[99], As the SEALs encountered women and children during the raid, they restrained them with plastic handcuffs or zip ties. [32], The CIA used surveillance photos and intelligence reports to determine the identities of the inhabitants of the Abbottabad compound to which the courier was traveling. The official mission code name was Operation Neptune Spear. [170], A CBS/The New York Times poll taken after bin Laden's death showed that 16% of Americans feel safer as the result of his death while 60% of Americans of those polled believe killing bin Laden would likely increase the threat of terrorism against the U.S. in the short term. [199] The Guardian questioned whether bin Laden's grave would have become a shrine, as this is strongly discouraged in Wahhabism. Bin Laden stumbled into his bedroom, where the SEALs found him crumpled and twitching on the floor in a pool of body matter, with two women crying over his body. [316][317][318], The tail section of the secret helicopter survived demolition and lay just outside the compound wall. [184] The Obama administration justified its use of force by relying on that resolution, as well as international law set forth in treaties and customary laws of war.[185]. "We here become reassured of the people when they go to the line and get examined there",[302] bin Laden said. EKIA 38 minutes to mission success", "Bin Laden Killing: How the White House, Pentagon and CIA Botched the Storyline", "US: Only Single Bin Laden Defender Shot at SEALs", "Bin Laden: How Obama team saw drama unfold", https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/02/zero-dark-thirty-osama-bin-laden-seals/, "Ex-SEAL Robert O'Neill reveals himself as shooter who killed Osama bin Laden", "Navy SEALs 'frustrated' by bin Laden raid disclosures", Ex-SEAL reveals himself as Osama bin Laden shooter, Another Ex-Commando Says He Shot Bin Laden, "Did Robert O'Neill really kill bin Laden? [27] He told CIA interrogators that bin Laden's courier was a man named Maulawi Abd al-Khaliq Jan and denied knowing al-Kuwaiti. Those in opposition expressed concern that the photos would inflame anti-American sentiment in the Middle East. Bin Laden left "an invisible footprint" and he had not been contacting other militant networks. [28] U.S. personnel recovered three Kalashnikov rifles and two pistols, ten computer hard drives, documents, DVDs, almost a hundred thumb drives, a dozen cell phones, and "electronic equipment" for later analysis. [177][178][179][180] Any mention of this decision was expunged from the final version of the inspector general's report. [23], The U.S. official had stated that by 2002, interrogators had heard uncorroborated claims about an al-Qaeda courier with the kunya Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti (sometimes referred to as Sheikh Abu Ahmed from Kuwait). "[182], The inspector general's draft report also described how former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta disclosed classified information to the makers of Zero Dark Thirty, including the unit that conducted the raid and the ground commander's name. A former CIA official involved in the manhunt told The Washington Post: "The place was three stories high, and you could watch it from a variety of angles. [52] Another official said that when the SEALS were told "We think we found Osama bin Laden, and your job is to kill him," they started to cheer. A 'bro' asked the CIA about Osama bin Laden's porn stash. [55], Many Native Americans were offended that Geronimo, the renowned 19th-century Apache leader, was irrevocably linked with bin Laden. [99] According to journalist Nicholas Schmidle, one of bin Laden's wives, Amal Ahmed Abdul Fatah, motioned as if she were about to charge; the lead SEAL shot her in the leg, then grabbed both women and shoved them aside. [249] The White House denied Hersh's report. Conflicting reports of an initial firefight exist. No other candidate fit the bill as well as bin Laden did. The White House and CIA director John Brennan stated that the process began with a fragment of information unearthed in 2002, resulting in years of investigation. [191], Former Nuremberg prosecutor Benjamin B. Ferencz said it was unclear if bin Laden's killing was justified self-defense or premeditated illegal assassination,[192] and that "killing a captive who poses no immediate threat is a crime under military law as well as all other law,"[193] a view also held by legal scholar Philippe Sands. [74] Osama bin Laden was identified as "Jackpot", the general code name for the target of an operation. The CIA has special authority to prevent the release of operational files in ways that cannot be challenged in federal court. [208] CNN stated that the pictures from the Afghanistan hangar depict "a massive open head wound across both eyes. "Osama bin Laden's video collection included 'Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden? [55], On April 28, Admiral Mullen explained the final plan to the NSC. Only Vice President Biden completely opposed it. One neighbor said, "I saw soldiers emerging from the helicopters and advancing towards the house. [58][99][85][92], Bin Laden peered through his bedroom door at the Americans advancing up the stairs, and the lead SEAL fired at him. According to Pfarrer, neither helicopter crashed at the beginning of the raid. The U.S. had supplied F-16 Fighting Falcons to Pakistan on the condition they were kept at a Pakistani military base under 24-hour U.S. Rather, it is much more a sombre book about the frustrations of command during a contemporary Special Forces mission in Afghanistan in the cold winter of 2001. Obama said that when he took office he made finding bin Laden the top priority of the war. A former member of SEAL Team 6, known by the pseudonym Mark Owen, recounts the raid that killed the world's most wanted man: Osama bin Laden. The entire operation, which lasted only 40 minutes from start to finish, was the culmination of years of calculated planning and training. Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), also helped smuggle al-Qaeda militants into Afghanistan to fight NATO troops. [272] Obama echoed her sentiments. In Dearborn, Michigan, where there is a large Muslim and Arab population, a small crowd gathered outside the City Hall in celebration, many of them being of Middle Eastern descent. For that reason he ruled out involving the Pakistanis. [74], Time in the compound was spent killing defenders,[87] "moving carefully through the compound, room to room, floor to floor" securing the women and children, clearing "weapons stashes and barricades"[84] including a false door,[112] and searching the compound for information. [230][231], Two SEALs broke through the bedroom door. Pakistan was "in the know of certain things" and "what happened, happened with our consent. [93][94] The courier's male relative Abrar was then said to have been shot and killed by the SEALs' second team on the first floor of the main house as shots had already been fired and the SEALs thought that he was armed with a loaded AK-47 (this was later confirmed to be true in the official report). The table bobbed on the surface while the weighted body sank. A man reads the front page of a newspaper featuring the news that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was shot dead deep inside Pakistan in a night-time helicopter raid by US covert forces, ending a decade-long manhunt for the mastermind of the September 11 attacks. The SEALs encountered bin Laden on the third floor of the main building. He assigned a captain from the U.S. [209], A debate on whether the military photos should be released to the public took place. Pakistani officials say they informed their American counterparts at the time that the city could be a hiding place for al-Qaeda leaders. The terrorist leader was not only a major player within al-Qaeda but also a figurehead that attracted supporters and recruits from around the world. [124], According to Obama administration officials, U.S. officials did not share information about the raid with the government of Pakistan until it was over. [232] The U.S. Special Operations Command also disputed Pfarrer's account, saying, "It's just not true. [73][82][83] The helicopter's tail grazed one of the compound's walls,[84] damaging its tail rotor,[85] and the helicopter rolled onto its side. "[297][298] Although some information may have been obtained from detainees who were subjected to torture, Panetta wrote to McCain that: We first learned about the facilitator/courier's nom de guerre from a detainee not in CIA custody in 2002. The desk was "led by an officer who made his own decisions and did not report to a superior [...] but the top military bosses knew about it, I was told". [275], Pakistani-born British member of parliament Khalid Mahmood said he was "flabbergasted and shocked" after he learned that bin Laden was living in a city with thousands of Pakistani troops, reviving questions about alleged links between al-Qaeda and elements in Pakistan's security forces. [167], The deputy leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said that, with bin Laden dead, Western forces should now pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan; authorities in Iran made similar comments. [21], According to the earlier official version of his identification from a U.S. official, identification of al-Qaeda couriers was an early priority for interrogators at CIA black sites and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, because bin Laden was believed to communicate through such couriers while concealing his whereabouts from al-Qaeda foot soldiers and top commanders. The SEAL team exited and needed to breach two walls and then into the house. "[190] Commenting on the legality under international law, University of Michigan Law Professor Steven Ratner said, "A lot of it depends on whether you believe Osama bin Laden is a combatant in a war or a suspect in a mass murder." As Razor 1 was crossing over the courtyard, both "green unit" flight deck control systems went off line. Two U.S. Air Force officers were tasked with exploring that option further. "Geronimo" indicated the raiders had reached step "G", the capture or killing of bin Laden. Obama decided that the Pakistani government and military could not be trusted to maintain operational security for the operation against bin Laden. [58] With that amount of ordnance, at least one other house was in the blast radius. Rather, it is much more a sombre book about the frustrations of command during a contemporary Special Forces mission in Afghanistan in the cold winter of 2001. A special CIA team has been given the responsibility of combing through the digital material and documents removed from the bin Laden compound. [55] Administration attorneys considered legal implications and options before the raid. [230][231], Media accounts had reported that the plan had been to fast rope to the inner courtyard and to clear the main house from the ground floor up. Estimates were that up to a dozen civilians would be killed in addition to those in the compound. [25], A 2010 wiretap of another suspect picked up a conversation with al-Kuwaiti. This information was discovered through other intelligence means. [57], The CIA was unable to rule out the existence of an underground bunker below the compound. Still Waits for Access to Bin Laden Widows", "US asks Pakistan for access to Osama's family", "Osama bin Laden dead: the mysterious Khan family who were 'good neighbours, "Bin Laden's Secret Life in a Diminished World", "Yemeni family of Bin Laden widow demands her return", "Saudi Arabia refuses to accept Osama's family", "Osama lived in Haripur before moving to Abbottabad", "Bin Laden daughter providing valuable information- Pakistani official", "Osama bin Laden killed: Hidden in plain sight", "How the bin Laden Announcement Leaked Out", "So I'm told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden. [144], ISI reported after questioning survivors of the raid that there were 17 to 18 people in the compound at the time of the attack and that the Americans took away one person still alive, possibly a bin Laden son. The body bag was placed on a white table at the rail of the ship, and the table was tipped to let the body bag slide into the sea, but the body bag did not slide and took the table with it. [101][102], In 2011 American intelligence analyst Raelynn Hillhouse wrote that according to U.S. intelligence sources, the U.S. had been tipped-off to bin Laden's location by an unnamed Pakistani intelligence insider collecting the $25 million reward. The compound is 1.3 km (3⁄4 mi) southwest of the Pakistan Military Academy. [244] According to The Telegraph, Hillhouse's account might explain why U.S. forces encountered no resistance on their way to and in Abbottabad, and why some residents in Abbottabad were warned to stay in their houses the day before the raid. Obama laughed, despite his knowledge of the operation to come. On May 3, 2011, United States President Barack Obama confirmed that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been killed in his compound in Abbottabad, northeastern Pakistan.Bin Laden's death was welcomed throughout most of the world as a fitting end to a figure who had inspired mass bloodshed, and a positive and significant turning point in the fight against al-Qaeda and related groups. Instead, the SEALs jumped onto the roof from the hovering Razor 1 helicopter and entered a third-floor hallway from the roof terrace. According to Bissonnette, when bin Laden peered out at the Americans advancing on his third-floor room, the SEAL who fired upon him hit him on the right side of the head. Brook, Tom Vanden, "Two Sides Of Story On Revelations By Ex-Navy SEAL", U.S. [33][34] Officials surmised that he was living there with his youngest wife and family.[34]. O'Neill, who is a professed Trump supporter, rebuked Trump's tweet on Tuesday saying, "Very brave men said [goodbye] to their kids to go kill Osama bin Laden. He called the killing of bin Laden "a tremendous step forward in attaining justice for the nearly 3,000 innocent Americans who were murdered on September 11, 2001. O'Neill immediately shot bin Laden twice in the forehead, then once more as bin Laden crumpled to the floor. [19][20] The Pakistani official informed U.S. intelligence that bin Laden had been located by the Pakistani intelligence service ISI in 2006, and held under house arrest near Pakistani intelligence and military centers ever since. Concerned Over Pakistan's Relationships", "Pakistan's critics ask how bin Laden's refuge went unnoticed", "Key al Qaeda operative lived in Abbottabad in 2003", "Special report: Why the U.S. mistrusts Pakistan's spies", "AP Exclusive: 2 French men arrested in Pakistan", "Pakistan's bin Laden Connection Is Probed", "Obama kept Pakistan in dark about Osama attack", "Did Pakistan know of U.S. raid to kill Osama? [15], In the aftermath of the killing, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani formed a commission under Senior Justice Javed Iqbal to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack. Getty Images file As a measure to bolster the "fight your way out" scenario, Chinook helicopters were to be positioned nearby with additional troops. Accounts of how bin Laden was located by U.S. intelligence differ. [39], The CIA led the effort to surveil and gather intelligence on the compound; other critical roles in the operation were played by other United States agencies, including the National Security Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and U.S. Defense Department. Pakistan had custody of the wreckage for over two weeks before its return was secured by U.S. According to the sources, Pakistan purposely stood-down its armed forces to allow the U.S. raid, and the original plan was to kill—not capture—bin Laden. [47] An administration official said, "We conducted red-team exercises and other forms of alternative analysis to check our work. [311] According to the seized material, former commander of the international forces in Afghanistan David Petraeus and US President Barack Obama should be assassinated during any of their visits to Pakistan and Afghanistan, if there was an opportunity to do so. That's not who we are. The captain, named "Brian", set up an office in the printing plant in the CIA's Langley compound and, with six other JSOC officers, began to plan the raid. The U.S. intelligence community also studied an option of hitting bin Laden with a drone-fired small tactical munition as he paced in his compound's vegetable garden. [165][166] In Tampa, Florida, at the conclusion of a professional wrestling event which was occurring at the time, WWE Champion John Cena announced to the audience that bin Laden had been "caught and compromised to a permanent end", prompting chants while he exited the arena to the march "The Stars and Stripes Forever". Five were killed, including Osama bin Laden. [72][73] According to one report, the dog was tasked with tracking "anyone who tried to escape and to alert SEALs to any approaching Pakistani security forces". The material gathered at the compound was stored at the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, where forensic experts analyzed fingerprints, DNA, and other trace evidence left on the material. He and the rest of SEAL Team 6 are immortalized as American heroes. "The authority (during the raid) was to kill bin Laden," CIA Director Leon Panetta said Tuesday during an interview with PBS. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. For legal reasons (namely that the U.S. was not at war with Pakistan), the military personnel assigned to the mission were temporarily transferred to the control of the civilian Central Intelligence Agency.[68][69]. [55] Additional personnel on the mission included a language interpreter,[74] the dog handler, helicopter pilots, plus intelligence collectors, and navigators using highly classified hyperspectral imagers to view the operation.