On this day in history, May 2nd 2011-after a decade-long manhunt for Osama Bin Laden- the U.S. Special Operations Forces conducted a successful raid for the elusive leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization. Bin Laden had ordered the attacks of September 11th, 2001, in which four American passenger jets were hijacked and crashed, killing nearly 3,000 people. Two jets had struck and subsequently collapsed the 110-story Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, while another struck the Pentagon building in Washington, D.C. A fourth jet also headed toward Washington had crashed into a field in Pennsylvania as passengers attempted to overpower the hijackers on board.
