How The Death Of Osama Bin Laden Broke On Twitter

Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has been killed by US forces in Pakistan. He was attacked in a ground operation based on US intelligence from last August, and after “a firefight” his body was captured by the American military.

(And then, uh, almost immediately buried at sea. More on that later.)

Bin Laden’s death has now been confirmed by various sources, including President Barack Obama. As the news broke, Twitter played an important role in the exchange of information, both from mainstream sources and those right on the scene.

The first official announcement that something big was taking place was made by White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer, who wrote

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