Sohaib Athar: Accidentally Live Tweeted Osama bin Laden's Death

Abbottabad Resident Sohaib Athar (@ReallyVirtual) Got There First without Realizing It

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@ReallyVirtual: Sohaib Athar Liveblogs bin Laden Death on Twitter

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IT consultant Sohaib Athar was kept awake last night by a persistently circling helicopter near his place in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Little did he realize he was about to start liveblogging the death of Osama bin Laden.

• Osama bin Laden Dead
• Osama bin Laden Killed by Navy SEALs
• Bin Laden Buried at Sea
  

Posting as @ReallyVirtual on Twitter, Athar began a series of tweets that soon had mainstream media outlets knocking at his door, figuratively speaking. He's just hoping that US forces won't be actually, you know, knocking at his door.
 

Since the event took place around two miles from where he was, Sohaib Athar was reporting on the sound of the helicopters. One of the choppers crashed, which was not part of the initial raft of reports coming out of Pakistan. A local family was killed in the crash, which was explained away as a "training exercise".

Sohaib Athar then began reporting the sounds of explosions and gunfire.

Depends on whom you ask.

Found via Bruce Schneier.