M. Krishna, is the Minister of External Affairs and a member of the Indian Parliament from Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha. He was the Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004 and the Governor of Maharashtra from 2004 to...
hailed the killing of bin Laden as "historic" and a "victorious milestone" in the global war against terrorism. The Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi is the current Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat.He was born in a middle class family in Vadnagar; and is a member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since childhood, as also an active politician since early in life. He holds a masters degree in political...
, expressed his happiness about bin Laden's death, and the Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
(BJP) also hailed the news. The BJP said that bin Laden was the most dangerous face of global and jihadi terrorism and needed to be punished for his evil ideologies and stressed that his death in Pakistan proved India's repeated assertion that "Pakistan is the epicenter of global terrorism". Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj
Sushma Swaraj
Sushma Swaraj is an Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Member of Parliament. She is currently the Leader of the Opposition in the 15th Lok Sabha. She is a former union cabinet minister of India and a former Chief Minister of Delhi. Also she served as the Chairperson of the BJP's...
(also the opposition leader in the Indian Parliamanet) said, "Osama was enemy number one of humanity".
Supranational organisations
– the European Parliament PresidentPresident of the European Parliament
The President of the European Parliament presides over the debates and activities of the European Parliament. He or she also represents the Parliament within the EU and internationally. The President's signature is required for enacting most EU laws and the EU budget.Presidents serve...
, Jerzy Buzek
Jerzy Buzek
Jerzy Karol Buzek is a Polish engineer, academic lecturer and politician who was the ninth post-Cold War Prime Minister of Poland from 1997 to 2001...
said, "We have woken up in a more secure world."
- InterpolInterpolInterpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
– Interpol's Secretary General Ronald NobleRonald NobleRonald Kenneth Noble is an American law enforcement officer, and the current Secretary General of INTERPOL.-Biography:...
congratulated the U.S. and its counterparts worldwide for the gathering and sharing of intelligence that permitted the U.S. to locate bin Laden and launch a targeted operation to bring him to justice. He stated that since the death of bin Laden does not represent the demise of al-Qaeda affiliates and those inspired by al-Qaeda, no continent or region of the world is safe from terrorism. He urged the network of Interpol National Central Bureaus and all law enforcement agencies to be on full alert for acts of retaliation from al-Qaeda if they should attempt to prove they still exist. - The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's Secretary General said, "Bin Laden ... was responsible for many unjustified bloodshed and attacks against innocent civilians", and emphasized the OIC's condemnation of terrorism. He stated the necessity of bringing terrorists to justice, but said that counter-terrorism activities should focus on the causes of terrorism. – NATO Secretary GeneralSecretary General of NATOThe Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is the chairman of the North Atlantic Council, the supreme decision-making organisation of the defence alliance. The Secretary-General also serves as the leader of the organisation's staff and as its chief spokesman...
Anders Fogh RasmussenAnders Fogh RasmussenAnders Fogh Rasmussen is a Danish politician, and the 12th and current Secretary General of NATO. Rasmussen served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 27 November 2001 to 5 April 2009....
said the killing of bin Laden is a "significant success" for the security of NATO allies. – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moonBan Ki-moonBan Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
hailed bin Laden's death as "a watershed moment in our common global fight against terrorism".
Islamic organisations
- Ahmadiyya Muslim CommunityAhmadiyya Muslim CommunityThe Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the larger of two communities that arose from the Ahmadiyya movement founded in 1889 in India by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian . The original movement split into two factions soon after the death of the founder...
national spokesman Harris Zafar said: "As a Muslim, I am happy that a known terrorist like Osama bin Laden has been brought down and his reign of terror has come to an end. His actions ran counter to the true, peaceful, message of Islam, and he created so much mistrust and misconception of Islam. I hope other Muslims will realize that he was not a leader of Muslims. He was only a leader of extremists." - The Council on American-Islamic RelationsCouncil on American-Islamic RelationsThe Council on American-Islamic Relations is America's largest Muslim civil liberties advocacy organization that deals with civil advocacy and promotes human rights...
issued a statement saying: "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. ... 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." - Hizb ut-TahrirHizb ut-TahrirHizb ut-Tahrir is an international Sunni. pan-Islamic political organisation but keeps it open for all including shias,some of its beliefs are against sunni school of thought, whose goal is for all Muslim countries to unify as an Islamic state or caliphate ruled by Islamic law and with a caliph...
member Issmat Hamouri, from the PalestinianPalestinePalestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
branch, told a small group of men in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa MosqueAl-Aqsa MosqueAl-Aqsa Mosque also known as al-Aqsa, is the third holiest site in Sunni Islam and is located in the Old City of Jerusalem...
that "the western dogs are rejoicing after killing one of our Islamic lions. From al-Aqsa mosque, where the future CaliphateCaliphateThe term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
will originate with the help of Allah, we say to them: the dogs will not rejoice too much for killing the lions. The dogs will remain dogs and the lion, even if he is dead, will remain a lion." Addressing Obama, he said, "You personally ordered the killing of Muslims. You should know that soon you'll hang together with Bush junior." - The Islamic Society of North AmericaIslamic Society of North AmericaThe Islamic Society of North America , based in Plainfield, Indiana, USA, is a Muslim umbrella group. It has been described in the media as the largest Muslim organization in North America.-History:...
(ISNA) said it "joins all Americans in thanking President Obama for fulfilling his promise to bring Osama Bin Laden, leader of al-Qaeda, and perpetrator of the 9/11 attacks, to justice". ISNA President Imam Magid said that the "ideology of bin Laden is incompatible with Islam". - The Muslim American SocietyMuslim American SocietyThe Muslim American Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 1993 that describes itself as an Islamic revival and reform movement....
announced: "Justice has been served." Praying that bin Laden's death will bring solace to all families that have been victimized by al-Qaeda, President Ahmed El Bendary stated, "His crimes were against all humanity. It is correct and fair that Bin Laden should be held accountable for his crimes". - The Muslim BrotherhoodMuslim BrotherhoodThe Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
in EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
issued a statement in which it condemned bin Laden's killing, calling it an "assassination". Muslim Brotherhood second-in-command Mahmud Ezzat, in contrast, said: "Islam is not bin Laden. After September 11, there had been a lot of confusion. Terrorism was mixed up with Islam. In the coming phase, everyone will be looking to the West for just behaviour." He added that, with bin Laden dead, western forces should now pull out of IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. - The Muslim Judicial CouncilMuslim Judicial CouncilThe Muslim Judicial Council , a non-profit umbrella body of Islamic clerics in South Africa, is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa. It was established in 1945 by the Muslim Progressive Society...
, the largest Islamic representative body in South AfricaIslam in South AfricaIslam in South Africa pre-dates the colonial period, and consisted of isolated contact with Arab and East Africa traders. Many South African Muslims are described as Coloureds, notably in the Western Cape, including those whose ancestors came as slaves from the Indonesian archipelago...
, condemned the way in which bin Laden was killed. The council described bin Laden's death as a failure of justice, saying he should instead have been captured and put on trial, and also that the way the body was buried at sea contradicts Muslim customs and was disrespectful to a community of over a billion people. - The Muslim Public Affairs CouncilMuslim Public Affairs CouncilThe Muslim Public Affairs Council is a national American Muslim advocacy and public policy organization headquartered in Los Angeles and with offices in Washington D.C...
expressed great relief over bin Laden's death. MPAC president Salam Al-Marayati explained: "the elimination of bin Laden represents a swift blow against terrorism." He said that he felt it was a game-changer, but that he did not "think we've achieved victory against terrorism".
- The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the West BankWest BankThe West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
of the Palestinian territoriesPalestinian territoriesThe Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
, the military wing of the FatahFatahFataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
party, was reported by the Ma'an News AgencyMa'an News AgencyMa'an News Agency is a large wire service created in 2005 in the Palestinian Territories. It is part of the Ma'an Network, a non-governmental organisation media network created in 2002 in the Palestinian Territories among independent journalists throughout the West Bank and Gaza and including...
to have mourned bin Laden's death, declaring in a statement: "The Islamic nation was shocked with the news that bin Laden had been killed by the non-believers. He left a generation who follows the education he gave in Jihad. The fighters in Palestine and around the world who have lost their leaders did not stop their mission and will continue in the tutelage of their masters. We tell the Israeli and the American occupiers that we have leaders who have changed history with their Jihad and their steadfastness. We are ready to sacrifice our lives to bring back peace." Ma'an later reported that the group's spokesman denied issuing the statement. - An Al-Qaeda in the Arabian PeninsulaAl-Qaeda in the Arabian PeninsulaAl-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is a militant Islamist organization, primarily active in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. It was named for al-Qaeda, and says it is subordinate to that group and its now-deceased leader Osama bin Laden, a Saudi citizen whose father was born in Yemen...
member said: "This news has been a catastrophe for us. At first we did not believe it, but we got in touch with our brothers in Pakistan who have confirmed it." - HamasHamasHamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
denounced the killing of bin Laden: "We condemn the assassination and the killing of an 'Arab holy warrior'. We regard this as a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood." Ismail HaniyaIsmail HaniyaIsmail Haniyeh ; is a senior political leader of Hamas and one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority, the matter being under political and legal dispute. He became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won...
, a senior political leader of Hamas and one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National AuthorityPalestinian National AuthorityThe Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...
, said: "We condemn any killing of a holy warrior or of a Muslim and Arab person and we ask Allah to bestow his mercy upon him." Ismail al-Ashqar, a Hamas lawmaker, called it "state terrorism that America carries out against Muslims". - The United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
condemned Hamas for mourning bin Laden's death and referring to him as a "holy warrior". A U.S. State Department spokesman called the reference "outrageous", and British Foreign Secretary William HagueWilliam HagueWilliam Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
echoed that sentiment. - Lashkar-e-TaibaLashkar-e-TaibaLashkar-e-Taiba – also transliterated as Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Lashkar-i-Taiba, Lashkar Taiba or LeT – is one of the largest and most active militant Islamist terrorist organizations in South Asia, operating mainly from Pakistan.It was founded by Hafiz Muhammad...
organized prayer meetings to pay tribute to bin Laden in several Pakistani cities, including LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
and KarachiKarachiKarachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
. - Palestinian Islamic Jihad spokesman, Khaled al-Batch said: "The assassination shows that you Americans act exactly like terrorists", and called the U.S. pirates and terrorists.
- A Taliban in Pakistan spokesman said: "If he [bin Laden] has been martyred, we will avenge his death and launch attacks against American and Pakistani governments and their security forces... If he has become a martyr, it is a great victory for us because martyrdom is the aim of all of us."
- On May 7, Al Qaeda confirmed the death of Osama bin Laden in a statement posted on jihadist internet forums. It said, "We also stress that the blood of the mujahid Sheikh Osama bin Laden, may Allah have mercy upon him, weighs more to us and is more precious to us and to every Muslim than to be wasted in vain." The message called upon PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, where bin Laden was discovered, "We call upon our Muslim people in Pakistan, on whose land Sheikh Osama was killed, to rise up and revolt to cleanse this shame that has been attached to them by a clique of traitors and thieves who sold everything to the enemies." - On May 13, the Pakisatani Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing attack at a paramilitaryParamilitaryA paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
academy in Charsadda, PakistanCharsaddaCharsadda is a town and headquarters of Charsadda District, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 34°8'43N 71°43'51E with an altitude of 276 metres and lies 29 kilometres from the provincial capital - Peshawar....
that killed 80 people as revenge for the death of bin Laden. A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, Ehsanullah Ehsan, called from an undisclosed location saying, "There will be more."
NGOs
- Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
had concerns about the nature and circumstances surrounding Osama bin Laden's death. "We are seeking information from the US and Pakistani authorities about how many people were in the compound at the time of the operation, what happened to them and specifically what is the status and current whereabouts of the survivors," said Claudio Cordone, Senior Director at Amnesty International. Since he was unarmed, they raised concerns that there was no attempt to capture him alive. While condemning bin Laden for crimes against humanity, Amnesty International stressed the importance of doing so in compliance with international law. - Pakistani and U.S. officials responded, saying there were 18 people in the compound. They report that five people were killed, and two women wounded, both of whom were left with at least six children, at the compound. Central Intelligence AgencyCentral Intelligence AgencyThe Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
Director Leon PanettaLeon PanettaLeon Edward Panetta is the 23rd and current United States Secretary of Defense, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama since 2011. Prior to taking office, he served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency...
said that, although they were to capture bin Laden if he surrendered, they were authorized to kill. The White House reported that bin Laden resisted arrest. - The U.N. High Commissioner for Human RightsOffice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human RightsThe Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is a United Nations agency that works to promote and protect the human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948...
, Navi Pillay said, "This was a complex operation and it would be helpful if we knew the precise facts surrounding his killing. The United Nations has consistently emphasized that all counter-terrorism acts must respect international law." Pillay did point out that the U.S. intended to arrest him if possible, and pointed out that taking bin Laden alive was likely to be difficult. Had he been taken to court, Pillay said that, "I have no doubt he would have been charged with the most serious crimes, including the mass murder of civilians that took place on 9/11, which were planned and systematic and in my view amounted to crime against humanity." - Human Rights WatchHuman Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
stated that bin Laden's death "is a reminder of the thousands of innocents who suffer when terrorist groups seek political change through brutal means" and called on the U.S. government to release more information regarding the operation to clarify whether "it was justified under international law". HRW's Asia director said that "if [bin Laden] wasn't shooting at the soldiers, the killing should be investigated", while Kenneth Roth, HRW's executive director, criticized UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moonBan Ki-moonBan Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
for calling the death an "act of justice", arguing that "even if [the killing was] justified" bin Laden was not given a trial and there was no conviction. - The Red Cross said that if it had any issues with the operation, it would contact the governments directly, and handle the situation confidentially. It also stated that it "does not at this stage have enough facts about the operation to assess its legal and/or humanitarian implications".
- Code PinkCode PinkCode Pink: Women for Peace is an anti-war group that is mainly composed of women. It has regional offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Washington, D.C., and many more chapters in the U.S. as well as several in other countries...
co-founder, Medea Benjamin writing about the killing of bin Laden in the Huffington Post, says that the United States never had any "justification for invading Iraq", that there is no "justification for continuing the war in Afghanistan", and that in Pakistan, the US "drone attacks are only fueling the violence and creating more Osama Bin Ladens." And she adds, "Let us not sink into a false sense of triumphalism in the wake of Bin Laden's passing." - CageprisonersCageprisonersCageprisoners Ltd is a London-based human rights organization with an Islamic focus, whose stated aim is "to raise awareness of the plight of the prisoners at Guantánamo Bay and other detainees held as part of the War on Terror." It campaigns on behalf of Muslim prisoners, including convicted...
published an editorial written as news satireNews satirethumb|right|220px|[[The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]] is a news satire program.News satire, also called fake news , is a type of parody presented in a format typical of mainstream journalism, and called a satire because of its content...
dated May 15, 2021 announcing that "American War Criminal Barack Obama has been killed by Pakistani security forces in the UK." Cageprisoners followed up with an explanation two days later: "The idea of the piece was to highlight the immorality of extrajudicial killings to those who justify and celebrate the assassination of Osama Bin Laden."
Media
Said Steve KroftSteve Kroft
Steve Kroft is an American journalist and a longtime correspondent for 60 Minutes. His investigative reporting has garnered him much acclaim, including three Peabody Awards and nine Emmy awards, one of which was an Emmy for Lifetime Achievement.-Early life:Born on August 22, 1945 in Kokomo,...
on the May 8, 2011, edition of 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
, "For more than a decade, bin Laden managed to elude the U.S. military and intelligence establishments, and he taunted three U.S. presidents. That finally ended last Sunday, and the last thing bin Laden saw was a Navy SEAL in the third floor bedroom of his compound in Pakistan." According to The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
, "The silence of the usual critics of 'illegal', 'extrajudicial', targeted killing
Targeted killing
Targeted killing is the deliberate, specific targeting and killing, by a government or its agents, of a supposed terrorist or of a supposed "unlawful combatant" who is not in that government's custody...
in the wake of America's killing of Osama bin Laden might reflect hypocrisy, sure. But this can be tough to distinguish from resignation to the fact that Mr Obama didn't submit his case for executing Mr bin Laden to some global civil authority because there isn't one and he didn't have to—because America's the biggest kid on the block and, ultimately, what America says goes. And, if it comes down to it, Britain, France, Italy, Russia and other powerful governments hope America will indulge their own kill-squad adventures with similar approving silences. Of course, if some aggrieved faction in the future seeks retribution through the targeted killing of one of these countries' leaders, that will be raw vengeance, that will be terrorism, that will be an international crime, because, like it or not, that's how it works."
George Will
George Will
George Frederick Will is an American newspaper columnist, journalist, and author. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winner best known for his conservative commentary on politics...
suggested that America could use bin Laden's death to "draw a deep breath and some pertinent conclusions" including that, "bin Laden was brought down by intelligence gathering that more resembles excellent police work than a military operation." He added that, "There remains much more to al-Qaeda than bin Laden, and there are many more tentacles to the terrorism threat than al-Qaeda and its affiliates. So "the long war" must go on. But perhaps such language is bewitching our minds, because this is not essentially war."
Africa
- Office of Communication Affairs of the Government statement: "Ethiopia feels and shares the agony and suffering of nations who lose citizens to senseless terrorist attacks... The Ethiopian Government salutes all parties involved in this operation, particularly the US anti-terrorist operatives, for hunting and destroying this unrepentant leader of an international terrorist organization. Although the death of Osama Bin Laden does not mean the end the anti-terrorist struggle, it is, nonetheless, a big victory for the global anti-terrorist forces.... [O]n this happy occasion, we congratulate the entire people of America and the Government of the United States. In our own immediate vicinity, Bin Laden's Al-Qaeda has wreaked havoc in stateless Somalia, killed and maimed many innocent people in Kenya and TanzaniaTanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, and has for years been engaged in terrorist activities aimed at destabilizing the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
." – Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga
Raila Odinga
Raila Amollo Odinga , also popularly known to Kenyans as Agwambo, is a Kenyan politician, currently serving as the Prime Minister of Kenya in a coalition government. He has served as a Member of Parliament for Langata since 1992, was Minister of Energy from 2001 to 2002, and was Minister of Roads,...
said, "It's a major achievement in the war against terrorism." The Kenyan President, Mwai Kibaki
Mwai Kibaki
Mwai Kibaki is the current and third President of the republic of Kenya.Kibaki was previously Vice President of Kenya for ten years from 1978–1988 and also held cabinet ministerial positions, including a widely acclaimed stint as Minister for Finance , Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for...
, called his killing an, "act of justice to those Kenyans who lost their lives and the many more who suffered injuries" referencing the bombings in Nairobi
1998 United States embassy bombings
The 1998 United States embassy bombings were a series of attacks that occurred on August 7, 1998, in which hundreds of people were killed in simultaneous truck bomb explosions at the United States embassies in the East African capitals of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. The date of the...
, believed to be the work of Al Qaeda. "We should not celebrate the killing of Osama to the point where we forget to take precautions," said Joseph Kamotho, Kenyan Cabinet Minister. "The world needs to be vigilant because al-Qaida has a strong network and they may plan to retaliate." Kenyans injured in the bombings expressed relief and celebration upon hearing the news. - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing the Liberian government's "profound delight" over the killing, saying that "the Liberian Government views this remarkable development as a positive achievement towards the fight against terrorism as well as the attainment and promotion of global peace and stability." National Transitional Council
National Transitional Council
The National Transitional Council of Libya , sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, the Interim National Council, or the Libyan National Council,...
– Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani
Ahmed Omar Bani
Ahmed Omar Bani is a Libyan Air Force colonel who defected to the military of the rebel Libyan Republic. He is the current spokesman for the Libyan Ministry of Defence, taking over the position from Khaled al-Sayeh.-References:...
, a spokesman for the rebel military at the time fighting against forces loyal to Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n ruler Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
, said that "We are very happy" to hear the news of bin Laden's death, and considered bin Laden as another enemy fighting against the rebels. Bani added that he wished Gaddafi would suffer the same fate as bin Laden, saying, "We want the Americans to do the same to Gaddafi." – Communications Minister Khalid Naciri said that "the entire world suffered from bin Laden and the organization he created". The Moroccan government also believes that an al-Qaeda affiliated group was responsible for the April 28, 2011 Marrakech bombing
2011 Marrakech bombing
The 2011 Marrakech bombing killed 17 people in the city of Marrakech, Morocco on 28 April 2011. The blast, from a bomb left in a bag, destroyed the Argana cafe in Djemaa el-Fna square, a popular tourist spot. At least 20 people were injured. Most of the dead were tourists.-Casualties:17 people were...
. - Security consultant Evawere Oyede said that there was a "mixed" reaction in Nigeria towards bin Laden after his death. Oyede elaborated by saying, "Some people see it as a relief. While some people see it as a man who was trying to fight the Western world
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
. Many people saw Osama as a hero." The country's Chief of Police, Hafiz Ringim, announced that Nigeria was put on red alert
Particularly dangerous situation
A particularly dangerous situation is a type of enhanced wording first used by the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma on certain severe weather watches...
following bin Laden's death. - Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed hailed the death of bin Laden by saying, "We welcome the operation which U.S intelligence carried and killed the leader of al-Qaeda, Bin Laden, who already confessed he was the mastermind of mass killing in different places in the world." The Prime Minister also "accused Bin Laden for providing huge support to the Al-Shabaab group". He also added that "Somalia is the real victim of Osama's war ideology". Somali president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed welcomed the death of Bin laden saying he was instrumental in the problems of Somalia and that peace will prevail in Somalia as a result of the killing of bin Laden. Hundreds of the resident of Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
rallied in the streets to celebrate the death of bin Laden. – The Department of International Relations and Cooperation issued a statement that the government "has noted the news of the passing on of Mr. Osama bin Laden as announced" and reaffirmed the country's support for stemming the "demon of terrorism, in all its manifestations", using "the system of global governance of multilateralism". The governing ANC
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
's national spokesperson, Jackson Mthembu
Jackson Mthembu
Jackson Mthembu is the African National Congress' national spokesperson. In 1997, while Mthembu was serving as MEC for Transport in Mpumalanga, he was criticized for spending R2.3 million on ten BMWs.-References:...
, refused to comment the news and said that the ANC will not issue a formal statement, until there is evidence of the dead body, claiming that "even President Obama hasn't seen the body". The leader of the ruling party's youth wing, Julius Malema
Julius Malema
Julius Sello Malema is a South African politician, and the former president of the African National Congress Youth League. Malema occupies a notably controversial position in South African public and political life; having risen to prominence with his support for African National Congress...
, condemned the killing. - Uganda's government described bin Laden's death as a "momentous event". Spokesman Fred Opolot pledged that "Ugandan troops in an African Union
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
force in Somalia will continue to fight the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Shabaab militia". "The death of Bin Laden hopefully will bring about a new era," Kintu Nyango said, on behalf of the Ugandan President. "The world will become a better place."
The Americas
– President Cristina Fernández de KirchnerCristina Fernández de Kirchner
Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner , commonly known as Cristina Fernández or Cristina Kirchner is the 55th and current President of Argentina and the widow of former President Néstor Kirchner. She is Argentina's first elected female president, and the second female president ever to serve...
addressed a letter to President Obama in which she highlighted the ongoing threat of terrorism as a central issue in today's society, and expressed her wish that the news of Bin Laden's death not hinder hopes for peace in the Middle East; "Bin Laden's activities," she concluded, "are repudiated by all people and nations who truly believe in the dignity of the human condition, and we stand in support of all his victims." The Governor of Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
, Daniel Scioli
Daniel Scioli
Daniel Osvaldo Scioli was Vice President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007 and is the current Governor of Buenos Aires Province and the president of the Justicialist Party. He is a sportsman, an entrepreneur and a politician.- Family :...
, considered the capture of Bin Laden a step forward in the war against terror; the nation's Chief of the Ministers' Cabinet, Aníbal Fernández
Aníbal Fernández
Aníbal Domingo Fernández is an Argentine Justicialist Party politician, who served as Interior Minister for President Néstor Kirchner, Minister of Justice for President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and is currently the President's Cabinet Chief.-Biography:Born in Quilmes, Buenos Aires Province,...
, announced that Argentina would take the threat of counter-attacks by al-Qaeda seriously. – Brazilian Foreign Minister
Ministry of External Relations (Brazil)
The Ministry of External Relations conducts Brazil's foreign relations with other countries. It is commonly referred to in Brazilian media and diplomatic jargon as the Itamaraty, after the palace which hosts the ministry...
Antonio Patriota
Antonio Patriota
Antonio de Aguiar Patriota is a Brazilian diplomat and current Minister of External Relations, succeeding Chancellor Celso Amorim...
said that, "We're very worried that there will be reprisals. We hope that this event doesn't trigger an attack." but added that it was "important and positive" with the Arab world calling for increased freedom of expression. He continued, "Insofar as Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden were and remain behind political strategies that prioritize acts of terrorism, (the Brazilian government) can only express our solidarity with the victims and with those who seek justice." – Canadian Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
said that the death of bin Laden "secures a sense of justice for the families of the 24 Canadians murdered (on September 11, 2001)" and said that "Canada receives the news of the death of Osama bin Laden with sober satisfaction". The Canadian government also urged caution, for those Canadians in Pakistan, citing security concerns in a volatile environment. Those whose lives were effected by the September 11 attacks, expressed a feeling of closure, or muted victory. – President Sebastián Piñera
Sebastián Piñera
Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique is a Chilean businessman and politician. He was elected President of Chile in January 2010, taking office in March 2010.- Education :...
celebrated the death of bin Laden, saying he spoke with President Obama to express his satisfaction with the operation. He said he was "glad that the whole world learned that, though late, justice arrives, and that crimes committed against innocent people around the world will not go unpunished". Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno hailed the death of bin Laden as "a very important advancement in the war against terrorism". – Colombian President
President of Colombia
The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...
Juan Manuel Santos
Juan Manuel Santos
Juan Manuel Santos Calderón is a Colombian politician who has been the President of Colombia since 7 August 2010. He previously served as Minister of Foreign Trade, Minister of Finance, and Minister of National Defense.-Career:...
congratulated Obama, stating in a press release that the raid "proves once again that terrorists, sooner or later, always fall. In the global fight against terrorism there is only one way: to persevere, persevere and persevere." – Former President of Cuba Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
stated that "whatever the actions attributed to bin Laden, the assassination of an unarmed human being surrounded by his family constitutes an abhorrent act". While criticizing bin Laden for international terrorism, he called the attack an "execution". He added that Pakistan's laws had been violated, and that its "national dignity [was] offended". – Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño commented on bin Laden's death by stating, "If the United States managed to kill Bin Laden, they can celebrate it. I'm not celebrating anyone's death." – Foreign Secretary
Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (Mexico)
The Secretariat of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for Mexico's foreign affairs.-Missions:Mexico currently has:* 73 Embassies* 33 Consulates-Generals* 35 Consulates...
Patricia Espinosa Cantellano said, "It is of great importance in efforts to free the world from the scourge of terrorism, which threatens peace and security, particularly one who leads one of the most ruthless and bloody terrorist organizations in the world." – Peruvian President Alan García credited the death of bin Laden to late and recently beatified Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
John Paul II, saying, "His first miracle was to remove from the world the incarnation of evil, the demonic incarnation of crime and hatred..." He also said that bin Laden's death "vindicates [former U.S. President] George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's decision to punish Bin Laden and patiently continue this work that has borne fruit". – Vice President Elias Jaua
Elías Jaua
-External links: "", World Investment News, 11 September 2006...
condemned the killing and subsequent celebrations, saying: "It surprises me to no end how natural crime and murder [have] become, how [they are] celebrated". He added: "At least before imperial governments were more subtle." Jaua elaborated this, stating that now the deaths, both of people working outside the law and of families of presidents (an apparent reference to Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, a target of the 2011 Libyan civil war
2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
who had been killed the day prior to bin Laden's death) "are openly celebrated by the leaders of the nations that bomb them".
Asia
– President of AfghanistanPresident of Afghanistan
Afghanistan has only been a republic between 1973 and 1992 and from 2001 onwards. Before 1973, it was a monarchy that was governed by a variety of kings, emirs or shahs...
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
, speaking on the death of bin Laden, said, "It's wonderful. It's great news", elaborating that bin Laden has "been one of the key enemies of humanity, civilization, and it's really been a major problem for the human race". He emphasized that "Afghanistan was right" in saying that "the fighting against terrorism is not in the villages of Afghanistan, not among the poor people of Afghanistan", but in "safe havens", and called on the Taliban to lay down their arms. – Armenian spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tigran Balayan, said: "Being involved in the struggle of the international community against terrorism, we share the feelings of Americans and all other, who fight terrorism, regarding the extermination of Bin Laden". – The Foreign Office of Bangladesh praised bin Laden's death as "a major development" and pledged to continue its efforts in the global fight against terrorism. – Ansyaad Mbai, the head of Indonesia's counter-terrorist
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
agency, said that bin Laden's death "would bring positive impact" and that "it would reduce movements organized by radical groups since their main figure had died". – Japanese Foreign Minister
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)
The of Japan is the Cabinet member responsible for Japanese foreign policy and the chief executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Since the end of the American occupation of Japan, the position has been one of the most powerful in the Cabinet, as Japan's economic interests have long relied on...
Takeaki Matsumoto
Takeaki Matsumoto
is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, who is currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. A native of Tokyo and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2000 after running unsuccessfully as an independent...
said, "I pay respect to the US officials concerned. While his death was confirmed, it does not mean that terrorism was eliminated." – The Kazakh Foreign Ministry
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kazakhstan)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the Kazakh government ministry which oversees the foreign relations of Kazakhstan....
issued a statement saying that the death of bin Laden was a "major blow to international terrorism." – Malaysian Home Minister
Ministry of Home Affairs (Malaysia)
Ministry of Home Affairs in Malaysia is a Malaysian government ministry in charge of domestic affairs such as public safety, civil defence and immigration.- British colony :...
Hishammuddin Hussein
Hishammuddin Hussein
Datuk Seri Panglima Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein is a Malaysian politician and member of the United Malays National Organisation . He is the current Malaysian Minister of Home Affairs. He is the former Minister of Education, having served from 2004 to 2009. He has been mentioned as a likely...
said he hoped that the death of bin Laden would help bring universal peace and harmony. – Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "The war against terrorism has always remained a priority of Nepal's government and we take bin Laden's death as a victory against terrorism". – Filipino President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III , also known as Noynoy Aquino or PNoy, is a Filipino politician who has been the 15th and current President of the Philippines since June 2010....
praised Barack Obama and said, "The death of Osama bin Laden marks a signal defeat for the forces of extremism and terrorism", while the Philippine National Police
Philippine National Police
The Philippine National Police is the national police force of the Republic of the Philippines. It is both a national and a local police force in that it does provides all law enforcement services throughout the Philippines...
described bin Laden's death as "a victory for all peace loving citizens and a major blow to terrorists and terrorism". Authorities in the Philippines believe that there are people who are linked to bin Laden's al-Qaeda network and may commit a retaliation attack. – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for conducting and managing diplomatic relations between Singapore and other countries. It is headed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the office currently held by K...
said, "the killing of Osama bin Laden ... is a significant milestone in the struggle against international terrorism." – A spokesman for President Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak is the President of South Korea. Prior to his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk, a South Korean politician. He attends the...
said, "Our government welcomes and supports the efforts shown by the U.S. government through this operation to eradicate terrorism." – The ROC government raised the terror alert levels across the ROC (Taiwanese) territories, including the island of Taiwan, after learning about bin Laden's death. Also, President
President of the Republic of China
The President of the Republic of China is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Republic of China . The Republic of China was founded on January 1, 1912, to govern all of China...
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
said that "this is a huge progress for the international counter-terrorism movement." Vice Premier Sean Chen, along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, echoed that statement. – Nguyen Phuong Nga, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry of Vietnam
Foreign relations of Vietnam
-Soviet era:During the Vietnam War , North Vietnam balanced relations with its two major allies, the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China....
said this when asked about the death of bin Laden, "Terrorists must bear responsibility for their acts and should be severely punished". She continued, "Vietnam will continue to join the international community in the fight against terrorism, based on the UN Charter and the basic principles of international law, to eliminate terrorism".
Eastern Europe
– Czech Prime Minister Petr NečasPetr Necas
Petr Nečas is the current Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and Leader of the Civic Democratic Party. He was sworn into office on 28 June 2010....
said that bin Laden's death "is a significant milestone in the fight against terrorism, in the effort to achieve a more secure world, though it is far from its end. It is an important symbolic message to the survivors of victims of terrorist attacks by Al-Qaeda and a clear signal to all parties without respect for law and human lives anywhere in the world: human life is irreplaceable, but its wasting won't stay unpunished." Czech President
President of the Czech Republic
The President of the Czech Republic is the head of state of the Czech Republic. Unlike his counterparts in Austria and Hungary, who are generally considered figureheads, the Czech President has a considerable role in political affairs...
Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister .An economist, he is co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party, the Czech Republic's largest center-right political party. Klaus is a eurosceptic, but he reluctantly endorsed the Lisbon treaty as president of...
said, "I accept this message about the destruction of a symbol of world terrorism, Osama bin Laden, with great relief and I believe it will significantly increase safety and create a calm atmosphere in the world." – Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi
János Martonyi
János Martonyi is a Hungarian politician and Foreign Minister of Hungary. He is a member of the Fidesz party, and was also Foreign Minister between 1998 and 2002...
said bin Laden's death "is a major success in the war on international terrorism, but it doesn't mean the end of this war. A very important and determined enemy of our entire civilization has fallen." – The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "Justice has been done. Congratulations to our allies. We share this moment of happiness with the American people." It further added, "Let yesterday be a reminder of what will happen to those who continue to align themselves with bin Laden and to those who continue to plan further terrorist attacks." – "Russia was among the first countries to face the dangers inherent in global terrorism, and unfortunately knows what al-Qaeda is not from hearsay," the Kremlin
Moscow Kremlin
The Moscow Kremlin , sometimes referred to as simply The Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River , Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square and the Alexander Garden...
said. "Retribution will inevitably reach all terrorists." – Ukrainian President
President of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych is a Ukrainian politician who has been the President of Ukraine since February 2010.Yanukovych served as the Governor of Donetsk Oblast from 1997 to 2002...
said that bin Laden's death was "important for all countries that wish to live in the world without terrorism".
Northern Europe
– Danish Prime MinisterPrime Minister of Denmark
The Prime Minister of Denmark is the head of government in Danish politics. The Prime Minister is traditionally the leader of a political coalition in the Folketing and presides over the cabinet....
Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Lars Løkke Rasmussen is a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from April 2009 to October 2011. He is the leader of the centre-right liberal party, Venstre....
said, "I congratulate President Obama and the American people with the success in finishing the era of bin Laden's unscrupulous and inhumane violence and destruction". Danish Foreign Minister Lene Espersen
Lene Espersen
Lene Espersen is a Danish politician and member of parliament who has been Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs since 23 February 2010 and was leader of the Conservative People's Party and Deputy Prime Minister from 9 September 2008 to 13 January 2011...
called bin Laden's demise a "great symbolic victory", but warned that the War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
had not yet ended. – President of Finland Tarja Halonen
Tarja Halonen
Tarja Kaarina Halonen is the incumbent President of Finland. The first female to hold the office, Halonen had previously been a member of the parliament from 1979 to 2000 when she resigned after her election to the presidency...
said, "Hopefully this is the end of an era." She also commented on the importance of the international community to create a system which would be constructive and build on co-operation. – Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny is an Irish Fine Gael politician, and has been the Taoiseach since 2011. He has led Fine Gael since 2002. He served as Minister for Tourism and Trade from 1994 to 1997. He is also a two-term Vice President of the European People's Party.Kenny has been a Teachta Dála for Mayo since...
said the removal of bin Laden's ability to plot heinous acts is a major achievement in the effort to rid the world of the threat of terrorism. – Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre
Jonas Gahr Støre
Jonas Gahr Støre is the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, having been appointed to Jens Stoltenberg's second cabinet on 17 October 2005. He represents the Norwegian Labour Party.-Personal life:...
called the death of bin Laden "a break-through in the fight against terror", but insisted that the threat from al-Qaeda remained. – Swedish Foreign Minister
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Sweden)
The Minister for Foreign Affairs is the foreign minister of Sweden and the head of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.The office was instituted in 1809 as a result of the constitutional Instrument of Government promulgated in the same year. Until 1876 the office was called Prime Minister for Foreign...
Carl Bildt
Carl Bildt
, Honorary KCMG is a Swedish politician, diplomat and nobleman. Formerly Prime Minister of Sweden from 1991 to 1994 and leader of the liberal conservative Moderate Party from 1986 to 1999, Bildt has served as Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs since 6 October 2006...
wrote a tweet saying that "a world without Osama Bin Laden is a better world. His hatred was a threat to us all". – Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
said that bin Laden's death would "bring great relief" around the world. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
said that "the operation shows those who commit acts of terror against the innocent will be brought to justice, however long it takes. This is a huge achievement in the fight against terrorism, but we know the fight against terrorism and the ideology that Bin Laden represents continues and is as urgent as ever." Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and opposition leader Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
stated that "the world is a safer place with the death of Osama bin Laden because he is no longer there to command and encourage terrorism". Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
, the former Mayor of London, criticized Obama for having Bin Laden assassinated rather than captured alive. He stated that the killing would increase the chance of terrorism, although may disagree with Livingstone's remark.
Southern Europe
– The President of the Republic, Prof. Dr. Bamir TopiBamir Topi
Bamir Myrteza Topi is the fifth and current President of Albania since 24 July 2007. He was also Honorary President of Albanian football club KF Tirana from 2005 to 2007.-Early life and public activities:...
, through a message conveyed to the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, commends the elimination of Osama Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
, by considering it as one of the greatest victories in the war against international terrorism. "Please allow me to congratulate you on the completion of the mission justice restored, with the final elimination of Osama Bin Laden by American troops, thus achieving one of the most important victories in the long and difficult war against international terrorism! As President of the Republic of Albania, on behalf of the Albanian nation, I would like to express my most sincere congratulations for the achievement of this objective that gave me joy and at the same time made me proud that my country is lined up on the side of the greatest ally and friend of Albania; the United States of America, the country that believed in the war without compromise against evil, against terrorism, by defending the holy principles of freedom and democracy all over the world, as well as ensuring the security, peace and stability in all parts of the world. Allow me, Mr. President, on behalf of the Albanian people and me personally, to express to You once more the best wishes for this great victory and at the same time to ensure you that Albania will continue to complete with devotion its engagements in the framework of NATO, by giving its own contribution in the future challenges for freedom, democracy, as well as in constructing a better world for the nations and their future”! – emphasizes the message of President Topi." Prime Minister Sali Berisha
Sali Berisha
Sali Ram Berisha is an Albanian politician and cardiologist, currently the Prime Minister of Albania and the leader of Democratic Party of Albania ....
reacted today to the Al-Qaeda leader also the mastermind of terrorist acts, Osama Bin Laden, being killed by the US forces in Pakistan and appreciated it as a great victory of the USA over terrorism. Speaking to reporters, PM Berisha said that Bin Laden got what he deserved and emphasized that his death relieves the pain of thousands of September 11 victims. Berisha said “Today’s headline of the international news is elimination of one of the blackest figures of the history of mankind. It’s the death of the man who by his primitiveness and aggressive behavior took the lives of thousands of people in New York, but even in other countries worldwide; they were innocent people, on whom this cruel man, Bin Laden, wanted to realize his medieval and the most inhuman ends. But, now he got the deserved response while hidden in his den for years. This marks a great victory of the United States of America, President Barack Obama; it’s the victory of peace and all those who consider terrorism the number one enemy of peace and their freedom. This is the most consoling news for families of thousands of innocent victims of the attacks that the chief terrorist Osama Bin Laden masterminded in many countries of the world.”The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania
Minister of Foreign Affairs (Albania)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of Albania, is the cabinet minister responsible for the foreign relations of Albania.The minister is in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose headquarters are located on the Ali Demi street in Tirana.The current minister is Edmond...
hails the elimination of the arch-terrorist Osama Bin Laden during a successful operation conducted by US forces. On this day, the Albanian people joins the feelings and the solidarity of the peoples of the whole world, who have suffered from the unparalleled acts perpetrated by international terrorism, including the one on 11 September. As one of the first countries to join the alliance against international terrorism, Albania expresses the confidence that the unwavering stance in encountering these terrorist acts and their masterminds is the key to the success of our common struggle to uphold peace and freedom worldwide. – Bosnia and Herzegovina Minister of Security, Sadik Ahmetović said that the news of bin Laden's discovery and death was "received with relief". Ahmetović added that "terrorism is the evil of modern times whose victims are mainly innocent civilians so we have to fight it with all means". – Following the news and the statements made by Obama, the Cyprus Police have increased their security measures for the protection of potential Western and US targets within their country. A spokesman for the Cyprus Police, Michalis Katounotos, stated that "the force has adopted additional security measures in the event of new terrorist activities or reaction to the death of bin Laden." – Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas made the following statement: "International terrorism is an abhorrent phenomenon, a constant threat to international peace and security that undermines the prospects of societies throughout the world for prosperity and development. Osama Bin Laden's death dealt a strong blow to terrorism. But the fight does not end here. The international community – irrespective of religious beliefs and political considerations – needs to remain united in the international effort to end this scourge." – Prime Minister
Prime minister of Italy
The Prime Minister of Italy is the head of government of the Italian Republic...
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
said of bin Laden's killing, "This is a great outcome in the fight against evil, in the fight against terrorism, a great outcome for the United States and for all democracies." Minister of Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini hailed the killing of bin Laden as "a great victory" for the U.S. and the international community as a whole in the struggle against al-Qaeda and terrorism. The Minister has praised U.S. officials for the operation. Minister of the Interior
Italian Minister of the Interior
This is a list of Italian Ministers of the Interior since 1861.-Kingdom of Italy:-Italian Republic:...
Roberto Maroni
Roberto Maroni
Roberto Maroni is an Italian politician from Varese. He is a member of the Northern League political movement. Since 1992 he is a Member of the Chamber of Duputies of the Italian Republic, always elected in Lombardy's districts and costituencies...
said that "Bin Laden's elimination is a good news" and he shared Interpol chief's concerns about risks of immediate terrorist reactions. – The President of Kosovo
President of Kosovo
The President of the Republic of Kosovo is Head of State of the disputed Republic of Kosovo. The President of Kosovo is elected by the Assembly of Kosovo. The first post-war president, who served until his death in January 2006, was Ibrahim Rugova. His successor was Fatmir Sejdiu. When Sejdiu...
, Atifete Jahjaga
Atifete Jahjaga
Atifete Jahjaga is the fourth and current President of Kosovo. She is the first female, the first non-partisan candidate, and the youngest to be elected to the office. She is also the first female head of state in modern Balkans...
, said, "Terrorist Osama Bin Laden took the deserved punishment after all the killings, suffering, pain and damage he inflicted on the world. Justice was put into place. The good won against evil. People will live in peace, progress, fearless and safe. The war against international terrorism is in function of peace, prosperity, security for all, in defense of life and human dignity." – The Macedonian government praised the death of bin Laden as "a victory for justice and is a big success and a big step forward in the attempt to make a safer world and eliminate the terror threats against humanity". – The Maltese government said in an official statement: "Osama bin Laden was responsible for some of the worst terrorist attacks in recent history that cost the lives of thousands of innocent people. We hope that the world will be safer place to live in and that the international community will continue to strive to combat the scourge of extremism and to build a world of peace, security and prosperity for all." – The President of Portugal
President of Portugal
Portugal has been a republic since 1910, and since that time the head of state has been the president, whose official title is President of the Portuguese Republic ....
, Aníbal Cavaco Silva
Aníbal Cavaco Silva
Aníbal António Cavaco Silva, GCC , is the President of Portugal. He won the Portuguese presidential election on 22 January 2006 and was re-elected on 23 January 2011, for a second five-year term. Cavaco Silva was sworn in on 9 March 2006....
, sent a message to the U.S. President in which he expressed his solidarity with the feelings of the American people when the outcome of the military operation of which ended with the death of bin Laden became known. – Prime Minister of Spain
Prime Minister of Spain
The President of the Government of Spain , sometimes known in English as the Prime Minister of Spain, is the head of Government of Spain. The current office is established under the Constitution of 1978...
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He was elected for two terms as Prime Minister of Spain, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he will not stand for re-election in 2012...
sent a telegram to Barack Obama to expressed "in name of [his] Government and the Spanish society, the satisfaction shared with the American people for the result of the anti-terrorist operation which led to bin Laden's death. Satisfaction for the meaning it has as a decisive and determining step in fighting Al-Qaeda's terrorism. Satisfaction inseparable of the memories of the victims caused by the horrible terrorist strikes which will never leave our memory. Spain will stay fully committed with the International Community in fighting terrorism." Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
– Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi
Federico Lombardi
Federico Lombardi, SJ is an Italian Roman Catholic priest and the current director of the Holy See Press Office.-Early life and ordination:...
said that bin Laden "was gravely responsible for promoting division and hatred between peoples, causing the end of countless innocent lives, and of exploiting religions to this end. Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of each and every one of us before God and before man, and hopes and commits himself so that no event is an opportunity for further growth of hatred, but for peace". – President Abdullah Gul
Abdullah Gül
Dr. Abdullah Gül, GCB is the 11th and current President of the Republic of Turkey, serving in that office since 28 August 2007. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002-03, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003-07....
welcomed the news of bin Laden's death, and said, "It should teach a lesson to terrorist organisations of the world; that the leader of the world's most dangerous and sophisticated terrorist organization is captured this way."
Western Europe
– Austrian Foreign Minister Michael SpindeleggerMichael Spindelegger
Michael Spindelegger is an Austrian lawyer and politician. He is the current Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister of Austria in the cabinet of Werner Faymann. Since 2011, Spindelegger is the current leader of the Austrian People's Party .- Early and personal life :Spindelegger was born in Mödling,...
welcomed the news, calling it "a relief for many people", but warned that it must not be interpreted as a "final victory over terrorism". – Belgian resigning Prime Minister Yves Leterme
Yves Leterme
Yves Camille Désiré Leterme is a Flemish Belgian politician, a leader of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party , and the 48th Prime Minister of Belgium.Leterme was the Prime Minister of Belgium from March 2008 to December 2008...
said, "Many people have a sense of relief, especially the victims of the attacks. One would normally expect a trial, but I think this is a good solution, given what happened in the past on the initiative of Osama bin Laden." – French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé
Alain Juppé
Alain Marie Juppé is a French politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also served as Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac and the Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs from 2010 to 2011...
said that bin Laden's death is a "victory for all democracies fighting the abominable scourge of terrorism". He went on to say, "France, the United States and European states work closely together to fight terrorism, so I'm overjoyed at the news." – German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle
Guido Westerwelle [] is a German liberal politician, who, since 28 October 2009, has been serving as the Foreign Minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel, and who was Vice Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011. He is the first openly gay person to hold either of those positions...
said, "That a stop could be put to this terrorist's bloody trade is good news for all peace-loving and free-thinking people in the world." German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
expressed joy that bin Laden had been successfully killed, a statement that drew some criticism in Germany. – Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte
Mark Rutte
Mark Rutte is a Dutch politician who has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 14 October 2010, as well as Minister of General Affairs in the Rutte cabinet...
praises the courage and the determination that people showed during the mission. He further says that this is a major blow to the al-Qaeda network. He has presented his compliments to President Obama but also said this is not the end of terrorism.
Middle East
– HamasHamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, the government of the Gaza Strip, denounced the killing of bin Laden: "We condemn the assassination and the killing of an 'Arab holy warrior'. We regard this as a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood." Ismail Haniya
Ismail Haniya
Ismail Haniyeh ; is a senior political leader of Hamas and one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority, the matter being under political and legal dispute. He became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won...
, a senior political leader of Hamas and one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority
Palestinian National Authority
The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...
, said: "We condemn any killing of a holy warrior or of a Muslim and Arab person and we ask God to bestow his mercy upon him." Ismail al-Ashqar, a Hamas lawmaker, called it "state terrorism that America carries out against Muslims".
- The United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
condemned Hamas for mourning bin Laden's death and referring to him as a "holy warrior". A U.S. State Department spokesman called the reference "outrageous", and British Foreign Secretary William HagueWilliam HagueWilliam Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
echoed the sentiment. – Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said bin Laden's death meant that the "US and their allies have no more excuse to deploy forces in the Middle East under (the) pretext of fighting terrorism". He hoped that the killing would "establish peace and security in the region", adding that it is Iran's policy to "strongly condemn terrorism all over the world". Alaeddin BoroujerdiAlaeddin BoroujerdiAlaeddin Boroujerdi is the Chairman for the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran.-Overview:...
, head of the Iranian Parliament's foreign policy commission, stated, "If it is true, then the killing of bin Laden 10 years after the September 11 incident is no big deal." Heyder Moslehi, the Iranian Intelligence Minister, said that bin Laden had died before the raid: "We have exact information that indicates that bin Laden had died from an illness some time ago,", "Why didn't (the White House) show his body? Why did they throw it into the sea?" – Foreign Minister of Iraq Hoshyar ZebariHoshyar ZebariHoshyar Zebari is the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iraq. A Kurd originally from Aqrah, a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Zebari holds a masters degree in sociology from the University of Essex, England and studied political science in Jordan...
said that "BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
is delighted by the news that Osama bin Laden has been killed". He mentioned that "thousands of Iraqis had died because of his ideologies". – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuBenjamin NetanyahuBenjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
said that bin Laden's death was a "resounding triumph for democratic nations fighting terrorism". Shaul MofazShaul MofazLt. General Shaul Mofaz is an Israeli politician who serves as the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs And Defense Committee at the Knesset...
, chairman of the KnessetKnessetThe Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
's Foreign Affairs and Defense CommitteeForeign Affairs and Defense CommitteeThe Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is a permanent Knesset committee which oversees key Foreign and Defense areas, including the drafting of legislation, supervision over related government ministries and the approval of their budgests...
, said that the killing of Osama bin Laden bears witness to the fact that the US has adopted the Israeli strategy of targeting terrorist leaders....Mofaz said that the strategy was originally employed by IsraelOperation Wrath of GodOperation Wrath of God ,This title was an invention of later writers, and was most likely not used by the Mossad itself. also called Operation Bayonet, was a covert operation directed by Israel and the Mossad to assassinate individuals alleged to have been directly or indirectly involved in the...
following the murder of nine Israeli athletesMunich massacreThe Munich massacre is an informal name for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. Members of Black September...
at the 1972 Munich Olympics. – Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad HaririSaad HaririSaad-eddine Rafiq Al-Hariri is a Saudi-Lebanese billionaire who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 2009 until 2011. He is the second son of Rafiq Hariri, the former Lebanese Prime Minister who was assassinated in 2005...
said, "Murderers and villains deserve such a fate and the fight against all its [terrorism] shapes and forms should not stop and is first and foremost the responsibility of Arabs and Muslims who have the duty of liberating Islam from its kidnappers", and "the history of our nationalism and Islam will never forgive that man who was a black mark for two decades, filling the minds of youngsters with ideas about terrorism, murder and destruction". – The official leader of the Palestinian Authority is in dispute. One of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority, Ismail HaniyaIsmail HaniyaIsmail Haniyeh ; is a senior political leader of Hamas and one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority, the matter being under political and legal dispute. He became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won...
, said: "We condemn any killing of a holy warrior or of a Muslim and Arab person and we ask God to bestow his mercy upon him." The spokesman for the rival party, Palestinian People's PartyPalestinian People's PartyThe Palestinian People's Party , founded in 1982 as the Palestinian Communist Party, is a socialist political party in the Palestinian territories and among the Palestinian diaspora....
, Ghassan KhatibGhassan KhatibGhassan Khatib is a Palestinian politician. He was born in Nablus, in the West Bank, and is a member of the Palestinian People's Party. Khatib is married with three children. He was also a member of the Madrid Peace Delegation in 1991 and was involved in the Washington negotiations from 1991 to...
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". – The Saudi Deputy Interior Minister, Prince Ahmed bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, was cited on TV: "Saudi Arabia hopes that the elimination of the leader of the terrorist al-Qaeda organisation will be a step towards supporting international efforts aimed at combating terrorism and dismantling its cells". Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal praised the U.S. forces' success in killing bin Laden, stating the terrorist leader's demise was "a plus not only for the U.S. but for the whole world," and characterized Barack Obama's approach to the region in general as "very prudent". – UAE's Assistant Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Tariq Al-Haidan, said that bin Laden's death "will strengthen efforts of international community in combating terrorism". He added that terrorism had deteriorated the image of Islam and Muslims worldwide and that the "death of the Al-qaeda leader does not mean an end to Al-qaeda or terrorism". – A government official described bin Laden's death as "a truly historic moment". "We welcome the news ... millions of people will sleep in peace tonight. Osama bin Laden was more of a symbolic figure, a spiritual leader for al-Qaeda. But this is definitely a strong blow to the organization," said the official, who did not want to be named because he is not authorized to talk to the media.
Oceania
– Australian Prime MinisterPrime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Julia Gillard
Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
welcomed the news of bin Laden's death, by saying: "Osama bin Laden declared war on innocent people and today he has paid the price for that declaration. Osama bin Laden was directly responsible for despicable acts of violence against innocent people and he inspired acts of violence by others. Today of all days we remember the lives lost, particularly the lives of Australians." She also said it was "a small measure of justice", but stated that the "War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
is not over", and "must be continued". – New Zealander Prime Minister
Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
John Key
John Key
John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....
stated that "the world is a safer place without Osama bin Laden", but "bin Laden's death may not mean an end to terrorism".
Individuals
- The scope of international interest in this incident can be illustrated with over three million tweetTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
s about bin Laden's death released by various individuals as of of May 7, 2011. TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
has protested when researchers attempted to analyze that data. - The 14th Dalai Lama14th Dalai LamaThe 14th Dalai Lama is the 14th and current Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are the most influential figures in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, although the 14th has consolidated control over the other lineages in recent years...
said, "Forgiveness doesn't mean forget what happened. … If something is serious and it is necessary to take counter-measures, you have to take counter-measures." - Rowan WilliamsRowan WilliamsRowan Douglas Williams FRSL, FBA, FLSW is an Anglican bishop, poet and theologian. He is the 104th and current Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England, offices he has held since early 2003.Williams was previously Bishop of Monmouth and...
, the Archbishop of CanterburyArchbishop of CanterburyThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, said "it doesn't look as if justice ... is done," concerning the killing of an unarmed man. He elaborated, "I don't know full details any more than anyone else does. But I do believe that in such circumstances when we are faced with someone who was manifestly a war criminal, in terms of the atrocities inflicted, it is important that justice is seen to be observed." - Salman Rushdie – novelist and essayist, said: "It is time to declare Pakistan a terrorist state and expel it from the community of nations." Rushdie asked whether the world is to believe Pakistan when it professes its ignorance about Osama's presence on its soil in the very town housing its elite military academy. He stated: "In the aftermath of the raid on Abbottabad, all the big questions need to be answered by Pakistan."
- Noam ChomskyNoam ChomskyAvram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
– scholar in the field of linguistics as well as an anarchist and libertarian socialist, said: "We might ask ourselves how we would be reacting if Iraqi commandos landed at George W. Bush's compound, assassinated him, and dumped his body in the Atlantic. Uncontroversially, his crimes vastly exceed bin Laden's, and he is not a 'suspect' but uncontroversially the 'decider' who gave the orders to commit the “supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole" (quoting the Nuremberg Tribunal) for which Nazi criminals were hanged: the hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions of refugees, destruction of much of the country, the bitter sectarian conflict that has now spread to the rest of the region." - Henry KissingerHenry KissingerHeinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
, former advisor to Presidents NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
and FordGerald FordGerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, commended President Obama on the matter. He pointed out that, "Operationally, the general view seems to be that bin Laden was not in active operational control anymore. But symbolically, as the head of the movement, his death has a blighting effect." He indicated that relations with Pakistan will be difficult, but that there should be an increase in Pakistan's role in America's foreign policy. He urged Obama to think critically about how this affects the war in Afghanistan, but said, "[o]n the whole, I think that it has been an extremely positive development."
Pro-bin Laden rallies
Pakistan
- On May 2, around 1200 supporters of pro-Taliban attended a rally in the Pakistani city of QuettaQuettais the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
to pay homage to Osama bin Laden, chanting death to America and setting fire to a U.S. flag, witnesses and organisers said. One of the demonstrators, Asmatullah said: "Bin Laden was the hero of the Muslim world and after his martyrdom he has won the title of great mujahed (Muslim fighter)." - On May 4, hundreds of people in the city of MultanMultanMultan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
, marched through the streets in a pro-bin Laden rally, protesting the killing of bin Laden by U.S. Special forces. The crowd held placards and burned U.S. flags. - On May 5, Pakistan's biggest and most influential political Islamist party Jamaat-i-Islami, held a pro-Bin Laden rally in IslamabadIslamabadIslamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
chanting anti-American, anti-Israeli and anti-Indian slogans. - On May 5, 150 Pakistani lawyers in PeshawarPeshawarPeshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, describing themselves as "followers" of bin Laden, prayed for him outside the Peshawar High Court. Organizer Gul Nabi said that "bin Laden was as a martyr and this prayer was not offered anywhere. It was an Faraz-e-Kafaya (Islamic obligation) so we performed this and we did this just to complete this Namaz-e-janaza (funeral) for all those Shaheeds (martyrs) who were killed in Abbottabad." After the prayers, the lawyers chanted anti-American slogans. - On May 6, mass crowds gathered in KuchlakKuchlakKuchlak is a town near Quetta, in the province of Balochistan, Pakistan. It is governed by a union council in Chiltan Town, Quetta. Kuchlak is home to Halaqa Number 61, one of the largest halaqas in Quetta. Kuchlak is well-known for summer fruits such as apples and peaches; however, soil aridity...
, held a pro- bin Laden rally, headed by the political party Jamiat Ulema-e-IslamJamiat Ulema-e-IslamThe Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam is a political party in Pakistan. It formed a combined government in national elections in 2002 and 2008...
. The demonstrators carried picture of bin Laden and burned a U.S. flag. - On May 7, religious and religio-political parties held demonstrations and rallies outside mosques after Friday prayers across PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
including LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
to protest against the growing U.S. interference, drone attacks, Abbotabad operation and the resultant killing of bin Laden. During Friday prayers, imams termed the war on terror as war against Islam and Muslims, they also stressed that Islamic countries should united to fight against a common enemy. A mammoth rally was also held in Mansoora, Lahore, the headquarters of Jamat-e-Islami against the U.S. operation, where the ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Syed Munawar Hasan was also present and warned Washington and her allies that terrorism would not come to an end through a war against Islam and the Muslims.
Palestinian National Authority
- On May 2, dozens of PalestinianPalestinian peopleThe Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
ArabArabArab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
residents of SilwanSilwanSilwan or Wadi Hilweh is a predominantly Palestinian village adjacent to the Old City of Jerusalem. In recent years a small Jewish minority of 40 families has settled in the area. The village is located in East Jerusalem, an area occupied by Jordan from 1948 until the 1967 Six-day War and by Israel...
in East JerusalemEast JerusalemEast Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War...
held a rally in support of Osama bin Laden. Some demonstrators threw stones at Israel PoliceIsrael PoliceThe Israel Police is the civilian police force of Israel. As with most other police forces in the world, its duties include crime fighting, traffic control, maintaining public safety, and counter-terrorism...
officers. YnetYnetYnet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
noted that bin Laden had made various statements in support of the Palestinians and against Israel, had declared that MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s were engaged in a war against JewsJewsThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, and had criticized the United States for "its support of Israel and the ongoing occupation in Palestine". - On the day after bin Laden's death, 25 people, including al-QaedaAl-QaedaAl-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
sympathizers and students, gathered for a rally outside a Gaza City university. Some said they opposed bin Laden's ideology, but nonetheless considered him a martyr and were angry at the U.S. for killing him. - On May 7, dozens of Salafists Islamists gathered in the main square of Gaza City to protest against bin Laden's killing. The demonstrators, chanting "We warn you America, we warn you Europe", held posters of bin Laden along with banners reading "We are all your soldiers Osama" and "Osama is alive inside us." The protest was broken up by HamasHamasHamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
police. ReutersReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
noted that while Hamas itself had denounced the killing of bin Laden as well, it had recently engaged in gun battles with Gazan Salafist groups.
Sudan
- On May 3, around 1,000 people rallied in KhartoumKhartoumKhartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
, SudanSudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, to praise bin Laden, chanting "Death to America". The gathering was attended by junior members of the ruling northern National Congress PartyNational Congress (Sudan)The National Congress or National Congress Party ' is the governing official political party of Sudan. It is headed by Omar al-Bashir, who has been President of Sudan since he seized power in a military coup on 30 June 1989, and began institutionalizing Sharia law at a national level...
. The rally consisted of a prayer and several speeches by radical Sunni Muslim clerics who praised bin Laden and called on Arab leaders to fight the USA. Sheikh Abu Zaid Mohammed Hamza declared: "Islam is calling to fight America because it supports Israel and the JewsJewsThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
... We hope that all Arab presidents will become like Osama bin Laden." Sheikh Abdul Hai Youssuf said that "Osama bin Laden is our brother".
Turkey
- On May 6, about 200 people rallied at the Fatih Mosque in IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, by protesting the killing of bin Laden by U.S. commandos. After Friday prayers, the demonstrators gathered at the call of Islamist newspaper Millî Gazete, and with the support of the Islamist organization Özgür-Der.
United Kingdom
- On May 7, hundreds of UK Muslims and Muslims Against CrusadesMuslims Against CrusadesMuslims Against Crusades is a banned Islamic group in the United Kingdom. The group was founded in 2010 by Abu Assadullah. Professional boxer Anthony Small and Islam4UK spokesman Anjem Choudary are associated with the group....
members held a pro-Bin Laden rally outside the U.S. Embassy, London and staged salat al-Janazah (funeral prayers) for Osama bin Laden. Protesters clashed with police when they tried to storm the embassy. Anjem ChoudaryAnjem ChoudaryAnjem Choudary is a British former solicitor, and, before it was proscribed, spokesman for the Islamist group Islam4UK. He is married, has four children, and lives in Ilford, London....
– a British national of Pakistani descent, who organised the protest, predicted an attack similar to the 7 July 2005 London bombings7 July 2005 London bombingsThe 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
in response to bin Laden's death.
India: May 6, Separatist Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah GeelaniSyed Ali Shah Geelani
-Early life:Syed Geelani was born in a town called Zoorimunz, Bandipora, in North Kashmir. After his preliminary education in Sopore, he went on to graduate from the Oriental College in Lahore....
led a gathering for funeral prayers at Batmaloo, Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
for al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. Special prayers were given at Pulwama, Bijbehara
Bijbehara
Bijbiāra , also known as Bijbehara, Vejibyor and Vejibyōr, is a town and a notified area committee in Anantnag district in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, India.-Geography:Bijbehara is located at...
and Baramulla
Baramulla
Baramulla , known as Varahamula in antiquity, is a city in the Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir state in northern India...
in Indian-administered Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
. These prayers were attended by about a hundred Kashmiri muslims
Kashmiri people
The Kashmiri people are a Dardic linguistic group living in Kashmir Valley in Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and parts of the Pakistani territory of Azad Kashmir who speak the Kashmiri language...
who called Osama a martyr. Protesters also shouted anti-U.S and pro-freedom slogans
Kashmir conflict
The Kashmir conflict is a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir region, the northwesternmost region of South Asia....
. Although a relatively minor incident, it led to a small riot between police and protesters.
Egypt
- Hundreds of Islamist Salafists held special prayers Friday for Osama bin Laden at the Salafist-run al-Nour Mosque in the Abbasiyah quarter of Cairo after regular Friday noon prayers though police tried to stop the special prayers. Some Islamists regard bin Laden as a martyr.
See also
- Death of Osama bin Laden conspiracy theories
- Operation Geronimo name controversy
- Reactions to the September 11 attacksReactions to the September 11 attacksReactions to the September 11 attacks included condemnation from world leaders, other political and religious representatives and the international media, as well as numerous memorials and services all over the world. The attacks were denounced by the governments of countries traditionally...
- The Situation Room (photograph)The Situation Room (photograph)White House photographer Pete Souza captured a noted photograph in the White House Situation Room at 4:06 PM on May 1, 2011. The photograph shows the President of the United States, Barack Obama, along with his national security team, receiving live updates of Operation Neptune Spear, which led to...
External links
- Bin Laden Is Dead: The Reaction – slideshow by LifeLife (magazine)Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
- On Social Media, Americans React To Bin Laden Death – report by NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...