Al Qaeda

Bin Laden Was Still Active Leader

Compound was 'a command and control center.'

He may have lived like a hermit, but Osama bin Laden was the active leader of al Qaeda, according to initial analysis of the documents obtained in the raid on his compound. Without Internet or phones, bin Laden's compound was still “an active command and control center for al Qaeda's top leader,” said a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity. Bin Laden used couriers to issue orders to his terror network. “He remained focused on inspiring and engineering international terrorism and on attack the U.S.,” an American official told reporters, speaking anonymously. The official wouldn't say what plans were in the works, only that he “appeared to show continuing interest in transportation and infrastructure targets.” CIA Director Leon Panetta said the material seized in the raid “confirms how important it was to go after bin Laden.” A CIA-led multi-agency task force is currently translating, cataloguing, and analyzing the documents obtained in the raid. The U.S. already released home videos of bin Laden showing him with a blanket draped over his shoulders and his beard unkempt, watching television footage of his younger self.