World leaders, including UK Prime Minister Cameron and former US President George W. Bush, celebrate Osama bin Laden's death.
By REUTERSGeorge Bush 311 (R)(photo credit: REUTERS)
The death of al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden will bring "great relief" across the world, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday."Osama bin Laden was responsible for the worst terrorist atrocities the world has seen -- for 9/11 and for so many attacks, which have cost thousands of lives, many of them British. It is a great success that he has been found and will no longer be able to pursue his campaign of global terror," Cameron said in a statement.RELATED:Obama declares bin Laden killed in firefight with US forcesOsama bin Laden: 9/11 author who defied"The news that Osama bin Laden is dead will bring great relief to people across the world," he said.Former President George W. Bush, who was in office at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks and famously said he wanted Osama bin Laden dead or alive, on Sunday called the death of the al Qaeda leader a "momentous achievement."President Barack Obama called Bush in Dallas at 9:04 p.m. central time to inform him that bin Laden was dead and they spoke for four minutes, a Bush spokesman said.The Sept. 11 attacks were a defining moment of Bush's presidency. He launched the war in Afghanistan and the hunt for bin Laden spanned the rest of his presidency."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," Bush said in a statement."The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done," he said.In New York, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that he hoped the dramatic killing would comfort those who lost loved ones that day.
"The killing of Osama bin Laden does not lessen the suffering that New Yorkers and Americans experienced at his hands, but it is a critically important victory for our nation -- and a tribute to the millions of men and women in our armed forces and elsewhere who have fought so hard for our nation," he said in a statement."New Yorkers have waited nearly 10 years for this news. It is my hope that it will bring some closure and comfort to all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001," he said.In the city's Times Square neighborhood, where one year ago law enforcement foiled a botched attempt to blow up the area known for its Broadway theaters, hundreds gathered to celebrate after midnight with a large police presence and firetrucks parked among the crowd.Crowds also quickly amassed to celebrate at what became known after the attacks as Ground Zero, the site in lower Manhattan where the Twin Towers had stood. Many shouted "bin Laden is dead, bin Laden is dead.""After September 11, 2001, we gave our word as Americans that we would stop at nothing to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. After the contribution of millions, including so many who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, we have kept that word," Bloomberg said.The Palestinian Authority issused their own statement on Monday, saying the killing was "good for the cause of peace"."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," PA spokesman Ghassan Khatib said.
