This was a mission that underwent an overwhelming amount of planning and practice. It was conducted by Seal Team 6, also known as the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group, the top and most elite Navy Seal Team. President Obama and CIA and military officials knew, since March and maybe even longer, that he was hiding in the mansion in the Pakistan town. President Obama purposely had Seal Team 6 hold out until yesterday, May 1, so that the Seals would have enough time to practice and master the assault. (The assault was actually supposed to happen on Saturday, April 30, but was delayed another day for reasons not mentioned by officials). Seal Team 6 actually practiced the assault several times in the United States at their base, Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, before coming back to the Middle East to perform the operation. The raid lasted about 40 minutes, and Bin Laden was killed in the last five minutes by a headshot. A few dozen Seals of Seal Team 6 carried out the mission under the watchful eye of the CIA and the support of helicopters.
It is postulated that what led CIA and military intelligence in finding his hideout (the mansion) was that the mansion was one of the very few, if not the only, compounds in the Pakistan town to not have any communicative equipment, such as a telephone or computer, which are devices whose signals can be detected by CIA and military technology. Bin Laden's body was brought to Afghanistan and "buried at sea" aboard the USS Vinson after a ceremony was held in accordance with the Islam culture.