Osama bin Laden’s death Sunday in a million-dollar mansion in Pakistan at the hands of U.S. special operations forces punctured the mythology of a revolutionary leader sacrificing creature comforts for the good of jihad, American officials said Monday as the world digested the demise of its most notorious terrorist leader.

President Obama said bin Laden’s death was “a good day for America,” and his top counterterrorism adviser said the U.S. will seek to exploit intelligence found in the compound to try to roll up the rest of the al Qaeda terrorist network, which has affiliates in Pakistan, Yemen and North Africa.

The White House said bin Laden was buried at sea in keeping with Islamic law, but that action also denies him a grave site that could become a rallying point for supporters. Administration officials said his death - he was shot by Navy SEALs after trying to use a woman reputed to be his wife as a human shield - exposes him to potential followers as far different from the image of a committed fighter living in caves along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border...