Osama bin Laden killed by US troops
Shortly before midnight on May 2nd a White House press release stated US President Barack Obama would address the American people that night.
The timing of the announcement was strange, and immediately the internet went into overdrive on speculation of just what the announcement would be.
Not long after, Keith Urbahn, former Chief of Staff to the US defense Secretary under George W. Bush, broke the news on Twitter.
"So I'm told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden. Hot damn", he tweeted.
The tweet quickly spread across the world, sending the press into a frenzy and hundreds of people to the gates of the White House.
As the crowds celebrated outside, President Obama calmly walked to a podium in the West Wing and confirmed the news.
"Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world, the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden," he said.
Ten years after the September 11 attacks which killed more than 3000 people, and after a deadly decade-long war in Afghanistan, the world's most wanted man was dead.
Although initially confused, the details of the top secret mission to kill Bin Laden came to light over the coming days.
In the middle of the night on May 1st two US Black Hawk helicopters flew covertly into Pakistan airspace with 23 highly skilled Navy SEALs on board.
Their mission, as handed to them directly by US President Barack Obama, was to capture or kill Osama bin Laden.
The Black Hawks destination was a compound in the city of Abbottabad, a military town mainly populated by current and former soldiers who attended the nearby military academy.
It was inside this compound, intelligence suggested, that Osama bin Laden had been hiding for several years.
The choppers moved into place over the compound as the Navy SEALs on board silently prepared their weapons for the raid.
As one of the Black Hawks hovered in place to allow the SEALs to rappel to the ground, the pilot realised he had lost control and the chopper was going down.
President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vice President Biden and a team of top officials watched on from the White House in horror, waiting for a signal from the chopper.
After a few minutes, the team on board confirmed they were all OK and would proceed with the mission.
The SEALs proceeded to the compound's main building encountering some resistance and engaging in a firefight with several men. Four people were killed.
After moving upstairs, the SEALs entered a room, saw their target and raised their weapons.
"Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo", one said to indicate they had spotted the main target, "Geronimo E.K.I.A." – Enemy Killed In Action.
Bin Laden had been killed, reportedly by two gun shot wounds directly to the head.
After a quick intelligence gathering effort, the SEALs collected bin Laden’s body and returned to Afghanistan.
Once there, DNA tests were carried out to confirm bin Laden’s identity, before the body was taken to the USS Carl Vinson and bin Laden was buried at sea in a ceremony consistent with Muslim customs.
Once all details were confirmed and the SEALs were safe, President Obama broke the news to the world.
Thousands of people gathered on the streets of New York and Washington to celebrate, chanting "USA! USA!"
For many, the news was closure after a decade of living in fear of another attack orchestrated by the terrorist mastermind.
For others it was vengeance for the loss of so many innocent lives in 2001.
After a decade of pain and emotion the President was finally able to confirm what so many had been waiting so long for.
"To those families who have lost loved ones to al-Qaeda's terror," he said, "justice has been done."
