!!!EXTRA!!!

TIME OBL special issue means first time in history the mag produces three issues in one week (royal wedding got one too).

Download all four of TIME's historic red "X" covers here.

TIME PUBLISHES SPECIAL ISSUE ON DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN

TIME is releasing a special issue on the death of Osama bin Laden to hit newsstands on Thursday, May 5. It will be available on the iPad the same day.

This special edition is the third issue that TIME has released in the past week—the first time we’ve ever published three issues in the span of a week in our history (it follows TIME’s special Royal Wedding edition that hit newsstands today, Monday, May 2, and the regularly scheduled issue that hit newsstands on Friday, April 29 that featured an investigative story on the FBI).

The cover image of the new issue (see attached) features TIME’s iconic red “X” over bin Laden’s face, making this the fourth cover in TIME’s history to feature the red “X,” following Adolf Hilter (May 7, 1945), Saddam Hussein (April 21, 2003), and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (June 19, 2006). The cover was illustrated for TIME by Tim O’Brien, who also designed the al-Zarqawi cover.

TIME is increasing its print run for this special edition, which will be available worldwide. The issue will be sold at the regular cover price of $4.99 and will contain 68 pages. It will be devoted exclusively to covering this historic moment in world history and will feature contributions from TIME’s Joe Klein, Fareed Zakaria, David von Drehle, contributor Peter Bergen and others, and will include TIME’s award-winning photography. The iPad edition will include extra content, including photos and video.

This issue will be on newsstands simultaneously with TIME’s royal wedding issue. TIME’s next issue will go on sale on its regularly scheduled date, next Friday, May 13.