Raid Also Killed Osama Son, Heir Apparent

Documents show he was frustrated with al-Qaeda

(NEWSER) - By the time SEAL Team Six ended his life a year ago, Osama bin Laden had grown pretty frustrated with al-Qaeda. The US today released some of the documents SEALs made off with when they raided bin Laden's Abbottabad compound, the Washington Post reports, and they reveal that the terrorist leader was upset by his network's attacks on fellow Muslims—and lack of attacks on Western targets. He believed the attacks, along with a clumsy media operation, were turning Muslims against al-Qaeda. More»

Anniversary is nigh, and details keep trickling out

(NEWSER) - Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death, and current and former US officials are apparently marking the date by revealing more tidbits contained in the 10,000-plus documents recovered from computers, hard drives, and storage devices found in his Abbottabad hideout. Many of them are old-hat (he wanted to kill Obama , he thought about rebranding al-Qaeda ). Other highlights:

• A former intelligence official tells the Washington Post that, according to his writings, bin Laden was none-too-pleased about an idea cooked up by al-Qaeda-linked terrorists: to build a "human lawnmower" out of a pickup truck and rotating blades that could be driven into crowds. Bin Laden "felt it conflicted with his vision for what he wanted al-Qaeda to be."

Brothers Abrar and Ibrahim Said Ahmad were Osama's link to outside

(NEWSER) - The courier who inadvertently led the US to Osama bin Laden has been identified, along with his brother. Abrar and Ibrahim Said Ahmad were born in Kuwait, but their family hailed from a one-time Taliban stronghold in northwest Pakistan, according to a senior Pakistani security official. The Wall Street Journal , which first reported the story, notes that it's not clear which brother is which, although the AP reports that Ibrahim was the courier. The CIA first knew of the courier only through his nom de guerre. More»

Widows' claim adds to confusion over raid

(NEWSER) - One of Osama bin Laden's sons may have escaped the raid by Navy SEALs, according to ABC News and British papers the Telegraph and Daily Mail . It seems more guesswork than anything at this point, though. Bin Laden's three widows have reportedly told Pakistani authorities that one son has not been seen since the raid. The best guess is that they're referring to bin Laden's youngest son, Hamza, thought to be around 19 or 20 and a close confidante of his father. His mother is one of the detained widows. More»

Pentagon releases video of al-Qaeda leader in compound

(AP) - Videos seized by Navy SEALs show Osama bin Laden inside his hideout, watching himself on television and rehearsing for terrorist propaganda videos. The videos were released by the Pentagon as further proof that US forces killed the world's most wanted terrorist this week. One shows bin Laden, his unkempt beard streaked in gray, sitting on the floor, wrapped in a brown blanket and holding a remote control. More»