Social Media Erupts with News of Bin Laden's Death

From the moment the news of Osama bin Laden’s death was announced, the Internet was flooded with people sharing their thoughts about the demise of al-Qaida’s leader.

Twitter and Facebook were among the social media channels that exploded with conversation Sunday night, and users continue to post remarks.

According to CNN Political Ticker, a Twitter user unknowingly reported details of the attack on bin Laden last night. IT consultant Sohaib Athar reportedly tweeted some of the first public accounts of the attack from Abbottabad, the city in which bin Laden was found.

Twitter said — via a Tweet — that it  reached more than 4,000 tweets per second at the beginning and end of President Obama’s speech Sunday night. Reactions were mixed, with some expressing elation, fear of retaliaton and doubt that bin Laden is really dead.

Rep. Robert Dold (R-10th) used his Facebook page to deliver a statement Monday morning.

“The death of Osama bin Laden is a significant achievement in our fight against terrorism and strikes a blow to those violent extremists who seek to do our nation and all freedom loving democracies harm,” he wrote. “On September 11, 2001, more than 3,000 innocent souls lost their lives and now justice has been served. I commend the men and women of our armed forces and intelligence community for their unwavering commitment to bringing Osama bin Laden to justice. Our fight against those who want to destroy democracies around the world continues but today we can press ahead, as confident as ever in our nation's ability to confront and triumph over evil."

He also used his Twitter account, @RobertDold, to release a statement. "I commend our armed forces and intelligence community for their unwavering commitment to bringing Osama bin Laden to justice," he wrote.

Here are some other tweets from @BGrovePatch Twitter followers:

@RangerDelta  So apparently Bin Laden was alive. Keyword is WAS.

@ottekata Bye Bin Laden

@chicagotax What a morning of news. Does Osama bin Laden's death make you feel better about the future? I've been seeing comments online to that effect. It's an interesting thing: to celebrate a person's death, but it does seem to have lifted the spirits of many.

@abritintheUSA The world is a madman short but it creates a vacancy not a solution #binladen

@sarahmozal Last night someone fulfilled their lifelong dream of running down a hallway screaming "Stop the presses!"