Initially reported killed by an USA missile but now reportedly shot by a smallish USA Special Operations/Commando operation at a compund near Islamabad, where he was apparently shot to death. DNA confirms one dead body is Osama bin Laden.
The attack was kept secret from Pakistan authorities until it was under way and the attack team was swooping in to avoid him being warned and fleeing his custom built compound and building.
It is certainly clear that he was given up under pressure by a Pakistan informant, just as Iran gave up a senior Al Qaeda (Al-Zarkawi) operative in Iraq.
The location was said to be in Abbotabad, a Pakistan military compound where Osama was living in a large house built in 2005 at the outskirts of the military base with 18 foot high walls around it, and a hospital and police station nearby. He was living quietly but openly among the Pakistan military and ostensibly under their protection.
The four helicopter American attack on his large residence resulted in a firefight in which Osama, possibly his eldest son and two or three of his people (including a couple of runners/messengers) died in the shoot-out.
Apparently one helicopter, all of which had taken off from a Pakistani airbase in North Pakistan, failed to make it back and was destroyed but there were no American casualties.
Dead body, in American hands, definitely identified by DNA as Osama. Reports say it will be buried at sea - to avoid creating a "holy" pilgrimage site. But undeniable photos must be taken and offered to the public to confirm his death to naysayers.
The Obama White House was quick to announce that the body would be treated with full Islamic ceremony, deference and procedure! Of course!
He was no longer actually running anything much but it's a prominent person removed from the Al Qaeda hierarchy.
Could be very disheartening for them but at the same time it could trigger sleeper cells into action - here and in Europe - AND confuse our security officials as to whether it's retaliation from Al Qaeda or by Ghaddafi (or both) for the death of his youngest son.
Meanwhile, our military bases have raised their threat level to B (bravo) in case of a retaliatory reaction with new concrete barriers, safety procedures etc.
The worst Al Qaeda threat which might be in place in Europe rather than in the USA, is a Nuclear bomb, they claim to have over there and detonate to avenge him if anything ever happens to Osama.
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