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NANCY GRACE

Osama bin Laden Dead

Aired May 2, 2011 - 20:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: USA! USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA! USA!

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: USA! USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA! USA!

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Osama bin Laden is dead, and justice has been done.

OBAMA: I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: USA! USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The world`s most wanted terrorist killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Osama bin Laden is dead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Bin Laden is dead. I didn`t kill him."

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Wanted dead or alive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "They were overjoyed when the first plane hit the building, so I said to them, Be patient."

OBAMA: A terrorist who`s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Michael Robert Horace (ph)...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My son`s not going to walk back in the room.

BUSH: The rest of the world hears you, and the people who -- and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight. After nearly 10 years and the most massive manhunt in world history, the man who masterminded the single worst attack on U.S. soil found hiding behind 18-foot walls of a million-dollar mansion. He takes an American bullet to the eye. Tonight, victims of 9/11 avenged, Osama bin Laden dead. Evil suffers a mortal blow. And tonight, bin Laden finally rots in hell!

Straight out to Kamran Hajder, correspondent with Reuters, straight out to Abbottabad. Kamran, what can you tell us?

KAMRAN HAJDER, REUTERS (via telephone): Basically, the people of the city of Abbottabad were shocked by the news that Osama bin Laden was killed in their city. They were not believing it. (INAUDIBLE) the city has been very peaceful. There`s been no terrorist attack and militant attack in the city. So they were not expecting that kind of news. And then when we talked to the people and told them that or they knew that -- they didn`t know that Osama bin Laden was hiding there. So everybody was...

GRACE: Well, Kamran Hajder...

HAJDER: ... unaware...

GRACE: ... I find that very, very difficult to believe! Abbottabad is a largely military residential area. Retired military find that to be one of their favorite places to live. It`s only about 35 miles north of Pakistan (SIC). And when you`ve got a million-dollar compound built specifically for Osama bin Laden to hide out in -- there`s no other compound, no other mansion like it in the area -- it`s very hard for me to understand how nobody knew about it.

We`re going to go back to Kamran in Pakistan. But now to our Leone Lakhani, CNN correspondent joining us from Islamabad, Pakistan. Leone, thank you for being with us. Explain to me how the raid went down.

LEONE LAKHANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Nancy, the raid was conducted by a special group of U.S. forces on Sunday. And following about a 40- minute firefight, we`re told that bin Laden, along with four others, were killed as a result. The announcement, as you said, was made by the president himself, President Obama himself on Sunday just before midnight Eastern time.

Now, as you mentioned, the big question is, how could bin Laden have been living in this compound -- and we understand he`d been living there for a few years -- without anyone really picking it up? So we are told he`s been monitored for the past four years, that compound was being monitored for the past four years because one of his confidants, one of the couriers that he trusted lived there. And intelligence forces along with the U.S. forces had been tracking that compound, and that`s how they found him.

GRACE: Well, it`s my understanding, Leone, that the information actually from Gitmo, Guantanamo Bay, where a guy knows a guy knows a guy knows a guy knows a guy that knows bin Laden that is one of his trusted couriers. In fact, within this compound, there is no Internet. There is no phone service. They would actually go burn all of their own garbage and trash, so nothing was relayed in and out to the outside world except this courier who would come in and out and in and out. Is that correct, Leone?

LAKHANI: That is correct. And also, Nancy, as you point out, it was a pretty massive compound, and that is what drew attention to officials, as we understand, because if this was a courier living in such a huge compound -- officials say that the compound looked like it was built specially to hide someone significant, and that`s what raised their suspicions and that`s why they started watching that compound.

As you said, it was surrounded by 12 to 18-foot walls. There was no Internet. There was no phone service. They were literally just watching it for four years. And about eight months ago, officials and two intelligence -- they came under the impression that bin Laden himself was probably living in that compound. And that`s when the president himself took steps and met with the National Security Council six times in the past six weeks until they decided to go ahead with the mission, and when they were confident enough that he was there and they would be successful.

GRACE: We are showing you exclusive video inside Osama bin Laden`s compound after the U.S. military raid. We got that from ABC News. There you see where Osama bin Laden has been living -- not necessarily since attacks on New York, attacks on the United States. There is his blood on the floor. But how can we be absolutely sure this is Osama bin Laden?

To Rita Cosby, investigative reporter, one of the very first to report bin Laden`s link to 9/11 way back when. Rita Cosby, what a day to be back together again. Report.

RITA COSBY, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Yes. It is incredible, and I`m right here near Ground Zero, in fact. Of course, now it`s 16 acres of hallowed ground where they`re doing a lot of construction. And there`s also a lot of movement. Lots of families have been coming here, Nancy. And they are cheering, saying America kept its promise.

As you talked about the confirmation of bin Laden -- they have confirmation, we`re told, from the DNA match. And I`ve been told from some authorities that, apparently, they got information from a family member. Remember, not all of bin Laden`s family members have been complicit with him. There have been a lot of them. He`s got family all over the world. He`s a very wealthy Saudi businessman. His family has outreaches (ph) all over the world, and that apparently, a family member some time ago supplied the DNA, should this moment come, and that`s how they had the exact match.

In addition, Nancy, I`m also told that when the Navy SEALs went in, this elite Navy SEAL team went in, Navy SEAL team number 3 -- this is the best of the best of the U.S. military -- when they went in for this incredible operation, they also had photos of Osama bin Laden and some distinguishing marks, literally looking at the face where that bullet wound was, as you point out, on top of the left eye, compared it with a photo. So they have a visual identification, they have some identifying marks, and then they have the positive DNA match. And that`s what seized (ph) this combination.

GRACE: Back to Rita Cosby joining us from Ground Zero. At 9/11 -- Rita, you and I were there on 9/11, in the city when the World Trade Center came crashing down. Today has been many, many years in the making. The U.S. government wanted to be extremely sure that this was a positive identification so reports couldn`t then sprout up that bin Laden isn`t really dead, that there was some kind of a body double, that somehow, he lived and all of this is a big fallacy on the U.S.`s part.

Isn`t it true that when they first started watching bin Laden, they did a visual computer match, something like what you`ve seen on James Bond, where you square in on somebody`s face, and then you find out exactly who that person is? And it matched identically to bin Laden. Plus, a DNA match, plus an eyewitness identification of the body purportedly from one of bin Laden`s wives.

COSBY: Yes, indeed. They did all those things. And also, the White House was watching it in real time. What`s incredible -- you talk about the sophisticated technique of the matching. Indeed, the White House at the same time was watching it through satellite surveillance, also some other system that they were apparently watching the whole operation in real time.

I also have some more details, Nancy, in terms of how it led up to this. We first know that in 2003, through a CIA interrogation it started, apparently one they did in one these secret prisons throughout the world, they got the word that there were these couriers involved. And then in 2005, Guantanamo, where I actually went down -- I was the first one to witness an interrogation down in Guantanamo. Well, in Guantanamo some two years later, then they got the ID of this actual courier.

Fast forward to 2009. They find out where this courier lives. And then in March of this year, they get the exact location and they get wind that it`s bin Laden. And then at that point, that`s when this whole intense, you know, search, this intense planning begins. And that`s when they get word of exactly where they believe this man, who they believe is bin Laden -- they believe he`s on the second or third floor of the building -- they do the dry runs, and as we know, they go in for the kill.

GRACE: Joining us now, Brandon Webb, former Navy SEAL, author of "21st Century Sniper." Brandon Webb, I want to talk to you about the Navy SEAL operation.

Everybody, all of our guests are open for your questions tonight. Let your view be heard. We are taking your calls live.

Brandon, from your understanding, how did the raid go down?

BRANDON WEBB, FORMER NAVY SEAL: You know, I think it`s just important to acknowledge first that, you know, these guys are some of the finest, highly trained, deadliest fighting force on the planet right now. And you know, the training leading up to this and the mission planning that was involved was just really critical.

You know, to your point earlier about not believing that people didn`t know about his whereabouts in Pakistan -- it`s just a matter of time for these things to develop. But mission planning is key, and you know, it`s just -- it`s just critical for the success of this mission.

GRACE: We are taking your calls. Out to Michelle in Alabama. Hi, Michelle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. God bless America.

GRACE: Amen. What`s your question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know that, unfortunately, al Qaeda will not just go away because bin Laden is dead. Do they have any idea who may take his place?

GRACE: Excellent question. Straight out to Deborah Feyerick, CNN correspondent joining us from New York at Ground Zero. Deborah, who will take his spot?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that`s a big question right now. I spoke to a number of officials today, and there`s a big question about that. The number two guy, Ayman al Zawahiri, he is an Egyptian. We are told that he is very badly liked, that he`s got a terrible personality and that he doesn`t engender a lot of love in the same way that Osama bin Laden did. Also, he is an Egyptian. Remember, bin Laden is a Saudi, and the Saudis will not follow an Egyptian. So the question is, who of bin Laden`s stature can actually step in and fill that role?

We know about al Awlaki, the sort of the person who has been capturing the imagination of a lot of English-speaking people here in the UK, but also here in the United States. He may be a mini-bin Laden. But does he have really the heft to pull out what Osama bin Laden did? For many years, it was that Osama bin Laden was the mastermind of this but had -- his operational role was in question. Al Awlaki does not have any sort of operational role. He simply is seen as somebody who really inspires people to go out and act, the Ft. Hood shooting, for example, other actions that have taken place, Faisal Shazad, the Times Square bomber. So that is the question, Nancy. Who is going to take his place?

You know, I also -- something you mentioned earlier. I spoke to a military official. He told me that the area where this compound exists is heavily military, that, in fact, there`s a military base, there`s a military academy. The ISI, Pakistani`s military intelligence -- that either they`re completely incompetent, which they`re not, or they knew about this and kept it a secret. All of that under investigation, Nancy.

GRACE: I remember the day of September 11, like so many of you. To those of you, like many of us, who lost friends and loved ones, that day many of us started carrying the American flag folded up, tucked in a pocket, in a bra, in a pocketbook, in a wallet. I still have the one I flew from my little apartment in New York from the day of 9/11 on. And tonight bin Laden is dead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Headlines about Osama bin Laden from around the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. special forces.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The world`s most wanted man has been killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More than a decade-long search for Osama bin Laden.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Jihad is mentioned here. It is to mean carrying the weapon and to kill those Americans.

OBAMA: The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation`s effort to defeat al Qaeda.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Osama bin Laden had the devil`s blood running through his veins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: I remember the attack on the U.S. September 11 many years ago. We had no idea, all of us there in New York reporting that day, that morning, that it would take this many years for this headline -- Osama bin Laden is dead.

Straight out to Deborah Feyerick -- hold on. Hold on, Deborah. Going live to the capital. The president is speaking.

OSAMA: I think we experienced the same sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. We were reminded again that there is a pride in what this nation stands for and what we can achieve that runs far deeper than party, far deeper than politics.

I want to again recognize the heroes who carried out this incredibly dangerous mission, as well as all the military and counterterrorism professionals who made the mission possible. I also want to thank the members of Congress from both parties who have given extraordinary support to our military and intelligence officials. Without your support, they could not do what they do.

I know that that unity that we felt on 9/11 has frayed a little bit over the years, and I have no illusions about the difficulties and the debates that will have to be engaged in in the weeks and months to come. But I also know there have been several moments like this during the course of this year that have brought us together as an American family, whether it was the tragedy in Tucson, or most recently our unified response to the terrible storms that have taken place in the South.

Last night was one of those moments. And so tonight, it is my fervent hope we can harness some of that unity and some of that pride to confront the many challenges that we still face. But to all of you here tonight, we are joyful that you could join us. And please have a little bit of fun, all right? Thank you very much, everybody.

(APPLAUSE)

GRACE: The president speaking from the White House. Osama bin Laden dead. In a short and sweet statement, our president addresses the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s a bittersweet day.

OBAMA: I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "A huge window-shaking bang here in Abbottabad. I hope it`s not the start of something nasty."

OBAMA: And authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The al Qaeda leader taken down last night.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s good to see an evil person receive justice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Navy SEALs raiding a home on a tip with orders to take bin Laden alive if he surrendered. That did not happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: And just in, we are getting reports that another tape, an Osama bin Laden tape is already making its way through the al Qaeda pipeline, coming to the U.S., a tape that he apparently created before his death in the event of his death.

But I want to go back to Deborah Feyerick, CNN correspondent joining us at Ground Zero. Deborah, take us again through the event of how bin Laden was assassinated.

FEYERICK: What`s so fascinating about this is that U.S. -- the real break in this came when U.S. authorities identified a trusted courier to bin Laden. Remember, he was in a compound with no Internet, no cell phones. Well, apparently, this courier was a protege of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. They were tracked -- the courier and his brother were tracked to this particular compound. And then in early 2011, it was determined that a high-value target was living inside. That`s when the president decided to take action. Over the last six weeks, he had five different meetings, and on Friday, he ordered the issue (SIC) -- Nancy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: If we have Osama bin Laden in our sights, we have to act.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The 10-year search for the world`s most wanted man is finally over.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The death of the terrorist Osama bin Laden gunned down by U.S. forces.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This evil person that --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was a coward. Osama bin Laden was a coward.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Radical Islam has taken over.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Suicide bombers have been used in parts of Middle East for years. Some people believe that because of how effective they are at spreading fear, it`s only a matter of time before the phenomenon reaches the U.S.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Americans must realize the danger. We didn`t take it seriously, and now after 9/11 we have to. We must take it seriously.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: For those of you just joining us, straight out to Deborah Feyerick.

Please explain not so much the order that went down from the White House but the operative that the Navy SEALs performed.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, once the president gave this order to go in and get Osama bin Laden it was very quick, all of this playing out Sunday afternoon. You see that iconic picture of the president and his top advisers watching this play out. This being the best real reality TV ever.

Four helicopters went in. Two dozen U.S. Navy SEALs stormed that fortified compound. They broke into the house. They had trained on a replica for days and days prior to this mission. They entered the compound. There was a brief firefight.

Bin Laden shot once in the head. Also we`re now learning in the chest. Early reports said he had picked up a weapon. Now it appears he did not. Four others were killed including his son, a woman who was used as a shield and two others who were in that compound as well. This operation took about 40 minutes.

Again, the president watching this play out. Forty minutes this took. There were women in the house including one of bin Laden`s wives and some children. They were sequestered, they were separated. The U.S. Navy SEALs not even taking the wife. They came for one purpose, and one purpose only. That was to get Osama bin Laden.

They were able to get computers and documents so what that means is that now the United States not only will be able to figure out whether bin Laden was planning other attacks against the U.S. or its interests, but also they may now be able to identify other high-value targets.

So this really being a win-win for the United States. Those U.S. Navy SEALs and entire -- everyone who was involved in this operation including CIA intelligence led to that, something to be proud of tonight -- Nancy.

GRACE: You are seeing ABC exclusive video inside bin Laden`s compound after the U.S. military raid. That is bin Laden`s blood on the floor.

Joining me right now is Frances Townsend, CNN national security contributor. He is joining us from Washington, D.C.

Frances, thank you for being with us.

Frances, question. Even though the president has announced, and we believe that bin Laden has been killed, of course, there are going to be and there already are, Frances, alternative theories, alternative scenarios out there as to what really happened?

FRANCES TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: Oh, sure. I mean, there are always going to be -- look, Nancy, as you know, there are people around the world who still suggest, believe, that the U.S. and Israel were behind the 9/11 attacks.

So there`s always going to be some element you`re never going to convince, but it`s one of the reasons to put those sort of conspiracy theories aside. It`s one of the reasons that when U.S. and coalition forces killed Saddam Hussein`s sons the pictures were released.

Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, when he was killed, this picture was released. And so the question right now is going to become when will the administration release the photograph of a dead bin Laden?

There are issues related to that. Of course, he was shot in the head. It`s going to be a very ugly, messy picture. We`re told you would still recognize him. But I think there`s some concern that they will inflame people in the Muslim world by releasing the photo.

From my view, Nancy, look, once you`ve made the decision to do the operation and you`re OK with him, releasing the picture is hardly the thing to worry about.

GRACE: Well, there are plenty -- you know, you think there are wacky people from other countries espousing these theories, but people such as Charlie Sheen, Jesse Ventura, Marion Cotillard, Willie Nelson, all have these theories about what really happened on September 11th.

That`s just to name a few. So now theories will abound.

Also, back to Frances Townsend, joining us from Washington, D.C.

Frances, also there`s a high alert now on Americans abroad, but what about Americans here on the homeland? What does this mean for us?

TOWNSEND: Well, Nancy, I think in the immediate aftermath of this, the reason you see these alerts -- I mean, and we`ve heard from the Department of Homeland Security, although they`re not raising the threat level, that doesn`t mean that they`re not taking any actions.

We`ve heard Police Chief Ray Kelly say today that they`ve increased their presence and are taking additional screening measures, and there are police chiefs across the country that are doing that.

We`re going to be in this sort of heightened state of alert for a little bit, because I think there are righteous concerns that there may be retaliatory actions taken.

GRACE: But even at this juncture, Frances, the alert has not been raised, not yet.

TOWNSEND: No, that`s right. But Secretary Napolitano about a week ago announced that they were no longer going to use the old red, orange, yellow system. That they would release specific threat information if it was credible, and they would do it with specific steps, but that there would be times when they wouldn`t change the threat level publicly but still take measures working with state and local police.

And our understanding is they`re doing those things in this case.

GRACE: We are taking your calls. Out to Cindy in Ohio. Hi, Cindy.

CINDY, CALLER FROM OHIO: Hi.

GRACE: Hi, dear. What`s your question?

CINDY: Well, I love you, Nancy. You`re a godsend.

GRACE: Thank you.

CINDY: I was wondering, how are they going to positively I.D. his body without showing it?

GRACE: That`s a good question. Hold on. Let me answer that before we go to your next one.

It`s my understanding that they have matched it up through a visual I.D. One of his many wives identified it and they did a DNA match.

But you`re right, Cindy. That won`t be good enough for a lot of people. We are now hearing -- I`m getting wires right now, bin Laden`s sea burial video will be released.

Out to Michael Griffith, international criminal defense attorney.

You are familiar with how the burial at sea goes down. They say there`s a 45-minute -- I don`t know what? Memorial? What, were they up in a helicopter? And where did they get a Muslim to perform this? I mean how did they do this? What happens at burial at sea? Did they just have the right guy standing by on a helicopter?

MICHAEL GRIFFITH, INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER (via phone): Well, Nancy -- nice to talk to you again, Nancy. They were on the aircraft carrier, the Carl Vincent, where there`s probably almost thousands of sailors.

GRACE: Yes.

GRIFFITH: And they have a Muslim chaplain. And the way the burial works is they wrap him in a white shroud, which is attentive to the Muslim tradition. The Muslim -- the Muslim cleric will say a prayer over him. They will then put him on a -- like a table which raises to a 45-degree angle. They will then weight him --

GRACE: Hey, hold on, Ripka. Hold on.

GRIFFITH: And then they will --

GRACE: I don`t care who said what. He`s still going straight to hell.

GRIFFITH: Yes, he`s going straight to hell.

GRACE: I don`t care who said what, or what they wrapped him up in, or whether they washed his body or not, or what they said, he`s straight in hell. Now --

GRIFFITH: Nancy, as the mafia -- as the mafia says, he`s swimming with the fishes now.

GRACE: He certainly is. And it all went down in a matter of moments, and in a James Bond-type procedure they actually got to watch the entire thing live at the White House, Michael Griffith.

So, Michael, you have handled so many cases throughout that area of the world, what difference will it make to bin Laden`s sympathizers that this procedures was in fact carried out by the U.S. government on the USS Carl Vincent?

GRIFFITH: Well, you know, Mary -- you know, Nancy, I really don`t care, because there were hundreds of people in the World Trade Center that did not get the proper burial. And to tell you the truth, I don`t think we should care about him, if we did it appropriately, fine. If we didn`t, then who should care, because I`ll tell you, I had a client, David Weiss, and David was with Ladder One. And he went into the World Trade Center, and they never found his body. He didn`t get the proper burial.

GRACE: Well, speaking -- you`re so right, Michael Griffith.

And speaking of, out to Anthony Flammia, NYPD First Responder.

Anthony, thank you for being with us.

ANTHONY FLAMMIA, NYPD FIRST RESPONDER ON 911, BOARD MEMBER OF FEAL GOOD FOUNDATION: Hello, Nancy. Thank you very much.

GRACE: Your response tonight?

FLAMMIA: My response is, is that the military action was just. It was appropriate and it was well-done by the United States military. We should praise our military and praise our First Responders for the response they did on 9/11 and also the military for the great job that they did.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Bud bin Laden is dead.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: News of Osama bin Laden`s death created a frenzy.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1:00 a.m. is a rare event.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: No Americans were hurt.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The attack on Osama bin Laden, his hideout was well planned.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Since Taliban probably don`t have helicopters and since they`re saying it was not ours so must be a complicated situation.

BUSH: Osama bin Laden is just one person. He is representative of networks of people.

GLENN BECK, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: The message of this video and all the others like it is to incite other radicals and instill fear in the rest of us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Justice finally came in that we captured Osama that he will no longer sending in the videos, he will no longer kill any people, he will no longer be terrorizing this nation.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Quickly, straight back to Rita Crosby, investigative reporter, one of the first to report bin Laden`s link to September 11th, joining us from Ground Zero.

Rita, what does it say to you that the U.S. government did not even loop in Pakistan for their help or information on this?

RITA COSBY, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST, AUTHOR OF "QUIET HERO": It says -- you know, Nancy, clearly it says they do not trust Pakistan. You know I did an interview with then Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf right after 9/11. It was one of his first interviews right after 9/11. And I asked him at that moment, who will you side with.

Will you side with America or will you side with Osama bin Laden? He had to think about it and then he said America. Clearly there is still resistance today and the fact that Deborah was saying that that compound was 100 yards away from the Pakistan equivalent of our West Point, one of the top military facilities. All of these military forces right around there. They did not trust this country and they still have questions about the relationship.

GRACE: To Georgia Goslee, former federal prosecutor, international law professor, joining us out of our nation`s capital.

Georgia, thank you for being with us. Weigh in.

GEORGIA GOSLEE, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR, INTERNATIONAL LAW PROFESSOR: Well, I think it`s troubling to see all of the jubilation a little bit, because I`m really concerned. There are obviously legal implications and there are security implications, so we`re happy that Osama bin Laden has finally been put to rest.

I think what happened on 9/11 like all of us, we`re absolutely amazed and shocked at what happened, so we`re glad to see that he`s actually dead and gone. I think there will be lots of questions, though, about did he really -- was that really him? And if we think about some of the legal implications, if he had been caught, if he had been caught and brought back to America, then perhaps we would have had --

GRACE: To Hugo Rodriguez, joining us out of Miami. A lot of people disagree about it`s wrong to be jubilant. Come on, it`s the biggest attack on U.S. soil ever.

HUGO RODRIGUEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY, FMR. FBI AGENT: There are no legal complications. I repeat, there are no legal complications. In a situation like this everyone needs to be applauded for the effort that they did in accomplishing the mission. There are no legal implications.

GRACE: Caryn Stark, I hear what everybody is saying about how if we showed jubilation or any degree of happiness it`s going to egg on al Qaeda.

They`re already egged on, Caryn Stark, already. So what`s the point?

CARYN STARK, PSYCHOLOGIST: They`re egged on, Nancy, and it`s hard to understand why there isn`t even a photograph of bin Laden because what`s going to make it worse? They`re already upset and I agree with you that I have a question I wanted to ask you, Nancy.

GRACE: Yes.

STARK: What does it mean when they say there is no Internet and then they say they were able to take computers out of the compound? What computers could have operated without an Internet?

GRACE: I don`t know. But we understand we`re going to get a full reporting as best as we can not breaching security as to what was taken out of that compound.

To -- excuse me, I`m hearing in my ear that they definitely are releasing the tape of the burial at sea.

Joining me right now, Gordon Felt. He is the brother of Edward Felt that was killed on Flight 93.

Gordon, thank you for being with us.

GORDON FELT, BROTHER OF VICTIM WHO WAS KILLED ON FLIGHT 93 DURING 9/11 ATTACKS: Thank you, Nancy.

GRACE: Now, many of us had friends that perished, that died on September 11. Here`s a photo of Edward Felt, your brother.

Gordon, what is your response today?

FELT: Well, once again, I think our country is reminded of our great losses that we suffered on September 11th. And for that there`s -- you know I feel great sorrow. However, at the same time as I found out the news of bin Laden`s death, I felt great pride in our military, great pride in the resilience of the efforts to capture bin Laden, the professionalism that was demonstrated by our military.

I think Americans can feel nothing but pride in their actions, and I think this is a good day for the United States.

GRACE: Agree. To Edie Lutnick, her brother Gary killed on 9/11, at the World Trade Center, director of Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund.

Edie, thank you for being with us.

EDIE LUTNICK, BROTHER KILLED ON 9/11 AT WORLD TRADE CENTER, DIR. OF CANTOR FITZGERALD RELIEF FUND: Thank you, Nancy. I want to thank you for running the tape of the names of all of the victims. Cantor Fitzgerald lost 658 people including my brother, Gary, and so to see the names today when we are so grateful that Osama bin Laden has been killed, but we also - - you`re giving the public the ability to remember those who lost their lives.

We`re very appreciative of that. Thank you.

GRACE: You know we can`t thank you enough and the others on our show tonight for speaking out on behalf of the victims who no longer have a voice.

To Dr. Michael Arnall, joining us out of Denver.

Doctor, question. With the wounds that have been described -- and we understand there are photos of bin Laden`s dead body -- how could he be identified facially? Isn`t it still possible even with a wound to the head to make an I.D. to the face?

DR. MICHAEL ARNALL, BOARD CERTIFIED FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: Yes, it is. They`re going to look at things like the shape of the ear, the distance between the eyes. The computer is going to measure all of these distances. Even if there`s a hole, they can still make the measurements necessary for a computer to make a facial identification, yes.

GRACE: Joining us, Dr. Michael Arnall, board certified forensic pathologist out of Denver.

Everyone, tonight as we go to this break, we honor U.S. special ops and Navy SEALs who put their lives on the line in a secret raid to kill America`s most wanted terrorist. Special Forces taking fire that they never gave up.

Tonight, we salute our U.S. military, our special ops and our Navy SEALs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Tonight, we remember Barbara Olson. Our friend, who perished on 9/11. Nearly one decade since the worst attack on U.S. soil, in our nation`s history. The mastermind behind the September 11th attacks, finally dead.

Tonight, we have not forgotten.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TED OLSON, WIFE BARBARA OLSON DIED ON FLIGHT 77: And I jumped for the phone so glad that -- to hear Barbara`s voice, and then she told me, our plane has been hijacked.

ELODIE COLEMAN, HUSBAND KEITH EUGENE COLEMAN KILLED ON 9/11: And my husband and father of our two children, Keith Coleman, there`s no one I admire more. Thank you for loving us so completely. We mess you and love you infinitely.

SALLY REGENHARD, SON CHRISTIAN REGENHARD, NYFD, KILLED ON 9/11: There will never be closure. The loss of our loved ones, our siblings, our children and our other loved ones is something that we need to live with for the rest of our lives.

MARY COSTELLO, HUSBAND CHARLES G. COSTELLO KILLED ON 9/11: My husband, Charles Gregory Costello Jr., we all love and miss you, Chuck. Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.

ROSEMARY CAIN, SON GEORGE CAIN, NYFD, KILLED ON 9/11: George was 35 years old at the time, and next week is his birthday. May 13th. He was born on Friday the 13th in 1966.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And my father, Carl Martin Flickinger, even though he was not here today he`ll always be in my heart, and I`m proud to know that I was the apple of his eye and his little princess.

MAUREEN SANTORA, SON CHRISTOPHER SANTORA, NYFD, KILLED ON 9/11: My son was 23. And this is a very beautiful day today. The head of the snake has been killed.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Tonight, we remember.

See you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern, and until then, good night, friend.

END