EU hails death of ‘heinous criminal’ Bin Laden

EU leaders on Monday hailed the demise of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, who was killed in a firefight with US forces in Pakistan. His death marks the end of a decade-long hunt for the mastermind of the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. US President Barack Obama announced the news in a late-night speech and said Bin Laden’s body had been recovered following the US-led operation near Islamabad. “Justice has been done,” President Barack Obama declared in a hastily-called, late-night White House speech. A source familiar with the US operation said Bin Laden was shot in the head. Jubilant, flag-waving celebrations erupted in Washington and New York. It was the biggest national security victory for Obama since he took office in early 2009 and could give him a political boost as he seeks re-election in 2012. A US official today said that Bin Laden had been buried at sea. He did not say where. According to Reuters, Obama may now find it easier to wind down the nearly decade-old war in Afghanistan, begun after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington that killed nearly 3000. But the operation could complicate relations with Pakistan. A US official said Pakistani authorities were told the details of the raid only after it had taken place. In a joint statement, EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said that Bin Laden was “a criminal responsible for heinous terrorist attacks that cost the lives of …