Local Politicians React to Osama Bin Laden's Death

Local politicians have begun issuing statements about Osama Bin Laden, who was killed Sunday night by U.S. special forces in Pakistan.

 (R-Highland Park) told The Chicago Tribune: 

This [Bin Laden] was the largest mass murderer in U.S. history... He was known as HVT-1 — High Value Target No. 1. He eluded three presidents and several governments. It is a welcome end to his life and career. 

(R-Kenilworth) in a statement issued this 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. 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.

(D-IL) via Twitter: 

Gratitude to U.S. military and CIA for persistence & courage. This is a momentous victory against Al Qaeda.

: 

As any American I think it's a great thing that this was a sustained effort by the federal government. They basically never gave up.  I think its important for the families that suffered and continue to suffer that there was some modicum of justice... We still have to remain pretty vigilant, there may be retaliation. There are people out there that hate America.

:

I’m very optimistically cautious that this is going to give us closure. We’ve learned about the retaliation of Al Qaeda, and I don’t feel it’s time for celebration. It’s a time to rethink our positions on what’s going to happen next. 

The death of anybody, whether friend or foe, should not necessarily be celebrated. If this was a definite end to the War on Terror, there would be joys to be had. But I don’t think this going to end it.

Keep checking back for more updates, or read the rememberance of the Sept. 11 attacks. If you'd like to have your reaction included, leave it as a comment below or email jacob@patch.com.