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Aftermath of Osama bin Laden's death: KPCC's continuing coverage
FILE - In this file television image broadcast on Qatar's Al-Jazeera TV, is said to show Osama bin Laden, at the wedding of his son in January of 2001. A person familiar with developments said Sunday, May 1, 2011 that bin Laden is dead and the U.S. has the body.
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AP Photo/Al-Jazeera/TV, file
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Reactions around the Southland from Muslims, military and local law enforcement.
Latest 6 p.m. | Permalink
People want to carry, fold and keep news coverage of bin Laden’s ambush
The news about Osama bin Laden’s death sent many people running to newsstands — remember them? — for printed historical records of the event.
Diz McNally helps to manage the World Book and News stand in Hollywood. She says Monday has been a very busy day.
“This particular girl, she was like about 17-years-old, she was just all excited,” says McNally. “She bought every single paper that had him on the cover and she’s just going to, like I said, save it.”
McNally says that young woman bought 23 newspapers.
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— Cheryl Devall/KPCC
Updated at 5:45 p.m. | Permalink
Muslim American college students react to bin Laden’s death after growing up in his shadow
A generation of young Muslim Americans has grown up with the specter of Osama bin Laden as a bad guy on the run from American soldiers. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez spoke with some of them at Cal State Long Beach about their reactions now that bin Laden is dead.
Engineering major Hamad Nasoordeen was on Facebook when he saw his friends posting that bin Laden had died.
“My first reaction was, ‘Why’d it take so long to find the guy?’ It’s a good thing, there’s one more criminal that’s dead,” he says.
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— Adolfo Guzman Lopez/KPCC
Updated at 4:48 p.m. | Permalink
Picturing U.S. foreign policy without bin Laden
The al-Qaida leader's killing may provide a boost to U.S. counterterrorism efforts: It could put added pressure on the Taliban, and it gets rid of "a symbol of successful defiance of the United States," analysts say. But it's also sure to prompt a reappraisal of already fraught U.S.-Pakistani relations.
— NPR
Updated at 4:40 p.m. | Permalink
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Muslim American doctor reacts to bin Laden killing
At her South Bay home Sunday night, Sophia Momand was sewing when she heard on TV that US Navy Seals had killed Osama bin Laden.
“I was delighted, I was rejoicing, I was telling my husband, this is like the greatest day for America now, and for the world,” says Momand. “For all the corruption and evil he would have done and murder, that a stop has been put to him. And I hope his evil regime dies with him, the whole thing.
Momand is the family doctor at the Cal State Dominguez Hills student health center. The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks prompted her to do more to educate non-Muslims about her faith, she says. She adds that she doesn’t intend to stop now that bin Laden is dead.
— Adolfo Guzman Lopez/KPCC
Updated at 3:58 p.m. | Permalink
Southern Californian Muslims glad bin Laden dead
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Southern California Muslims say they welcome the news of Osama bin Laden’s death.
Muslim leaders say they’ve always opposed bin Laden.
They point out that his victims include Americans and Muslims, too.
— Susan Valot/KPCC
Updated at 3:40 p.m. | Permalink
Southland officials urge vigilance in wake of bin Laden’s death
Southland law enforcement and elected officials said on Monday they’re stepping up security at high-profile areas, including LA International Airport and Staples Center. They say they want to keep people safe from any potential terrorist reprisals in response to the death of Osama bin Laden.
At a news conference outside Los Angeles County’s emergency operations center, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck encouraged people to keep safe by staying alert.
— Corey Moore/KPCC
Updated at 3:33 p.m. | Permalink
Obama lauded for now, but domestic fights loom
The president basked Monday in the glow of a dramatic and risky military mission that ended the life of Osama bin Laden, and the bounce he'll most certainly get in the polls in coming days and weeks may enhance his domestic clout briefly. But the operation is unlikely to ease domestic battles.
— Liz Halloran/NPR
Updated at 3:07 p.m. | Permalink
29 Palms Marine reflects on bin Laden’s death
In contrast to celebrations of Osama bin Laden’s death elsewhere, reaction is muted in the Mojave Desert town of Twentynine Palms, home to the largest US Marine base in the world.
A young Marine corporal named Thomas, who didn’t want to offer his last name, said he welcomes the news. But on base, he added, it’s business as usual.
“It seems like a normal day. Like I was helping a buddy move into base housing and when I was driving back to the barracks it just seemed like a normal day,” Thomas said. “People just going around, training, doing what they do every day. I don’t think it really affects the mission at hand. Just like how we’re somewhat expendable, I think he is, too.”
More than 100 US Marines based at the Marine Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms have been killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The base went on heightened security shortly before the president announced the news of bin Laden’s death.
— Steven Cuevas/KPCC
Updated at 3 p.m. | Permalink
Airline pilot applauds country, military for staying focused on pursuit of bin Laden
At LAX on Monday, American Airlines pilot James Wilkerson applauded the United States for staying on bin Laden’s trail.
“I’m just proud of our country for not taking our eye off of the ball. Keeping the priorities straight,” he said. “I think that was very important to never forget what happened. And never take your eye off the ball. This guy is the one that caused or started all the things we have had in the last decade. So I’m proud of our troops and proud of the president, actually.”
After Sunday's news that bin Laden had died, police are on heightened alert at Los Angeles-area airports. The Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers’ Association released a statement Monday to reassure travelers at LAX, Van Nuys and Ontario airports.
— Brian Watt/KPCC
Updated at 2:46 p.m. | Permalink
Is it wrong to celebrate bin Laden's death?
Displays of joy erupted near the White House and ground zero in New York in reaction to news that Osama bin Laden had been killed. Some found the celebrations — even of the death of a widely hated figure — morally troublesome.
— Linton Weeks/NPR
Updated at 2:25 p.m. | Permalink
California members of Congress react to death of bin Laden
News of the death of Osama bin Laden greeted lawmakers as they returned to Capitol Hill after a two-week recess. US House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield said on Monday the Navy Seals’ operation demonstrates America’s resolve to fight terrorism anywhere in the world.
“September 11 reminded every American that freedom is not free,” McCarthy said. “Last night marked not only our country, but told the entire world that America has the resolve. It may take us a decade, but we will continue to follow through.”
Democrat Loretta Sanchez of Santa Ana, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, echoed McCarthy’s statement. She said the United States is “committed to the relentless pursuit of any and all who seek to do harm to the US and our allies.”
— Kitty Felde/KPCC
Updated at 2:04 p.m. | Permalink
Colonel Joe Felter spoke about what went into the operation that took out Osama bin Laden.
"It's a really sophisticated operation," requiring the cooperation of a variety of agencies, intelligence resources and assets, says Felter. Colonel Felter is currently assigned to the U.S. Army War College and is a research fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution.
"It was the result of just a long, long time of preparation, rehearsing, training for contingencies," says Felter. One example was how they handled a helicopter going down. Everyone got out safely and they blew up the helicopter, using a backup helicopter that was available for just such an event. "They rehearsed that scenario, I'm sure," says Felter.
"Certainly a difficult decision for a commander-in-chief," says Felter, but he says it was the right one. "The difference between success and failure is very slim."
- Patt Morrison & Mike Roe/KPCC
Updated at 1:48 p.m. | Permalink
Pakistanis question how much their government knew about bin Laden raid
The United States remains "deeply unpopular" in Pakistan, according to Cyril Almeida, a columnist/editor at Dawn, a Pakistani newspaper.
Local Pakistani television, says Almeida, was questioning whether the Pakistani military knew about the attack on bin Laden's compound ahead of time, and if they knew why they didn't do anything to stop it.
Almeida says that this operation "happening under the nose of our security establishment has caused some to question what is going on in this country."
- Patt Morrison & Mike Roe/KPCC
Updated at 12:32 p.m. | Permalink
Southland law enforcement, officials say to remain vigilant following bin Laden death
Southland law enforcement and elected officials advised residents to remain vigilant today following the death of al- Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, although there were no specific threats of retaliation.
While the State Department issued warnings to Americans traveling abroad in sensitive areas to limit their travels outside their homes and hotel, it was largely business as usual today at Los Angeles International Airport.
"LAX is always on alert given that U.S. transportation systems are of interest to terrorist organizations," Airport Police Chief George R. Centeno said. "While we don't have any direct threat as a result of recent events, we will continue to provide infrastructure protection and high visibility law enforcement and security protection to the many passengers who travel through the airport every day.
"We will continue to monitor global events and stay in contact with our federal partners as the situation evolves through the next 24 to 48 hours," he said.
- KPCC wire services
Updated at 12:22 p.m. | Permalink
5 ways Osama bin Laden changed immigration
The direct and indirect repercussions that the late Osama bin Laden’s actions in masterminding the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 have had on the agencies, policies and attitudes affecting immigrants in the United States are far too many to mention in a short list.
The attacks led to the dissolution of the federal immigration infrastructure at the time, to numerous legislative and policy changes affecting immigrants, and to an increasingly enforcement-heavy and divisive immigration climate.
1) The end of INS, the beginning of DHS
2) The Patriot Act
3) The REAL ID Act
4) Increased immigrant detention and deportations
5) A rise in anti-Muslim attitudes
- Leslie Berestein Rojas/KPCC Multi-American blog
Updated at 12:05 p.m. | Permalink
VIDEO: Inside Osama bin Laden's compound
From ABC News:
Updated at 11:14 a.m. | Permalink
9/11 mom reacts to news of Osama bin Laden's death
Maureen Santora lost her son Christopher on 9/11.
She told KPCC that she and her husband were “numb” when they heard the news about Osama bin Laden's death.
“We’ve been waiting for this for a very long time. Very long time," says Santora. "I think America has waited for this for a very long time, and I think the world as well. So, it was news that you had to process because you weren’t sure that this was really going to happen. And it did. And we’re just thrilled.”
- Madeleine Brand/KPCC
Updated at 10:57 a.m. | Permalink
Sources: US used 'multiple methods' to ID body
The U.S. used multiple means to confirm the identity of Osama bin Laden during and after the firefight in which he was killed, before placing his body in the North Arabian Sea from aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier, senior U.S. officials said Monday.
The al-Qaida leader was identified by name by a woman believed to be one of his wives - bin Laden had several - who was present at his Pakistan compound at the time of the U.S. raid. He also was visually identified by members of the U.S. raid squad, a senior intelligence official told reporters at a Pentagon briefing. Under ground rules set by the Pentagon, the intelligence official and two senior defense officials could not be identified by name.
The intelligence official also said quite a bit of unspecified material was collected by U.S. forces during the raid. Without describing the material, the official said it is being analyzed by a team of people at the CIA.
- Pauline Jelinek & Robert Burns/AP
Updated at 10:50 a.m. | Permalink
Source: Bin Laden went down firing
A U.S. official says Osama bin Laden went down firing at the Navy SEALs who stormed his compound.
An official familiar with the operation says bin Laden was hit by a barrage of carefully aimed return fire.
- AP
Updated at 10:36 a.m. | Permalink
Obama: Bin Laden's death a 'good day' for America
Declaring the killing of Osama bin Laden "a good day for America," President Barack Obama said Monday the world was safer without the al-Qaida terrorist and mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. His administration used DNA testing to help confirm that American forces in Pakistan had in fact killed bin Laden, as U.S. officials sought to erase all doubt about the stunning news.
"Today we are reminded that as a nation there is nothing we can't do," Obama said of the news bound to lift his political standing and help define his presidency. He hailed the pride of those who broke out in overnight celebrations as word spread around the globe.
An elite crew of American forces killed bin Laden during a daring raid on Monday, capping the world's most intense manhunt. Bin Laden was shot in the head during a firefight and then quickly buried at sea. White House officials were mulling the merits and appropriateness of releasing a photo.
- Kimberly Dozier & David Espo/AP
Earlier:
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa speaks on bin Laden's death before leaving for Washington DC
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spoke with KPCC this morning about Osama bin Laden's death.
Villaraigosa says that he is "somewhat concerned" about terrorism in the Los Angeles area. "Look, let me be absolutely clear: we are not on a heightened level of alert, but we are adding resources where necessary. We're being as vigilant as possible, particularly at the airport, the port, and places that could be a target of opportunity."
- Steve Julian & Mike Roe/KPCC
Calif. Rep. Adam Schiff on bin Laden death: 9/11 victims now have 'some measure of justice'
Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff serves on the House Intelligence Committee. Schiff says the Committee didn't know about the raid before it took place.
Congress was in recess when the announcement of bin Laden's death was made last night. "We had not had briefings on it. We obviously over the many years, the last several years, we've been briefed periodically on the hunt for Osama bin Laden, but I suspect that most of the committee members found out the way most Americans did, by finding out about it on a news broadcast."
Schiff called bin Laden's death "stunning news." "The victims of 9/11 now have some measure of justice, and the symbolic and spiritual leader of the organization is gone."
- Steve Julian & Mike Roe/KPCC
Muslim Public Affairs Council greets bin Laden's death with 'sense of relief'
People are reacting this morning to the death of Osama bin Laden. The Muslim Public Affairs Council's website this morning read "MPAC Greets Bin Laden's Death With A Sense Of Relief." Salam Al-Marayati, president of MPAC in Los Angeles, spoke with KPCC.
Why relief? "We've been dealing with the specter of terrorism for so long that the elimination of bin Laden represents a swift blow against terrorism," says Al-Marayati. "The Middle East, unfortunately, has been devastated by terrorist violence. We see people like bin Laden sitting on his empty throne of self-righteousness, sending young people to their deaths and killing civilians in our name."
- Steve Julian & Mike Roe/KPCC
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