Bin Laden Courier Identified

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."

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»

Osama was expected at Taliban, al-Qaeda rally in Afghanistan

(NEWSER) - Four years ago, the US believed it had a chance to capture or kill Osama bin Laden: Militants would be gathering in the Tora Bora region of Afghanistan for suicide attack training, and there were whispers that bin Laden would attend. A secret raid on the site resulted in the death of dozens of militants—but the al-Qaeda leader wasn't there, the New York Times reports. Senior aides to George Bush describe a scene of intense disappointment at the White House, as the administration saw its last chance to nab bin Laden evaporate. “We thought we had ‘No. 1’ on this side of the border,” in Afghanistan rather than Pakistan, said a US officer. “It was the best intelligence we’d had on him in a long time.” More»

Only one person was armed in Osama bin Laden compound

(NEWSER) - There was fire, but no real firefight. That's the latest revision in the White House's version of events during the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound. The fire came from some 20 Navy Seals who shot dead bin Laden and three other men and a woman, only one of whom was armed, officials say now. Bin Laden's courier, Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, fired on the Seals as they launched the raid. After he and his wife were shot dead, the Americans weren't fired on again, reports AP . The others were killed because US forces believed they all posed a "serious threat," said a federal source. Initially, White House officials said the special forces came under heavy, prolonged small-arms fire as they moved into bin Laden's hideout. More»