Osama bin Laden spent nearly a decade hiding from the United States. He avoided phones, relied on trusted couriers, and lived behind the walls of a heavily guarded compound in Pakistan. But the very system designed to keep him invisible eventually led the CIA straight to his door.
This video explores the long hunt for the al-Qaeda leader, from his wealthy upbringing and radicalization to the September 11 attacks and the years he spent in hiding. We examine how U.S. intelligence identified one of his most trusted couriers, followed him to Abbottabad, and began watching a mysterious compound with no phone or internet connections. Inside, bin Laden was still planning propaganda and trying to revive his influence. Outside, the CIA was building the case that the tall figure pacing the courtyard was the world's most wanted man.
The investigation culminated in Operation Neptune Spear, the 2011 raid that ended the hunt. Bin Laden believed he could disappear from the modern world, but he couldn't disappear from the people who carried his messages.
01:20 - The Intelligence Failures Before 9/11
02:19 - Bin Laden Escapes at Tora Bora
02:47 - The War on Terror Spirals Out of Control
03:35 - The Courier Who Led the CIA to Bin Laden
04:42 - The Abbottabad Compound
05:20 - The Mysterious Pacer
05:43 - Why Obama Chose a SEAL Raid
06:05 - Training for Operation Neptune Spear
07:07 - The Mission Begins
08:20 - The Situation Room Watches
09:06 - The Helicopter Crash
09:53 - The SEALs Enter the Compound
11:17 - The Final Staircase
11:59 - The Death of Osama Bin Laden
12:46 - The Simple Mistake That Got Him Caught
13:24 - Geronimo EKIA
13:36 - The Race to Escape Pakistan
15:07 - The SEALs Return to Afghanistan
15:33 - Bin Laden’s Fatal Miscalculation
Narrated by: Josh Risser
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