Nation reacts to Osama bin Laden’s death

Americans gather to celebrate the death of the al-Qaeda leader and mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

5 Seconds

00:00

May 5, 2011 - New York

President Obama lays a wreath at the 9/11 Memorial in New York. Obama took a defiant message to the New York epicenter of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, warning that Osama bin Laden's death proved America will never fail to bring terrorists to "justice."

Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images

May 5, 2011 - New York

Obama, left, lays a wreath during a visit to the World Trade Center site in New York.

Gary Hershorn / Reuters

May 5, 2011 - New York

President Obama, right, bows his head during a moment of silence at Ground Zero, after Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. special forces.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

May 5, 2011 - New York

Obama braced for a "bittersweet" visit to Ground Zero after the death of bin Laden, but felt it was important to go to offer "closure" to Americans.

Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images

May 5, 2011 - New York

President Obama greets New York City uniformed officers during a visit to the World Trade Center site.

MIKE SEGAR / Reuters

May 5, 2011 - New York

President Obama talks with firefighters as he visits the New York Fire Department's Engine 54 Ladder Company 4 Battalion 9 firehouse at Times Square.The battalion lost 15 firefighters in the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings on Sept. 11, 2001.

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

May 5, 2011 - New York

Obama speaks to firefighters and first responders at the Engine 54 firehouse before visiting the National Sept. 11 Memorial at Ground Zero.

Charles Dharapak / AP

May 5, 2011 - New York

Police and onlookers await the arrival of President Obama at Ground Zero, where he was to lay a wreath and meet families of the Sept. 11 victims, just days after ordering the operation that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Timothy A. Clary / AFP/Getty Images

May 5, 2011 - New York

People view the World Trade Center site before a visit by President Obama.

Shannon Stapleton / Reuters

May 5, 2011 - New York

People wave American flags on a sidewalk outside the World Trade Center site in anticipation of Obama's visit.

Mike Segar / Reuters

May 3, 2011 - Arlington

Ricky Parada of Stafford, Va., visits the grave of his brother, U.S. Marine Cpl. Nicholas Parada Rodriguez, at Arlington National Cemetery. After hearing the news about the death of Osama bin Laden, Ricky Parada said of his brother, "Man, I've got to go and talk to him." Parada Rodriguez was killed May 16, 2010, during the Marja offensive in Afghanistan. It was his third combat tour and second tour of Afghanistan.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

May 3, 2011 - New York

A picture of a victim from the Sept. 11, 2001, attack hangs with flowers and messages on a fence around the World Trade Center site in New York.

Mike Segar / Reuters

May 3, 2011 - New York

An FBI printout is seen at a makeshift memorial on the fence surrounding the World Trade Center site after the death of al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

May 3, 2011 - Lansing, Mich.

The Patriot Flag, a 30-by-60-foot flag honoring those who died in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is carried up Ottawa Street in Lansing, Mich., to the Capitol where it will be displayed over downtown. The flag has traveled around the country in remembrance of the attacks. Michigan is the first stop since U.S. troops killed bin Laden.

Greg DeRuiter / AP

May 2, 2011 - Boston

Family members, from left, sisters Danielle and Carie Lemack who lost their mother, Judy Larocque, and Christy Coombs, who lost her husband, Jeffrey, all on ill-fated Flight 11 from Logan Airport on 9/11 grieve in Boston during a moment of silence at the Garden of Remembrance, a memorial dedicated to the 206 Massachusetts victims of Sept. 11, 2001. The event was held in the wake of news of the death of Osama bin Laden.

Elise Amendola / AP

May 2, 2011 - New York

The construction of the Freedom Tower at the site of the World Trade Center is seen in the distance as Marco Chiabo and Nina Mastro look at the Sept. 11 Memorial at Exchange Place in Jersey City, N.J.

Pamela Suchy / AP

May 2, 2011 - Shanksville, Pa.

At the temporary Flight 93 memorial site near Shanksville, Pa., Barbara Ray of Stoney Creek, Pa., looks out over the field where the plane crashed on Sept. 11, 2001. She and her husband made this sign this morning and invited visitors to sign it.

Michael S. Williamson / The Washington Post

May 2, 2011 - Shanksville, Pa.

At the temporary Flight 93 memorial site near Shanksville, Pa., Jeff Ray of Stoney Creek, Pa., remembers the crash. A permanent memorial site is now under construction.

Michael S. Williamson / The Washington Post

May 2, 2011 - Arlington

Vienna Forse, 2, and Makaiya Skaggs, 4, of Frederick explore the tombstones in section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery. The girls were with their mothers visiting the site where Vienna's uncle, Sgt. David James Smith, is buried. They decided to visit the cemetery after learning about the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Bonnie Jo Mount / The Washington Post

May 2, 2011 - Arlington

Brian Ball of Frederick covers his mouth in emotion while standing near his wife, Ashley, and son, Paddy, 8 months, near the memorial bench of a close friend at the memorial at the Pentagon. Ball's friend died while working at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

Ricky Carioti / The Washington Post

May 2, 2011 - New York

Three men celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden across from the World Trade Center in New York. Bin Laden was shot dead in Pakistan in a nighttime helicopter raid by U.S. commandos, ending a decade-long manhunt.

Don Emmert / AFP/Getty Images

May 2, 2011 - Washington

President Obama smiles as he and first lady Michelle greet guests after he awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously to two GIs killed in the Korean War at a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. "The world is safer. It is a better place because of the death of Osama bin Laden," the president said.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

May 2, 2011 - Arlington

Family members of Sgt. Sean T. Callahan, from left to right, Janet Callahan (mother), Patrick Callahan (father), Melodie Callahan (sister), Heather Callahan (sister) and Cpl. Daniel Callahan (brother) watch as his casket is put into the ground at Arlington National Cemetery.

Bonnie Jo Mount / The Washington Post

May 2, 2011 - Arlington

Justin Kearns, a reservist at Andrews Air Force Base, walks through section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery after visiting the site of a friend who died in Iraq.

Bonnie Jo Mount / The Washington Post

May 2, 2011 - New York

A woman kneels next to a sculpture honoring firefighters on the wall of a fire station near the World Trade Center site.

Don Emmert / AFP/Getty Images

May 2, 2011 - Washington

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton makes a statement at the State Department regarding the death of Osama bin Laden.

Jacquelyn Martin / AP

May 2, 2011 - Arlington

Maj. Tevye Yoblick sits alone at the Pentagon Memorial at dawn in Arlington after the death of Osama bin Laden. Dedicated in 2008, the memorial was erected in honor of those killed on Sept. 11, 2001.

Matt McClain / For The Washington Post

May 2, 2011 - Arlington

The Pentagon Memorial in Arlington at dawn.

Matt McClain / For The Washington Post

May 2, 2011 - Washington

Dan Parker, right, drove all night from Shamokin, Pa., to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden.

Melina Mara / The Washington Post

May 2, 2011 - New York

Ray Maldonado displays a newspaper and sign outside the World Trade Center site in New York after the death of Sept. 11 mastermind Osama bin Laden that was announced by President Obama on Sunday night.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

May 2, 2011 - New York

Dionne Layne, right, hugs Mary Power as they react to the news of the death of Osama bin Laden at the One World Trade Center, also known as the Freedom Tower, in New York.

Mark Lennihan / AP

May 2, 2011 - Washington

Revelers kiss near the White House after President Obama announced that U.S. authorities had recovered the body of Osama bin Laden. The al-Qaeda leader was killed in a firefight with U.S. forces in Pakistan on Sunday, Obama announced, ending a nearly 10-year worldwide manhunt.

Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

May 2, 2011 - New York

People gather in Times Square in New York shortly after the announcement from President Obama that al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden was dead.

Timothy A. Clary / AFP/Getty Images

May 2, 2011 - Washington

A man who said he was dressed as "Captain America" cheers early Monday across the street from the White House in Washington, as people gather to cheer the United States after it was announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed.

Jacquelyn Martin / AP

May 2, 2011 - New York

A man holds a sign in reaction to the death of Osama bin Laden at the construction site of the former World Trade Center towers in New York.

Eric Thayer / Reuters

May 2, 2011 - New York

People at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York watch a TV broadcast of President Obama announcing the death of Osama bin Laden.

Eric Thayer / Reuters

May 2, 2011 - Normal, Ill.

Travis Laivee and Kalee Kosuri, Illinois State University students in Normal, Ill., joined more than 2,000 other students who marched through streets around campus to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden.

David Proeber / AP

May 2, 2011 - New York

Perched on another's shoulders, Ryan Burtchell, center, of Brooklyn, waves an American flag over the crowd by Ground Zero in New York as they respond to the news of Osama bin Laden's death.

Tina Fineberg / AP

May 2, 2011 - New York

New Yorker Frank Franchi celebrates in Times Square after the death of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden was announced by President Obama.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

May 2, 2011 - New York

Herman Maisonave, of Queens, holds up a sign as he joins those gathered by Ground Zero in New York as they react to the news of Osama bin Laden's death.

Tina Fineberg / AP

May 2, 2011 - New York

A small group sits with candles and a sign as they react to the news of Osama bin Laden's death on Vesey Street, near Ground Zero, during the early morning hours in New York.

Jason DeCrow / AP

May 1, 2011 - Washington

Sacha Kinser slaps hands with others as she celebrates outside the White House to news that Osama bin Laden had been killed.

Matt McClain / For The Washington Post

May 2, 2011 - New York

New Yorkers react to news of the death of Osama bin Laden at the intersection of Church Street and Vesey Street at Ground Zero in New York City.

Jemal Countess / Getty Images

May 1, 2011 - New York

Bagpipers play as people celebrate in the streets at Ground Zero in New York, waving American flags and honking horns to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden.

Spencer Platt / Getty Images

May 1, 2011 - Tacoma, Wash.

Danial Hanes, of Spanaway, Wash., holds a copy of the Wall Street Journal with a photo of Osama bin Laden on it as he waves a flag on the "Freedom Bridge" just outside Joint Base Lewis-McChord, around midnight to celebrate the death of Osama Bin Laden near Tacoma, Wash.

Ted S. Warren / AP

May 1, 2011 - Washington

Victoria Marshman climbs a light post outside the White House as a crowd gathered as news that Osama bin Laden had been killed spread in Washington.

Matt McClain / For The Washington Post

May 1, 2011 - New York

New Yorkers react to news of the death of Osama bin Laden at the intersection of Church Street and Vesey Street at Ground Zero in New York City.

Jemal Countess / Getty Images

May 1, 2011 - Lawrence, Kan.

A driver and passengers celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden in the streets of Lawrence, Kan.

Orlin Wagner / AP

May 1, 2011 - New York

A man carries an American flag while walking to join a crowd gathered to celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden at the construction site at Ground Zero in New York.

Finbarr O'Reilly / Reuters

May 1, 2011 - Washington

People react outside the White House to news that Osama bin Laden had been killed.

Matt McClain / For The Washington Post

May 1, 2011 - Washington

Tizzy Brown and others react outside the White House to news that Osama bin Laden had been killed.

Matt McClain / For The Washington Post

May 1, 2011 - Washington

Revelers gather at the fence on the north side of the White House chanting "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!"

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

May 1, 2011 - Washington

After hearing the news that Osama bin Laden had been killed, Daniel Burhardt, Micheal Eskew and Derek Comley scream and rally in back of the White House. All three are airmen at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland and were elated to hear the hunt was over.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

May 1, 2011 - Washington

Airmen from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland climb a tree near the White House in celebration of bin Laden's death.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

May 1, 2011 - Washington

People react outside the White House to news that Osama bin Laden was dead.

Matt McClain / For The Washington Post

May 1, 2011 - Washington

Crowds cheer at the White House.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

May 1, 2011 - Washington

People react to bin Laden's death at the White House.

Matt McClain / For The Washington Post

May 1, 2011 - Arlington

After news that Osama bin Laden was killed, a man mourns a loved one at the Pentagon memorial in Arlington.

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

May 1, 2011 - New York

People gather in Times Square after the announcement from President Obama.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

May 1, 2011 - New York

A crowd gathers in Times Square.

Timothy A. Clary / AFP/Getty Images

May 1, 2011 - New York

New York City firefighters gather in Times Square.

Timothy A. Clary / AFP/Getty Images

May 1, 2011 - Tacoma, Wash.

People cheer and wave flags from a passing car on the Freedom Bridge.

Ted S. Warren / AP

May 1, 2011 - Washington

President Obama is pictured after announcing on television the death of Osama bin Laden, from the East Room of the White House. The al-Qaeda leader was killed Sunday in a firefight with U.S. forces in Pakistan, and his body was recovered, Obama announced Sunday night.

Jason Reed / Reuters

Featured Photo Galleries

Pranav Sivakumar, 12, of Tower Lakes, Ill., spells his word during the National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md.

National Spelling Bee, Buckingham Palace garden party, the ‘Soup Nazi’ and more in the day in photos

National Spelling Bee, Buckingham Palace garden party, the “Soup Nazi” and more.

U.S. actress and director Angelina Jolie speaks ahead of a screening of her new film 'In the Land of Blood and Honey' at the Foreign Commonwealth Office in central London, May 29, 2012. Angelina Jolie spoke on the Foreign Secretary's initiative on preventing sexual violence in conflict, ahead of the screening. REUTERS/Pool/Dan Kitwood

Eye on entertainment

Angelina Jolie, will.i.am, Larry Thomas, Nick Jonas, Adam Lambert, Bob Dylan and other celebrities.

Novelist Toni Morrison laughs with U.S. President Barack Obama before being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, May 29, 2012. The Medal of Freedom is the nation's highest civilian honor. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Toni Morrison; Barack Obama

Obama Honors Medal of Freedom Recipients

President Obama honored a diverse group of political and cultural icons.

PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 29: Serena Williams of USA stretches to plays a forehand in her women's singles first round match between Serena Williams of USA and Virginie Razzano of France during day three of the French Open at Roland Garros on May 29, 2012 in Paris, France. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

French Open results: Serena Williams loses, Maria Sharapova cruises

The American tennis star lost in the first round of a Grand Slam event.

Camels rest at a watering hole outside the town of Aleg May 25, 2012. REUTERS/Joe Penney (MAURITANIA - Tags: ANIMALS SOCIETY)

Camels, tigers, turtles, a giant stag beetle and more in animal views

Camels, tigers, turtles, a giant stag beetle and more.

ANNAPOLIS, MD- MAY 29: Graduates cheer as the Blue Angels fly over during the 100th anniversary of the United States Naval Academy Graduation and Commissioning Ceremonies in Annapolis, Maryland, on Tuesday, May 29, 2012. U.S Sec. of Defense Leon Edward Panetta gave the graduation address. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

U.S. Naval Academy graduation

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta gave the commencement address at the ceremony.

Doc Watson, bluegrass and folk legend, dies at 89

The blind singer and guitarist was a Grammy winner, known for his flat-picking style of guitar playing.

Henry, a calf, sustained a head wound and required stitches after being slashed over the weekend.

Farm animals attacked in Fairfax

A calf, two goats and a chicken were slashed over the weekend at Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon.

Back to Previous Gallery

Discussion Policy | FAQ | About Discussions

Comments

Add your comment

Read what others are saying About Badges

SuperFan Badge

SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.

More about badges | Request a badge

Culture Connoisseur Badge

Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.

More about badges | Request a badge

Fact Checker Badge

Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.

More about badges | Request a badge

Washingtologist Badge

Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Writer Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.

Post Forum Badge

Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Weather Watcher Badge

Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.

More about badges | Request a badge

World Watcher Badge

World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Contributor Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

You must be logged in to report a comment.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.

More about badges

Get a badge

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.