Osama bin Laden: High Priest of Terror

On May 2, the long hunt for Osama bin Laden ended when everyone least expected it.

The terrorist leader was shot and killed by U.S. Navy Seals in a raid just past midnight, awaking a household in slumber. The act was the result of months of planning and years of covert intelligence gathering. By the evening, at 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time, President Barack Obama took the podium in the White House and gave a nationally televised address that confirming the rumors that had been already circulating on the Internet and on Twitter: Bin Laden was dead.

"Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children."

During the speech, Obama shared some of the details of the mission.

"Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body."

Obama ended his nine-minute, historic speech with: "May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America."