Bush, NY pols react to bin Laden's death

DALLAS (AP) — Former President George W. Bush has congratulated President Barack Obama and heralded the servicemen and women involved in the mission that killed Osama bin Laden.

Bush was in power nearly 10 years ago when agents from bin Laden’s al-Qaida network hijacked planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, killing nearly 3,000 people in the worst terrorist attack on American soil.

Bin Laden was shot in the head by elite U.S. counter-terrorism troops early Monday in northern Pakistan. Four other people were killed in the raid, including one of bin Laden’s sons.

"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," he said in a brief statement released Sunday night. "The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done."

About a dozen supporters of Bush gathered briefly before dawn Monday outside his Dallas home despite a thunderstorm that pelted the city with hail. They left flowers, planted flags and tied red, white and blue balloons. One sign read, "Thank you President Bush."

Bush’s spokesman, David Sherzer, confirmed early Monday that the former president was at home Sunday night.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says Americans have kept their promise after Sept. 11 to capture or kill bin Laden.

Bloomberg says the killing of the terrorist leader doesn't lessen the suffering Americans experienced at his hands the day the World Trade Center was destroyed but is a "critically important victory" for the nation. He says it's a tribute to the men and women in the armed forces who've fought so hard.

The 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks is just months away.

Bloomberg says in a statement he hopes news of bin Laden's demise will "bring some closure and comfort to all those who lost loved ones" that day.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the killing of bin Laden reminds New Yorkers of their courage and unity during the response to the attacks the terrorist mastermind orchestrated on Sept. 11, 2001.

In a statement released in the hours after President Barack Obama announced bin Laden had been killed in Pakistan by U.S. troops, Cuomo called the death "a historic moment that represents a major step in our country’s efforts to defeat terrorism around the world."

Cuomo said New Yorkers endured bin Laden’s most devastating attack, the destruction of the World Trade Center when two airliners were flown into the twin towers the morning of Sept. 11. More than 2,700 people died in Lower Manhattan that day.

Even with bid Laden dead, Cuomo said Americans must remain vigilant in preventing terrorist attacks.