1 00:00:02,586 --> 00:00:04,421 - [Laurence] Tonight, the attack that 2 00:00:04,421 --> 00:00:06,465 struck the heart of America 3 00:00:06,465 --> 00:00:10,761 and the relentless hunt to finally find the man behind it. 4 00:00:10,761 --> 00:00:12,554 - [Kevin] It's an audacious attack. 5 00:00:12,554 --> 00:00:13,680 To hijack airplanes and 6 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:14,932 fly them into buildings 7 00:00:14,932 --> 00:00:17,267 exploited all of our weaknesses. 8 00:00:17,267 --> 00:00:19,311 - [Nick] Between Shanksville, the Pentagon, 9 00:00:19,311 --> 00:00:20,687 and the World Trade Center, 10 00:00:20,687 --> 00:00:23,815 nearly 3,000 Americans lost their lives. 11 00:00:23,815 --> 00:00:26,818 - Suspicion soon turns to one man. 12 00:00:26,818 --> 00:00:28,820 - [Dina] The world found out that Osama bin Laden 13 00:00:28,820 --> 00:00:30,781 was behind 9/11 pretty 14 00:00:30,781 --> 00:00:33,408 quickly after it happened. 15 00:00:33,408 --> 00:00:35,869 - [Juliette] The hunt for bin Laden begins. 16 00:00:35,869 --> 00:00:37,955 The United States will get him 17 00:00:37,955 --> 00:00:40,082 either dead or alive. 18 00:00:40,082 --> 00:00:43,252 - [Paul] All of the resources of the American military 19 00:00:43,252 --> 00:00:45,170 and intelligence agencies are 20 00:00:45,170 --> 00:00:47,589 deployed to destroy one man. 21 00:00:47,589 --> 00:00:52,010 And for 10 years, they can't find him, they can't kill him. 22 00:00:52,010 --> 00:00:54,263 - Now, we explore the top theories 23 00:00:54,263 --> 00:00:55,931 in the hunt for bin Laden, 24 00:00:55,931 --> 00:00:58,767 leading to his unforgettable takedown. 25 00:00:58,767 --> 00:01:01,353 - [Kavitha] He might be headed toward his old stomping ground, 26 00:01:01,353 --> 00:01:03,146 the mountains in Tora Bora, 27 00:01:03,146 --> 00:01:05,022 the tribal areas of Pakistan, 28 00:01:05,022 --> 00:01:08,610 or a highly fortified compound. 29 00:01:08,610 --> 00:01:10,612 - [Martin] SEAL Team 6 awaits their go order, 30 00:01:10,612 --> 00:01:13,615 but no one will know if Osama bin Laden is in that compound 31 00:01:13,615 --> 00:01:15,075 till those walls are breached. 32 00:01:15,075 --> 00:01:19,037 - Where is the world's most wanted terrorist hiding? 33 00:01:19,037 --> 00:01:21,832 [dramatic music] 34 00:01:32,175 --> 00:01:34,261 [eerie music] 35 00:01:37,139 --> 00:01:41,226 It' early afternoon on September 11, 2001, 36 00:01:41,226 --> 00:01:46,189 Americans are in shock from the morning's deadly attacks. 37 00:01:46,189 --> 00:01:49,776 President George W. Bush, flying on Air Force One, 38 00:01:49,776 --> 00:01:53,363 summons his CIA briefer for a private conversation 39 00:01:53,363 --> 00:01:56,325 to discuss who might be responsible. 40 00:01:58,368 --> 00:02:00,412 - [Martin] This is the deadliest terrorist attack 41 00:02:00,412 --> 00:02:04,541 on American soil, and it is a blatant act of war. 42 00:02:04,541 --> 00:02:06,126 As the president is briefed, 43 00:02:06,126 --> 00:02:09,170 He is told that the attack is carried out by 19 members 44 00:02:09,170 --> 00:02:12,007 of the terrorist organization, al-Qaeda, 45 00:02:12,007 --> 00:02:14,718 the leader of which is Osama bin Laden. 46 00:02:14,718 --> 00:02:18,639 - [Laurence] Before 2001, Osama bin Laden is already 47 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:21,933 one of the most dangerous terrorists in the world, 48 00:02:21,933 --> 00:02:23,894 dedicated to committing deadly strikes 49 00:02:23,894 --> 00:02:26,021 against American targets. 50 00:02:26,021 --> 00:02:30,776 44-year-old bin Laden is now the world's most wanted man. 51 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:35,822 - [Kavitha] Osama bin Laden was born in Saudi Arabia. 52 00:02:35,822 --> 00:02:38,659 He's the 17th of 52 children, 53 00:02:38,659 --> 00:02:40,661 and his father is a billionaire 54 00:02:40,661 --> 00:02:45,374 construction mogul with connections to the Saudi royals. 55 00:02:45,374 --> 00:02:48,543 - Bin Laden had a privileged childhood. 56 00:02:48,543 --> 00:02:51,880 He grew up attending the most elite schools 57 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:54,508 in his country, studying economics. 58 00:02:54,508 --> 00:02:59,221 He could have gone on to be a billionaire like his father, 59 00:02:59,221 --> 00:03:04,101 but he was also driven by devout Sunni Muslim beliefs. 60 00:03:04,768 --> 00:03:06,061 - [Paul] Even as a young man, 61 00:03:06,061 --> 00:03:08,772 bin Laden was pretty religiously rigid. 62 00:03:08,772 --> 00:03:10,107 [missiles booming] 63 00:03:10,107 --> 00:03:11,983 Then, in 1979 64 00:03:11,983 --> 00:03:15,028 the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. 65 00:03:15,028 --> 00:03:18,532 And Afghanistan resistance fighters essentially portrayed 66 00:03:18,532 --> 00:03:21,034 this throughout the Muslim world as a fight 67 00:03:21,034 --> 00:03:25,580 between godless communism and Islam itself. 68 00:03:25,580 --> 00:03:27,040 - [Nick] Bin Laden starts to get radicalized 69 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:29,751 by what he's seeing the Soviets do in Afghanistan, 70 00:03:29,751 --> 00:03:32,546 so much so that he joins the Islamic resistance 71 00:03:32,546 --> 00:03:34,631 and he starts fighting the Soviets himself, 72 00:03:34,631 --> 00:03:37,426 until 1988, when the Soviets are defeated. 73 00:03:39,386 --> 00:03:43,557 - [Paul] Initially, bin Laden goes back to Saudi Arabia 74 00:03:43,557 --> 00:03:46,435 and fears that Western influences 75 00:03:46,435 --> 00:03:48,437 are corrupting the youth 76 00:03:48,437 --> 00:03:51,314 and pulling them away from the ideals of Islam. 77 00:03:52,649 --> 00:03:53,942 - The formation of al-Qaeda 78 00:03:53,942 --> 00:03:55,735 was sort of a natural progression. 79 00:03:55,735 --> 00:03:59,364 He wanted some sort of group that he could be in control of 80 00:03:59,364 --> 00:04:01,450 to drive Westerners out of Muslim lands 81 00:04:01,450 --> 00:04:03,118 as they had done for the Soviets. 82 00:04:05,162 --> 00:04:07,664 In 1998, during an interview 83 00:04:07,664 --> 00:04:10,417 with an ABC News correspondent named John Miller, 84 00:04:10,417 --> 00:04:12,294 [Osama speaking in Arabic] 85 00:04:12,294 --> 00:04:15,088 Osama bin Laden declared war on camera 86 00:04:15,088 --> 00:04:16,505 against the United States. 87 00:04:19,134 --> 00:04:21,595 Two months after that interview, 88 00:04:21,595 --> 00:04:23,472 the embassy bombings happened. 89 00:04:23,472 --> 00:04:27,100 - [Kavitha] On the morning of August 7th, 1998, 90 00:04:27,100 --> 00:04:29,770 in nearly simultaneous attacks, 91 00:04:29,770 --> 00:04:32,355 suicide bombers detonate trucks full of explosives 92 00:04:32,355 --> 00:04:35,776 at the US embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 93 00:04:35,776 --> 00:04:37,903 and Nairobi, Kenya. 94 00:04:37,903 --> 00:04:42,657 224 people are killed and more than 4,000 are injured. 95 00:04:42,657 --> 00:04:45,410 - [Lis] Two years later in Yemen, the USS Cole, 96 00:04:45,410 --> 00:04:48,413 a US naval destroyer, is also attacked. 97 00:04:48,413 --> 00:04:51,708 Two terrorists drove up alongside in their boat 98 00:04:51,708 --> 00:04:55,253 filled with explosives, blowing a massive hole 99 00:04:55,253 --> 00:04:59,007 in the side of the boat and killing 17 sailors. 100 00:05:00,383 --> 00:05:02,552 - [Nick] With this string of successful suicide attacks, 101 00:05:02,552 --> 00:05:06,306 al-Qaeda is only growing more confident and more powerful. 102 00:05:06,306 --> 00:05:09,267 And it's in the summer of 2001 that President Bush 103 00:05:09,267 --> 00:05:11,144 gets a briefing from the CIA 104 00:05:11,144 --> 00:05:13,188 that al-Qaeda is planning another attack. 105 00:05:14,564 --> 00:05:16,525 - [Dina] There were little red flags that were coming up, 106 00:05:16,525 --> 00:05:19,402 but the CIA is not supposed to be investigating 107 00:05:19,402 --> 00:05:21,154 on American soil, 108 00:05:21,154 --> 00:05:24,449 and the FBI is supposed to be more law enforcement. 109 00:05:24,449 --> 00:05:27,786 So there were suspects that one or the other knew about, 110 00:05:27,786 --> 00:05:29,996 but they weren't connecting the dots. 111 00:05:29,996 --> 00:05:32,499 The memo went to President Bush that said, 112 00:05:32,499 --> 00:05:37,295 "Osama bin Laden is determined to attack on American soil." 113 00:05:37,295 --> 00:05:40,090 But no one anticipated that what they would do 114 00:05:40,090 --> 00:05:43,093 is take airplanes and fly them into buildings. 115 00:05:44,261 --> 00:05:47,472 - [Juliette] September 11th comes, a beautiful morning, 116 00:05:47,472 --> 00:05:49,432 with most people none the wiser. 117 00:05:50,433 --> 00:05:52,227 By the evening of September 11th, 118 00:05:52,227 --> 00:05:54,604 it's clear that America 119 00:05:54,604 --> 00:05:56,356 is going to war. 120 00:05:56,356 --> 00:05:58,692 - I've directed the full resources of our intelligence 121 00:05:58,692 --> 00:06:00,569 and law enforcement communities 122 00:06:00,569 --> 00:06:04,573 to find those responsible and to bring them to justice. 123 00:06:06,032 --> 00:06:08,743 - [Paul] The American public demands an aggressive response 124 00:06:08,743 --> 00:06:11,663 and wants revenge after 9/11. 125 00:06:11,663 --> 00:06:14,666 But the idea of capturing or killing Osama bin Laden 126 00:06:14,666 --> 00:06:15,959 is easier said than done. 127 00:06:17,502 --> 00:06:18,920 - [Kavitha] While the US knows that he's 128 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:20,255 somewhere in Afghanistan, 129 00:06:20,255 --> 00:06:22,757 he's effectively undetectable. 130 00:06:22,757 --> 00:06:25,385 Bin Laden is a master at living off the grid. 131 00:06:25,385 --> 00:06:28,013 Back in 1997, he stopped using all forms 132 00:06:28,013 --> 00:06:29,764 of electronic communication, 133 00:06:29,764 --> 00:06:31,766 and he's protected by the Taliban, 134 00:06:31,766 --> 00:06:33,560 an Islamic fundamentalist movement 135 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:36,313 that serves as the country's de facto government. 136 00:06:37,731 --> 00:06:40,233 - The United States of America will not permit 137 00:06:40,233 --> 00:06:42,360 the world's most dangerous regimes 138 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:45,989 to threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons. 139 00:06:45,989 --> 00:06:47,616 [congress applauding] 140 00:06:47,616 --> 00:06:49,659 - [Laurence] On September 20, President Bush issues 141 00:06:49,659 --> 00:06:51,953 an ultimatum to the Taliban 142 00:06:51,953 --> 00:06:55,415 to hand over bin Laden and the terrorists 143 00:06:55,415 --> 00:06:58,001 or share in their fate. 144 00:06:58,001 --> 00:07:01,379 The Taliban refuses to comply. 145 00:07:01,379 --> 00:07:04,215 - [Juliette] Just two weeks after September 11, 146 00:07:04,215 --> 00:07:07,552 President Bush authorizes a small elite team 147 00:07:07,552 --> 00:07:13,266 of CIA operatives to go into Afghanistan and kill bin Laden. 148 00:07:14,267 --> 00:07:16,102 - [Kavitha] Within the CIA, the instructions are 149 00:07:16,102 --> 00:07:17,771 a bit more explicit. 150 00:07:17,771 --> 00:07:20,315 They are to kill him and bring back his head 151 00:07:20,315 --> 00:07:21,983 in a box of dry ice. 152 00:07:22,942 --> 00:07:25,445 But first, they have to find him. 153 00:07:25,445 --> 00:07:27,781 - [Paul] Osama bin Laden stands out in a crowd. 154 00:07:27,781 --> 00:07:29,908 He's 6'4", he absolutely 155 00:07:29,908 --> 00:07:32,118 towers over the average Afghan, 156 00:07:32,118 --> 00:07:35,205 so you'd think it would be easier to track this man down. 157 00:07:35,205 --> 00:07:37,874 But bear in mind that this is the area 158 00:07:37,874 --> 00:07:40,085 from which Osama bin Laden fought off 159 00:07:40,085 --> 00:07:42,295 the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. 160 00:07:42,295 --> 00:07:44,214 The terrain is an absolute nightmare. 161 00:07:44,214 --> 00:07:47,592 The Hindu Kush Mountains range over 20,000 feet 162 00:07:47,592 --> 00:07:49,219 in a lot of places. 163 00:07:49,219 --> 00:07:53,473 It's riddled with tunnels and caves and fortifications. 164 00:07:53,473 --> 00:07:56,768 - [Dina] It's hard to find a needle in that kind of haystack, 165 00:07:56,768 --> 00:07:59,729 and that's essentially what they were being asked to do. 166 00:07:59,729 --> 00:08:01,815 So instead, a bunch of CIA guys 167 00:08:01,815 --> 00:08:03,692 with big suitcases full of money 168 00:08:03,692 --> 00:08:05,985 came in to see if somebody would tell them 169 00:08:05,985 --> 00:08:08,530 where Osama bin Laden actually was. 170 00:08:08,530 --> 00:08:10,907 - [Martin] They have $3 million in cash, 171 00:08:10,907 --> 00:08:13,702 which is intended to gather intelligence information, 172 00:08:13,702 --> 00:08:16,746 and they quickly realize that he is probably located 173 00:08:16,746 --> 00:08:19,749 somewhere near the spiritual heart of the country, 174 00:08:19,749 --> 00:08:21,668 the city of Kandahar. 175 00:08:21,668 --> 00:08:24,754 [tense music fading] 176 00:08:26,548 --> 00:08:28,299 It would make sense for Osama bin Laden 177 00:08:28,299 --> 00:08:30,385 to be in hiding somewhere near Kandahar 178 00:08:30,385 --> 00:08:34,514 because after all, it was there that he established al-Qaeda 179 00:08:34,514 --> 00:08:37,183 and it was also there where he established 180 00:08:37,183 --> 00:08:41,229 a training facility at a place called Tarnak Farms. 181 00:08:41,229 --> 00:08:42,647 - [Paul] Tarnak Farms was an 182 00:08:42,647 --> 00:08:44,524 old abandoned agricultural collective 183 00:08:44,524 --> 00:08:46,943 about three miles outside of the city. 184 00:08:46,943 --> 00:08:48,903 Bin Laden had converted it 185 00:08:48,903 --> 00:08:51,740 into an al-Qaeda militant training camp. 186 00:08:51,740 --> 00:08:53,491 In September of 2000, 187 00:08:53,491 --> 00:08:57,412 an unarmed American predator drone flying over Kandahar 188 00:08:57,412 --> 00:09:00,498 picks up the image of a tall man in a pure white robe 189 00:09:00,498 --> 00:09:04,294 who appears to be walking surrounded by a security detail. 190 00:09:04,294 --> 00:09:06,046 US intelligence thinks that this footage 191 00:09:06,046 --> 00:09:07,464 was actually bin Laden, 192 00:09:07,464 --> 00:09:09,299 and he was living with four wives 193 00:09:09,299 --> 00:09:12,260 and multiple children at Tarnak Farms. 194 00:09:12,260 --> 00:09:13,511 [tense music] 195 00:09:13,636 --> 00:09:16,222 - [Juliette] Tarnak Farms becomes a focus 196 00:09:16,222 --> 00:09:21,269 of the United States military missions by mid-October 2001, 197 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:25,190 when Operation Enduring Freedom begins, 198 00:09:25,190 --> 00:09:27,609 and US and British troops launch 199 00:09:27,609 --> 00:09:30,195 an aggressive air bombing campaign. 200 00:09:30,195 --> 00:09:31,654 [bomb booming] 201 00:09:31,654 --> 00:09:34,407 - The overall objective of Operation Enduring Freedom 202 00:09:34,407 --> 00:09:36,367 was to destroy al-Qaeda, 203 00:09:36,367 --> 00:09:38,578 to remove the Taliban from power 204 00:09:38,578 --> 00:09:41,956 and guarantee that the country of Afghanistan 205 00:09:41,956 --> 00:09:44,375 could no longer function as a safe haven 206 00:09:44,375 --> 00:09:46,586 for terrorist organizations. 207 00:09:46,586 --> 00:09:49,756 It was expected that because of the overwhelming strength 208 00:09:49,756 --> 00:09:52,383 of the American military, this operation would be concluded 209 00:09:52,383 --> 00:09:53,968 in a matter of weeks. 210 00:09:53,968 --> 00:09:55,512 But that is not what happened. 211 00:09:57,097 --> 00:09:59,224 - [Laurence] As the bombing campaign begins, 212 00:09:59,224 --> 00:10:02,102 Tarnak Farms is one of the first targets. 213 00:10:02,102 --> 00:10:06,106 The hope is that bin Laden is quickly eliminated. 214 00:10:06,106 --> 00:10:08,274 - Bin Laden is not just a successful terrorist 215 00:10:08,274 --> 00:10:10,485 because he launches attacks. 216 00:10:10,485 --> 00:10:13,947 What made him successful is that he also was an expert 217 00:10:13,947 --> 00:10:16,241 at controlling a narrative 218 00:10:16,241 --> 00:10:19,410 as Operation Enduring Freedom begins. 219 00:10:20,453 --> 00:10:22,956 He releases a video that confirms 220 00:10:22,956 --> 00:10:25,542 the United States' worst fear, 221 00:10:25,542 --> 00:10:29,796 that the aerial assault over Kandahar has not succeeded 222 00:10:29,796 --> 00:10:32,215 and bin Laden has escaped. 223 00:10:32,215 --> 00:10:33,800 - [Nick] It's actually the first time that we hear 224 00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:36,094 from bin Laden since the attacks of 9/11. 225 00:10:36,094 --> 00:10:38,304 And it shows him in broad daylight, 226 00:10:38,304 --> 00:10:41,099 wearing military fatigues, he's dressed in a headdress, 227 00:10:41,099 --> 00:10:43,101 he looks healthy, he looks strong, 228 00:10:43,101 --> 00:10:45,687 and the timing of this is clearly very tactical. 229 00:10:45,687 --> 00:10:48,314 - [Dina] Osama bin Laden must have known that Tarnak Farms 230 00:10:48,314 --> 00:10:51,442 would be an early target, so he was gone. 231 00:10:51,442 --> 00:10:53,570 That particular attack really didn't do anything more 232 00:10:53,570 --> 00:10:55,446 than put a giant hole in the ground 233 00:10:55,446 --> 00:10:57,240 where there had been a training field. 234 00:10:59,450 --> 00:11:00,869 - [Paul] It's very clear that bin Laden 235 00:11:00,869 --> 00:11:02,120 and his top lieutenants 236 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:04,414 have not only survived the aerial assault, 237 00:11:04,414 --> 00:11:05,999 but he might have been tipped off 238 00:11:05,999 --> 00:11:08,126 even before the bombs started to fall. 239 00:11:09,502 --> 00:11:11,629 Bin Laden is one step ahead of the United States 240 00:11:11,629 --> 00:11:14,090 and has probably already fled the area. 241 00:11:14,090 --> 00:11:16,968 - [Martin] The CIA is intent on finding and killing 242 00:11:16,968 --> 00:11:18,469 Osama bin Laden. 243 00:11:18,469 --> 00:11:21,347 Toward that end, they interrogate al-Qaeda operatives 244 00:11:21,347 --> 00:11:23,433 who were found in the area around Kandahar. 245 00:11:23,433 --> 00:11:25,518 They review satellite information 246 00:11:25,518 --> 00:11:27,103 that might give them clues 247 00:11:27,103 --> 00:11:28,771 about his location. 248 00:11:28,771 --> 00:11:33,776 Overall, the hunt is on for Osama bin Laden, dead or alive. 249 00:11:38,072 --> 00:11:39,908 - In the weeks after 9/11, 250 00:11:39,908 --> 00:11:41,910 the first attempts to eliminate Osama bin Laden 251 00:11:41,910 --> 00:11:44,913 seem to have failed, and he remains on the run. 252 00:11:44,913 --> 00:11:47,624 The United States invades Afghanistan 253 00:11:47,624 --> 00:11:49,959 in the hope of finding and killing him. 254 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:54,547 - [Juliette] By November 2001, 255 00:11:54,547 --> 00:11:58,218 two months after the attacks on September 11th, 256 00:11:58,218 --> 00:12:00,178 the United States' efforts are dependent 257 00:12:00,178 --> 00:12:04,224 on a ragtag group of anti-Taliban warlords 258 00:12:04,224 --> 00:12:06,809 known generally as the Northern Alliance. 259 00:12:07,810 --> 00:12:09,771 - [Paul] The Northern Alliance has been trying 260 00:12:09,771 --> 00:12:12,273 to essentially restore a democratic government 261 00:12:12,273 --> 00:12:15,443 to Afghanistan, but it's been a losing effort. 262 00:12:15,443 --> 00:12:16,986 Operation Enduring Freedom 263 00:12:16,986 --> 00:12:19,864 inserted small teams of special operations forces 264 00:12:19,864 --> 00:12:21,491 into Afghanistan. 265 00:12:21,491 --> 00:12:23,952 Those individuals were able to call upon 266 00:12:23,952 --> 00:12:27,538 an almost unprecedented amount of aerial firepower, 267 00:12:27,538 --> 00:12:29,832 which allowed the Northern Alliance troops 268 00:12:29,832 --> 00:12:34,003 to repeatedly defeat much larger Taliban armies. 269 00:12:34,003 --> 00:12:35,588 - [Kavitha] When Enduring Freedom kicked off, 270 00:12:35,588 --> 00:12:39,050 CIA operatives spent weeks interrogating Taliban 271 00:12:39,050 --> 00:12:42,512 and al-Qaeda prisoners desperate for any information. 272 00:12:42,512 --> 00:12:44,681 In early November, US intelligence believes 273 00:12:44,681 --> 00:12:47,141 that they may have picked up bin Laden's trail 274 00:12:47,141 --> 00:12:50,186 a little over 300 miles away from Kandahar 275 00:12:50,186 --> 00:12:51,729 in the city of Kabul. 276 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:55,108 [tense music] 277 00:12:57,568 --> 00:12:59,570 - [Paul] Although the Taliban movement started 278 00:12:59,570 --> 00:13:01,489 in the southern city of Kandahar, 279 00:13:01,489 --> 00:13:03,366 Kabul is still really seen as the key 280 00:13:03,366 --> 00:13:05,243 to the conquest of Afghanistan. 281 00:13:05,243 --> 00:13:07,036 The United States and its allies 282 00:13:07,036 --> 00:13:09,789 have been bombing Taliban strongholds in the area, 283 00:13:09,789 --> 00:13:11,457 softening it up for an assault 284 00:13:11,457 --> 00:13:13,626 by the elements of the Northern Alliance. 285 00:13:14,836 --> 00:13:17,380 - [Dina] From Kandahar to Kabul is not a big drive. 286 00:13:17,380 --> 00:13:19,173 It's only about eight hours. 287 00:13:20,466 --> 00:13:21,968 Osama bin Laden was thought in the beginning 288 00:13:21,968 --> 00:13:23,219 to be going back and forth 289 00:13:23,219 --> 00:13:24,637 between those two places 290 00:13:24,762 --> 00:13:27,348 as he was trying to organize what would happen next. 291 00:13:27,348 --> 00:13:30,810 - [Lis] Kabul is a city of 3 million people, 292 00:13:30,810 --> 00:13:35,064 so the US can't just go in indiscriminately dropping bombs. 293 00:13:35,064 --> 00:13:37,358 If Osama bin Laden is living amongst 294 00:13:37,358 --> 00:13:38,901 the civilian population, 295 00:13:38,901 --> 00:13:41,279 they need to figure out exactly where he is. 296 00:13:42,864 --> 00:13:45,116 - [Nick] On November 8th, the US learns of an interview 297 00:13:45,116 --> 00:13:46,159 that Bin Laden has had 298 00:13:46,159 --> 00:13:48,828 with a Pakistani journalist, Hamid Mir. 299 00:13:48,828 --> 00:13:53,041 He's taken blindfolded to a safe house, basically, in Kabul. 300 00:13:53,041 --> 00:13:55,626 - [Dina] As he was talking to this Pakistani journalist, 301 00:13:55,626 --> 00:13:58,129 Osama bin Laden admits to 302 00:13:58,129 --> 00:14:00,465 actually being behind 9/11, 303 00:14:01,382 --> 00:14:02,967 but he wouldn't put it on tape. 304 00:14:02,967 --> 00:14:05,303 He was worried that if the Taliban actually knew 305 00:14:05,303 --> 00:14:06,804 that he'd admitted to it, 306 00:14:06,804 --> 00:14:08,973 that they might kick him out of Afghanistan. 307 00:14:10,016 --> 00:14:11,934 - [Juliette] This interview is interesting 308 00:14:11,934 --> 00:14:15,563 because bin Laden, with a lot of bravado, 309 00:14:15,563 --> 00:14:18,900 discloses that al-Qaeda is not done. 310 00:14:18,900 --> 00:14:21,152 They are planning chemical attacks, 311 00:14:21,152 --> 00:14:23,154 potentially nuclear attacks. 312 00:14:23,154 --> 00:14:27,867 He's suggesting, "Oh, you think September 11th was bad? 313 00:14:27,867 --> 00:14:30,328 You haven't seen the worst of it." 314 00:14:30,328 --> 00:14:32,038 - [Laurence] The interview ends abruptly 315 00:14:32,038 --> 00:14:36,626 when bin Laden's security guards suddenly rush everyone out. 316 00:14:36,626 --> 00:14:40,588 Minutes later, bombs destroy the safe house. 317 00:14:40,588 --> 00:14:42,673 [bombs bursting] 318 00:14:42,673 --> 00:14:45,384 - [Paul] At about the same time, the Northern Alliance, 319 00:14:45,384 --> 00:14:47,929 backed up by American special forces, 320 00:14:47,929 --> 00:14:49,722 successfully assaulted and captured 321 00:14:49,722 --> 00:14:51,682 the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. 322 00:14:51,682 --> 00:14:53,851 This means there's really nothing between them 323 00:14:53,851 --> 00:14:55,603 and the capital city of Kabul. 324 00:14:56,187 --> 00:15:00,066 - [Martin] On November 12, 2001, Northern Alliance forces, 325 00:15:00,066 --> 00:15:01,943 with the assistance of the American military, 326 00:15:01,943 --> 00:15:03,569 enter the city of Kabul after 327 00:15:03,569 --> 00:15:05,196 having defeated Taliban forces 328 00:15:05,196 --> 00:15:06,906 on the city's outskirts. 329 00:15:06,906 --> 00:15:09,450 As they move into the center of the city, 330 00:15:09,450 --> 00:15:11,244 they're greeted with applause 331 00:15:11,244 --> 00:15:14,705 because the people of Kabul are excited at the idea 332 00:15:14,705 --> 00:15:17,375 of the Taliban finally having been overthrown. 333 00:15:18,584 --> 00:15:20,795 - [Juliette] But the United States' mission is not done. 334 00:15:20,795 --> 00:15:23,548 On that day, CIA operatives see 335 00:15:23,548 --> 00:15:26,801 a massive caravan leaving Kabul, 336 00:15:26,801 --> 00:15:28,219 cars and cars. 337 00:15:28,219 --> 00:15:30,346 This is clearly a high-value target. 338 00:15:32,181 --> 00:15:35,268 - [Laurence] Two months after 9/11, operatives are hopeful 339 00:15:35,268 --> 00:15:38,437 they're finally closing in on Osama bin Laden. 340 00:15:39,939 --> 00:15:42,066 - [Martin] As the convoy escapes from Kabul, 341 00:15:42,066 --> 00:15:44,569 it's being shadowed by a predator drone, 342 00:15:44,569 --> 00:15:46,154 but this one's different than the predator 343 00:15:46,154 --> 00:15:47,864 that had been over Tarnak Farms, 344 00:15:47,864 --> 00:15:50,074 because this is an armed predator. 345 00:15:51,159 --> 00:15:52,660 - [Paul] When the convoy stops 346 00:15:52,660 --> 00:15:55,413 and its occupants move into the building, 347 00:15:55,413 --> 00:15:57,248 the remote pilot fires 348 00:15:57,248 --> 00:16:00,585 an AGM Hellfire missile into that building. 349 00:16:00,585 --> 00:16:02,712 The high-value target is killed in the airstrike, 350 00:16:04,130 --> 00:16:05,715 but it's not Osama bin Laden. 351 00:16:07,341 --> 00:16:10,219 It's his number three, Mohammed Atef. 352 00:16:10,219 --> 00:16:12,930 He's the operational commander of al-Qaeda. 353 00:16:14,140 --> 00:16:18,186 - As Kabul falls and Afghanistan is liberated, 354 00:16:18,186 --> 00:16:22,231 there is a hope that bin Laden actually was killed, 355 00:16:22,231 --> 00:16:25,735 but eventually the CIA comes to understand 356 00:16:25,735 --> 00:16:27,528 in their intelligence gathering 357 00:16:27,528 --> 00:16:30,698 that bin Laden has escaped again. 358 00:16:30,698 --> 00:16:33,284 - [Paul] Nobody is certain where he might have gone, 359 00:16:33,284 --> 00:16:35,369 but there's the very real possibility 360 00:16:35,369 --> 00:16:38,456 that he's still out there and planning the next big attack, 361 00:16:38,456 --> 00:16:41,959 one that will dwarf 9/11 and cause catastrophic damages. 362 00:16:46,672 --> 00:16:48,341 - [Laurence] December 2001, 363 00:16:48,341 --> 00:16:51,260 three months after the 9/11 attacks, 364 00:16:51,260 --> 00:16:55,181 Operation Enduring Freedom has scored a number of successes 365 00:16:55,181 --> 00:16:59,227 in Afghanistan, dismantling the Taliban regime, 366 00:16:59,227 --> 00:17:01,562 destroying al-Qaeda's training camps, 367 00:17:01,562 --> 00:17:04,190 and taking out many of their leaders. 368 00:17:04,190 --> 00:17:06,858 But no one can call it mission accomplished 369 00:17:06,858 --> 00:17:10,946 until Osama bin Laden is killed or captured. 370 00:17:10,946 --> 00:17:13,115 And while he may be on the run, 371 00:17:13,115 --> 00:17:16,285 he's headed for one of the best hiding places on the planet. 372 00:17:18,371 --> 00:17:20,748 - [Kevin] The Taliban, at this point, were bleeding out 373 00:17:20,748 --> 00:17:22,250 of the urban areas and into the rural areas 374 00:17:22,250 --> 00:17:24,460 where they were finding safe haven 375 00:17:24,460 --> 00:17:26,002 in the mountains in Afghanistan, 376 00:17:26,002 --> 00:17:28,714 one of the more difficult battlefields in the world. 377 00:17:28,714 --> 00:17:30,424 It's easy to fortify them. 378 00:17:30,424 --> 00:17:32,802 You have to be equipped to fight in the cold 379 00:17:32,802 --> 00:17:34,387 and the altitude will limit your ability 380 00:17:34,387 --> 00:17:36,472 to fly helicopters. 381 00:17:36,472 --> 00:17:39,058 - [Paul] US operatives are combing through Kabul, 382 00:17:39,058 --> 00:17:41,102 trying to find any clues as to where bin Laden 383 00:17:41,102 --> 00:17:42,562 might have gone. 384 00:17:42,562 --> 00:17:43,854 They begin to realize that he's almost certainly fled 385 00:17:43,854 --> 00:17:46,148 the city and it appears he's headed towards 386 00:17:46,148 --> 00:17:48,818 the mountainous cave complex known as Tora Bora. 387 00:17:50,736 --> 00:17:52,572 - [Laurence] The Tora Bora cave complex 388 00:17:52,572 --> 00:17:55,783 is an extensive series of fortifications built 389 00:17:55,783 --> 00:17:57,577 with the help of the CIA 390 00:17:57,577 --> 00:17:59,954 during the fight against the Soviets. 391 00:17:59,954 --> 00:18:02,957 It was then further expanded by someone 392 00:18:02,957 --> 00:18:05,710 with a lifetime of construction experience 393 00:18:05,710 --> 00:18:09,380 and unlimited funds, Osama bin Laden. 394 00:18:12,383 --> 00:18:14,176 - [Kavitha] It's hard to fathom just how vast 395 00:18:14,176 --> 00:18:16,637 and inhospitable Tora Bora is. 396 00:18:16,637 --> 00:18:19,181 The terrain is treacherous and steep, 397 00:18:19,181 --> 00:18:20,349 and it's almost impossible 398 00:18:20,349 --> 00:18:22,893 to conduct traditional warfare here. 399 00:18:22,893 --> 00:18:26,230 Bin Laden widened and fortified all the underground tunnels, 400 00:18:26,230 --> 00:18:30,109 basically making Tora Bora into a mountain fortress. 401 00:18:30,109 --> 00:18:33,154 It makes sense that he might be headed toward a stronghold 402 00:18:33,154 --> 00:18:35,156 that he's quite familiar with. 403 00:18:39,535 --> 00:18:41,203 - [Martin] In December 2001, 404 00:18:41,203 --> 00:18:43,331 the US is able to narrow down the search 405 00:18:43,331 --> 00:18:45,666 for Osama bin Laden when a group 406 00:18:45,666 --> 00:18:48,210 of Army Special Forces operators 407 00:18:48,210 --> 00:18:50,087 and Northern Alliance fighters climb into 408 00:18:50,087 --> 00:18:51,714 the mountains near Tora Bora 409 00:18:51,714 --> 00:18:54,800 and overhear a shortwave radio broadcast 410 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:57,303 that features a familiar voice, 411 00:18:57,303 --> 00:18:58,888 the voice of Osama bin Laden. 412 00:19:00,723 --> 00:19:02,642 - [Paul] Knowing that bin Laden and al-Qaeda 413 00:19:02,642 --> 00:19:05,186 are effectively trapped in Tora Bora, 414 00:19:05,186 --> 00:19:06,562 the United States and its allies 415 00:19:06,562 --> 00:19:08,773 commence an enormous aerial campaign, 416 00:19:08,773 --> 00:19:13,194 dropping thousands of pounds of bombs on the tunnel complex. 417 00:19:13,194 --> 00:19:16,989 But it's a mountain fortress that's almost impervious 418 00:19:16,989 --> 00:19:18,366 to any form of airstrike. 419 00:19:19,700 --> 00:19:20,826 - [Kevin] The US knew they needed something 420 00:19:20,826 --> 00:19:22,995 to counteract these tunnel systems. 421 00:19:22,995 --> 00:19:24,997 Tora Bora is a perfect place to hold up, 422 00:19:24,997 --> 00:19:28,125 but the US has a massive bomb in its arsenal 423 00:19:28,125 --> 00:19:30,419 that they're confident will end this manhunt. 424 00:19:32,254 --> 00:19:35,383 - [Paul] On December 9th, 2001, 425 00:19:35,383 --> 00:19:37,677 an American transport cargo aircraft 426 00:19:37,677 --> 00:19:42,098 drops a 15,000-pound fuel-air explosive thermobaric bomb, 427 00:19:43,015 --> 00:19:44,433 dubbed the Daisy Cutter. 428 00:19:48,020 --> 00:19:49,355 - [Martin] The Daisy Cutter 429 00:19:49,355 --> 00:19:51,107 is the largest conventional explosive device 430 00:19:51,107 --> 00:19:53,192 in American arsenals. 431 00:19:53,192 --> 00:19:56,946 And when it lands, it creates a kill zone 432 00:19:56,946 --> 00:19:59,240 that's a radius of 900 feet. 433 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:01,325 Anything within that kill zone 434 00:20:01,325 --> 00:20:04,537 is vaporized by the explosion. 435 00:20:04,537 --> 00:20:08,040 So they drop Daisy Cutters in the mountains 436 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:09,417 around Tora Bora, 437 00:20:09,417 --> 00:20:11,794 forever changing the landscape of the area. 438 00:20:11,794 --> 00:20:14,088 It's complete silence afterward. 439 00:20:14,088 --> 00:20:15,715 Nothing is moving. 440 00:20:15,715 --> 00:20:17,049 They think they got him. 441 00:20:18,259 --> 00:20:20,928 - They can't prove it because it's near impossible 442 00:20:20,928 --> 00:20:23,222 to get the DNA evidence 443 00:20:23,222 --> 00:20:25,975 given how big the bomb was. 444 00:20:25,975 --> 00:20:29,478 But the United States believes the mission is over 445 00:20:30,771 --> 00:20:35,192 until the CIA picks up an intercept from bin Laden 446 00:20:35,192 --> 00:20:38,320 to al-Qaeda that he has survived. 447 00:20:40,531 --> 00:20:42,825 - [Nick] On December 11th, the US intercepts a message 448 00:20:42,825 --> 00:20:44,869 from bin Laden directly to his troops, 449 00:20:44,869 --> 00:20:46,829 saying if they can't get out alive, 450 00:20:46,829 --> 00:20:48,873 they have his blessing to surrender. 451 00:20:49,915 --> 00:20:51,459 - [Laurence] Little do they know, 452 00:20:51,459 --> 00:20:54,503 bin Laden and his entourage have another plan in mind. 453 00:20:56,255 --> 00:20:57,590 - [Paul] On December 12th, 454 00:20:57,590 --> 00:20:59,550 a group of more than two dozen al-Qaeda fighters 455 00:20:59,550 --> 00:21:02,720 are spotted heading across the border with Pakistan. 456 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:05,306 This is brutal terrain that they're moving across, 457 00:21:05,306 --> 00:21:07,349 and they're doing it in the depth of winter. 458 00:21:07,349 --> 00:21:09,310 They're at extremely high elevations. 459 00:21:09,310 --> 00:21:11,270 There are very deep ravines. 460 00:21:11,270 --> 00:21:14,148 They're relying on little-known smugglers' trails 461 00:21:14,148 --> 00:21:16,567 that allow them to evade detection. 462 00:21:16,567 --> 00:21:18,736 - [Kavitha] The group makes it to the Pakistan border, 463 00:21:18,736 --> 00:21:20,780 but after they cross into the country, 464 00:21:20,780 --> 00:21:23,741 they're arrested and handed over to the US. 465 00:21:24,617 --> 00:21:25,993 - [Laurence] Once again, 466 00:21:25,993 --> 00:21:29,246 high hopes for bin Laden's capture are dashed. 467 00:21:29,246 --> 00:21:32,625 Though the group contains a number of his known bodyguards, 468 00:21:32,625 --> 00:21:35,544 bin Laden himself is nowhere to be found. 469 00:21:38,339 --> 00:21:40,466 - [Paul] It's possible that bin Laden had used a group 470 00:21:40,466 --> 00:21:41,884 of his bodyguards essentially 471 00:21:41,884 --> 00:21:44,845 as a decoy to draw attention away. 472 00:21:44,845 --> 00:21:47,640 He stayed in Tora Bora for a few extra days 473 00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:50,518 before quietly slipping away via a different route. 474 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,064 - [Nick] Two weeks afterwards, a tape is released, 475 00:21:55,064 --> 00:21:58,317 and it shows bin Laden looking very gaunt, very frail. 476 00:21:58,317 --> 00:22:00,194 the left side of his body is rigid, 477 00:22:00,194 --> 00:22:01,904 almost as if, though, he's been injured 478 00:22:01,904 --> 00:22:03,280 in that Tora Bora battle. 479 00:22:04,657 --> 00:22:06,534 It's in this video that he says, 480 00:22:06,534 --> 00:22:07,993 even if he dies, 481 00:22:07,993 --> 00:22:10,120 the war against the US will go on. 482 00:22:11,622 --> 00:22:13,958 - [Dina] That was twice in a very short amount of time 483 00:22:13,958 --> 00:22:17,127 where the Americans think, "We got him," and they didn't. 484 00:22:17,461 --> 00:22:20,005 - [Paul] President Bush is furious when he discovers 485 00:22:20,005 --> 00:22:21,799 that bin Laden has slipped the net 486 00:22:21,799 --> 00:22:24,009 and escaped from American forces. 487 00:22:24,009 --> 00:22:26,011 It's clear at the end of 2001 488 00:22:26,011 --> 00:22:29,098 that the United States does not have an actionable plan 489 00:22:29,098 --> 00:22:30,516 about how to find the man 490 00:22:30,516 --> 00:22:32,893 that has eluded capture for months. 491 00:22:32,893 --> 00:22:34,353 - [Kavitha] It soon becomes crystal clear 492 00:22:34,353 --> 00:22:36,939 that the world's most wanted man 493 00:22:36,939 --> 00:22:39,400 has once again gone completely off the grid. 494 00:22:43,237 --> 00:22:43,863 - By early 2002, 495 00:22:44,405 --> 00:22:46,532 the Taliban has been driven out of the cities 496 00:22:46,532 --> 00:22:49,535 and into the countryside of Afghanistan. 497 00:22:49,535 --> 00:22:52,997 But al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden, 498 00:22:52,997 --> 00:22:55,958 seem to have disappeared from the country entirely. 499 00:22:58,168 --> 00:23:00,963 - [Paul] Months go by and bin Laden is nowhere to be seen. 500 00:23:00,963 --> 00:23:03,465 No new communications prove to the world 501 00:23:03,465 --> 00:23:04,800 that he's still alive, 502 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:07,511 and people begin to wonder if he might have died. 503 00:23:07,511 --> 00:23:08,429 - [Nick] Where is he? 504 00:23:08,429 --> 00:23:10,723 Did he get injured in Tora Bora? 505 00:23:10,723 --> 00:23:12,349 And then an audio tape emerges 506 00:23:12,349 --> 00:23:15,019 that shows that bin Laden is very much alive, 507 00:23:15,019 --> 00:23:16,312 and he takes credit for a 508 00:23:16,312 --> 00:23:18,272 string of suicide attacks. 509 00:23:18,272 --> 00:23:21,442 A bombing against a French vessel in the port of Yemen, 510 00:23:21,442 --> 00:23:23,360 a synagogue in Tunisia, 511 00:23:23,360 --> 00:23:26,697 and a Bali nightclub that kills 200 people. 512 00:23:28,991 --> 00:23:31,118 - [Dina] What Osama bin Laden was trying to indicate 513 00:23:31,118 --> 00:23:33,037 in these audio tapes 514 00:23:33,037 --> 00:23:36,123 is that you don't know where he's going to strike. 515 00:23:36,123 --> 00:23:37,583 And it was incredibly frustrating 516 00:23:37,583 --> 00:23:39,251 to US intelligence people, 517 00:23:39,251 --> 00:23:40,544 because every time they thought, 518 00:23:40,544 --> 00:23:43,005 "Maybe we've got him. Maybe it's done," 519 00:23:43,005 --> 00:23:44,757 he would pop up again. 520 00:23:44,757 --> 00:23:47,134 - The CIA is under a great deal of pressure 521 00:23:47,134 --> 00:23:49,428 to find and kill Osama bin Laden, 522 00:23:49,428 --> 00:23:52,765 but these attacks and the recordings suggest 523 00:23:52,765 --> 00:23:54,141 that he might not even 524 00:23:54,141 --> 00:23:55,601 be in Afghanistan anymore. 525 00:23:55,601 --> 00:23:56,977 He could be anywhere. 526 00:24:00,397 --> 00:24:02,441 [tense music] 527 00:24:02,441 --> 00:24:04,276 - [Nick] The US is grasping at straws. 528 00:24:04,276 --> 00:24:06,528 They put out images of what he may look like 529 00:24:06,528 --> 00:24:08,864 if he loses his iconic beard, 530 00:24:08,864 --> 00:24:11,825 as if he may be trying to blend in in the West. 531 00:24:11,825 --> 00:24:15,120 But ever since Tora Bora, bin Laden has gone dark, 532 00:24:15,120 --> 00:24:18,374 and it's been nearly impossible to track him down. 533 00:24:18,374 --> 00:24:21,418 - The United States has placed a $25 million bounty 534 00:24:21,418 --> 00:24:22,586 on bin Laden's head, 535 00:24:22,586 --> 00:24:23,837 and not surprisingly, 536 00:24:23,837 --> 00:24:26,465 that's causing tips to come pouring in. 537 00:24:26,465 --> 00:24:28,384 A lot of them are very unlikely, 538 00:24:28,384 --> 00:24:29,551 like the woman who claims 539 00:24:29,551 --> 00:24:30,719 that she saw bin Laden 540 00:24:30,719 --> 00:24:33,097 at her local library in Washington State, 541 00:24:33,097 --> 00:24:35,140 or the man who says that he was at a carnival 542 00:24:35,140 --> 00:24:36,850 in Mexico City. 543 00:24:36,850 --> 00:24:40,604 The CIA start to jokingly refer to these types of wild tips 544 00:24:40,604 --> 00:24:42,564 as Elvis sightings. 545 00:24:42,564 --> 00:24:44,191 - [Dina] They decide to find the people 546 00:24:44,191 --> 00:24:46,485 who were around Osama bin Laden 547 00:24:46,485 --> 00:24:50,698 and use them as a way to try and figure out where he is. 548 00:24:50,698 --> 00:24:53,158 They saw that there were lots of members of al-Qaeda 549 00:24:53,158 --> 00:24:57,871 using a safe house in a lawless town in Pakistan. 550 00:24:57,871 --> 00:25:00,165 [metal door clanking] 551 00:25:00,165 --> 00:25:02,459 So they break into the safe house and 552 00:25:03,919 --> 00:25:06,880 they find Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, also known as KSM. 553 00:25:09,675 --> 00:25:11,427 - [Paul] Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's arrest 554 00:25:11,427 --> 00:25:13,095 is major international news. 555 00:25:13,095 --> 00:25:15,139 This is the first time that an important figure 556 00:25:15,139 --> 00:25:17,516 within al-Qaeda has been captured alive 557 00:25:17,516 --> 00:25:20,352 and potentially subjected to interrogation. 558 00:25:20,352 --> 00:25:23,105 The CIA get their hands on his laptop computer 559 00:25:23,105 --> 00:25:25,607 And it's clear that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed 560 00:25:25,607 --> 00:25:28,736 is within bin Laden's inner circle. 561 00:25:28,736 --> 00:25:31,989 - [Laurence] But just three weeks after KSM's arrest, 562 00:25:31,989 --> 00:25:34,950 the US widens its war on terror 563 00:25:34,950 --> 00:25:38,871 by turning its attention to another enemy, Iraq. 564 00:25:41,165 --> 00:25:43,375 - [Paul] The Bush administration has become convinced 565 00:25:43,375 --> 00:25:46,378 that Saddam Hussein has very close ties to al-Qaeda, 566 00:25:46,378 --> 00:25:48,005 and he might provide them 567 00:25:48,005 --> 00:25:49,423 with substantial biological 568 00:25:49,423 --> 00:25:50,549 and chemical weapons. 569 00:25:52,426 --> 00:25:54,970 - [Kavitha] On March 20th, 2003, 570 00:25:54,970 --> 00:25:56,722 the US invades Iraq. 571 00:25:56,722 --> 00:26:00,267 It marks a significant shift away from bin Laden 572 00:26:00,267 --> 00:26:03,103 and towards Saddam Hussein and Iraq. 573 00:26:03,103 --> 00:26:05,814 It's undeniable that it did take some of the heat 574 00:26:05,814 --> 00:26:08,192 off of al-Qaeda and allowed them to regroup. 575 00:26:08,192 --> 00:26:09,526 [guns firing] 576 00:26:09,526 --> 00:26:11,779 - [Juliette] There's growing concern 577 00:26:11,779 --> 00:26:14,406 within the counterterrorism community 578 00:26:14,406 --> 00:26:18,160 that the United States has become distracted 579 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:21,455 from its mission to get bin Laden. 580 00:26:21,455 --> 00:26:24,166 - [Laurence] By the end of October 2004, 581 00:26:24,166 --> 00:26:26,668 18 months after the invasion of Iraq, 582 00:26:26,668 --> 00:26:30,422 Bin Laden re-emerges on video for the first time 583 00:26:30,422 --> 00:26:32,424 in three years. 584 00:26:32,424 --> 00:26:34,301 - [Kavitha] Bin Laden releases his video message 585 00:26:34,301 --> 00:26:36,804 just days before the presidential election, 586 00:26:36,804 --> 00:26:39,598 and for the first time, he takes full responsibility 587 00:26:39,598 --> 00:26:41,308 for the 9/11 attacks. 588 00:26:42,601 --> 00:26:44,728 - [Martin] Every one of Osama bin Laden's videos 589 00:26:44,728 --> 00:26:46,855 is combed over by CIA analysts 590 00:26:46,855 --> 00:26:48,524 looking for clues 591 00:26:48,524 --> 00:26:50,526 about where his location might be. 592 00:26:50,526 --> 00:26:53,278 If there is a rock outcropping in the background, 593 00:26:53,278 --> 00:26:56,740 geologists are brought in to analyze where in the world 594 00:26:56,740 --> 00:26:58,200 those rocks might be located. 595 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:00,828 If there's a bird chirping at the audio track, 596 00:27:00,828 --> 00:27:02,371 ornithologists are brought in 597 00:27:02,371 --> 00:27:05,374 to determine what bird species it is with the hope 598 00:27:05,374 --> 00:27:08,335 that that might point an arrow at his location. 599 00:27:09,545 --> 00:27:12,923 - [Juliette] Bin Laden knows how the United States works. 600 00:27:12,923 --> 00:27:15,384 This video gives no clues. 601 00:27:15,384 --> 00:27:17,511 The background is bare. 602 00:27:17,511 --> 00:27:22,516 There are no outside sounds, no hints of where he could be. 603 00:27:23,809 --> 00:27:27,437 He's like this phantom who's appearing out of nowhere 604 00:27:27,437 --> 00:27:32,484 to remind the United States that he is still alive 605 00:27:33,610 --> 00:27:35,404 and that he promises more attacks. 606 00:27:35,404 --> 00:27:36,822 - [Laurence] Nearly a year later, 607 00:27:36,822 --> 00:27:39,575 bin Laden follows through on his threat 608 00:27:39,575 --> 00:27:43,078 by unleashing al-Qaeda on America's allies. 609 00:27:44,496 --> 00:27:47,958 - [Paul] On July 7th, 2005, al-Qaeda militants launched 610 00:27:47,958 --> 00:27:50,127 a coordinated campaign of suicide bombings 611 00:27:50,127 --> 00:27:51,211 throughout London. 612 00:27:51,962 --> 00:27:54,006 52 British citizens are killed 613 00:27:54,006 --> 00:27:55,799 and more than 700 are wounded. 614 00:27:55,799 --> 00:27:58,510 It's the deadliest terror attack in British history. 615 00:27:59,511 --> 00:28:01,889 Now, the US is absolutely desperate 616 00:28:01,889 --> 00:28:04,766 to uncover bin Laden's whereabouts and is terrified 617 00:28:04,766 --> 00:28:07,352 that al-Qaeda will continue to launch attacks 618 00:28:07,352 --> 00:28:09,021 against its allies and 619 00:28:09,021 --> 00:28:10,856 drive those allies away 620 00:28:10,856 --> 00:28:12,065 from the war on terror. 621 00:28:16,528 --> 00:28:19,573 - [Laurence] Following 2005 London bombings, 622 00:28:19,573 --> 00:28:22,743 investigators discovered that two British nationals 623 00:28:22,743 --> 00:28:24,369 who carried out the attacks 624 00:28:24,369 --> 00:28:26,788 had attended al-Qaeda training camps 625 00:28:26,788 --> 00:28:29,833 in a remote area in Pakistan. 626 00:28:29,833 --> 00:28:33,420 - [Kevin] The region between Pakistan and Afghanistan 627 00:28:33,420 --> 00:28:34,796 is called the tribal areas, 628 00:28:34,796 --> 00:28:37,466 and it's known as somewhat of a lawless land, 629 00:28:37,466 --> 00:28:38,967 an area where the Taliban 630 00:28:38,967 --> 00:28:41,720 and al-Qaeda could find safe haven. 631 00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:43,180 - [Kavitha] The region is not only 632 00:28:43,180 --> 00:28:45,307 mountainous and difficult to reach, 633 00:28:45,307 --> 00:28:48,310 but local tribes have sheltered al-Qaeda members 634 00:28:48,310 --> 00:28:49,645 throughout the years. 635 00:28:49,645 --> 00:28:51,772 Intelligence experts begin to theorize 636 00:28:51,772 --> 00:28:55,233 that if al-Qaeda has regrouped in Pakistan's tribal areas, 637 00:28:55,233 --> 00:28:58,195 then perhaps bin Laden is hiding out there as well. 638 00:29:01,782 --> 00:29:03,450 [tense music] 639 00:29:03,450 --> 00:29:05,827 - [Paul] The CIA devotes substantial resources 640 00:29:05,827 --> 00:29:08,497 to the tribal region in the pursuit of al-Qaeda 641 00:29:08,497 --> 00:29:11,458 and in particular, in the search for Osama bin Laden. 642 00:29:11,458 --> 00:29:13,043 [bomb exploding] 643 00:29:13,293 --> 00:29:15,504 - [Juliette] The United States begins to aggressively take out 644 00:29:15,504 --> 00:29:19,383 dozens of high-level leaders of al-Qaeda, 645 00:29:20,467 --> 00:29:21,551 but not bin Laden. 646 00:29:23,553 --> 00:29:27,891 - [Laurence] In 2009, President Barack Obama is inaugurated. 647 00:29:27,891 --> 00:29:30,102 One of his early campaign promises 648 00:29:30,102 --> 00:29:33,480 was the elimination of Osama bin Laden. 649 00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:36,066 - President Obama instructed his CIA chief 650 00:29:36,066 --> 00:29:39,194 to double the operations in the hunt for Bin Laden. 651 00:29:39,194 --> 00:29:40,862 In the summer of 2009, 652 00:29:40,862 --> 00:29:43,156 Jordanian intelligence comes to the US 653 00:29:43,156 --> 00:29:45,575 with some invaluable information. 654 00:29:45,575 --> 00:29:47,786 Earlier that year, they arrested 655 00:29:47,786 --> 00:29:51,915 a pediatrician turned jihadist named Humam al-Balawi. 656 00:29:51,915 --> 00:29:54,001 And in exchange for a ton of money, 657 00:29:54,001 --> 00:29:56,211 al-Balawi has agreed to spy on 658 00:29:56,211 --> 00:29:58,463 al-Qaeda in the tribal lands. 659 00:29:59,798 --> 00:30:03,010 - Shortly after the Jordanians expose him to the CIA, 660 00:30:03,010 --> 00:30:06,513 he actually sends in a video of himself sitting next 661 00:30:06,513 --> 00:30:09,224 to one of al-Qaeda's chief lieutenants. 662 00:30:09,224 --> 00:30:12,519 and perhaps he's going to be the key to finding bin Laden. 663 00:30:13,895 --> 00:30:17,024 The CIA calls for a face-to-face meeting with al-Balawi. 664 00:30:17,024 --> 00:30:19,985 They want to verify that he's actually the real deal. 665 00:30:19,985 --> 00:30:22,112 [suspenseful music] 666 00:30:22,112 --> 00:30:26,324 - The CIA is set to meet al-Balawi in Camp Chapman, 667 00:30:26,324 --> 00:30:29,578 which is their base in Afghanistan. 668 00:30:29,578 --> 00:30:30,537 He gets there. 669 00:30:30,537 --> 00:30:32,706 He's in a car, he pulls up. 670 00:30:32,706 --> 00:30:35,417 And as he walks towards the agents, 671 00:30:35,417 --> 00:30:39,087 he pulls inside of his coat and boom. 672 00:30:41,131 --> 00:30:43,592 - [Martin] Seven agents are killed in the blast. 673 00:30:43,592 --> 00:30:47,763 It's the deadliest attack against the CIA in 25 years. 674 00:30:47,763 --> 00:30:49,097 But if bin Laden thought 675 00:30:49,097 --> 00:30:51,725 that this would somehow discourage the agency, 676 00:30:51,725 --> 00:30:53,268 he was dead wrong. 677 00:30:53,268 --> 00:30:56,897 Because all it did was cement the agency's resolve 678 00:30:56,897 --> 00:30:58,648 to find him and kill him. 679 00:30:59,816 --> 00:31:03,236 - It is here where the CIA begins to rethink 680 00:31:03,236 --> 00:31:06,740 how they are going to find out where Bin Laden is. 681 00:31:06,740 --> 00:31:08,241 Bin Laden is off the grid. 682 00:31:08,241 --> 00:31:10,077 He's not using phones. 683 00:31:10,077 --> 00:31:12,954 The only way he's able to get his message out 684 00:31:12,954 --> 00:31:14,539 is through courier. 685 00:31:14,539 --> 00:31:15,957 - [Paul] The CIA starts looking at 686 00:31:15,957 --> 00:31:17,459 a number of potential prospects 687 00:31:17,459 --> 00:31:20,337 for who might be bin Laden's chief courier. 688 00:31:20,337 --> 00:31:22,089 They start to focus on an individual 689 00:31:22,089 --> 00:31:24,591 named Ahmed Abdul al-Kuwaiti. 690 00:31:24,591 --> 00:31:27,677 It's almost on luck that the CIA intercepts a telephone call 691 00:31:27,677 --> 00:31:30,931 in which al-Kuwaiti reports that he's back to working 692 00:31:30,931 --> 00:31:33,350 with the inner circle of al-Qaeda. 693 00:31:33,350 --> 00:31:34,518 - [Kevin] When they figured out 694 00:31:34,518 --> 00:31:36,186 that al-Kuwaiti was the messenger, 695 00:31:36,186 --> 00:31:37,270 the CIA set up an 696 00:31:37,270 --> 00:31:39,231 elaborate operation to track him. 697 00:31:39,231 --> 00:31:41,817 They followed him to a compound in Abbottabad, 698 00:31:41,817 --> 00:31:44,611 which was unlike anything else in the city. 699 00:31:44,611 --> 00:31:46,196 18-foot walls. 700 00:31:46,196 --> 00:31:48,323 They weren't linked to internet or telephone. 701 00:31:48,323 --> 00:31:50,033 They were burning the trash. 702 00:31:50,033 --> 00:31:51,409 And so at that point, 703 00:31:51,409 --> 00:31:52,744 the CIA had a hunch 704 00:31:52,744 --> 00:31:54,746 it might be Osama bin Laden. 705 00:32:00,085 --> 00:32:02,295 - [Paul] Abbottabad is not where you'd expect 706 00:32:02,295 --> 00:32:03,797 to find a terrorist hideout. 707 00:32:03,797 --> 00:32:05,715 It's in the foothills of the Himalayas Mountains. 708 00:32:05,715 --> 00:32:09,344 It's pretty remote, but it's kind of a resort town. 709 00:32:09,344 --> 00:32:12,347 Essentially, the CIA starts turning all of its resources 710 00:32:12,347 --> 00:32:13,723 towards this compound. 711 00:32:13,723 --> 00:32:15,725 There are satellites monitoring movements 712 00:32:15,725 --> 00:32:17,978 in and out of the compound from above. 713 00:32:17,978 --> 00:32:19,729 There are human agents on the ground. 714 00:32:19,729 --> 00:32:22,357 They're keeping it under constant observation. 715 00:32:22,357 --> 00:32:25,193 - [Lis] The CIA, using satellite imagery, 716 00:32:25,193 --> 00:32:30,407 focuses in on a figure that paces the courtyard every day, 717 00:32:31,449 --> 00:32:33,326 and they give him the nickname "The Pacer." 718 00:32:33,326 --> 00:32:34,995 Now, they can't see his face, 719 00:32:34,995 --> 00:32:37,122 so they can't clearly identify him, 720 00:32:37,122 --> 00:32:39,624 but they're pretty sure it's Osama bin Laden. 721 00:32:40,667 --> 00:32:41,960 - [Kevin] They were able to use his shadow 722 00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:43,420 to measure how tall he was, 723 00:32:43,420 --> 00:32:44,921 and once his height matched 724 00:32:44,921 --> 00:32:47,465 Osama bin Laden's height of 6'4", 725 00:32:47,465 --> 00:32:50,302 they decided to put together plans to attack the target. 726 00:32:53,555 --> 00:32:55,515 - [Juliette] President Obama decides early on 727 00:32:55,515 --> 00:32:59,686 he is not going to drop a bomb on the complex. 728 00:32:59,686 --> 00:33:03,398 He wants to have proof of the death of bin Laden, 729 00:33:03,398 --> 00:33:05,984 and he worries about civilian losses. 730 00:33:05,984 --> 00:33:08,195 But also a bomb being dropped 731 00:33:08,195 --> 00:33:10,864 is going to have unmanageable consequences 732 00:33:10,864 --> 00:33:12,908 with the government of Pakistan. 733 00:33:12,908 --> 00:33:15,035 So SEAL Team 6 is brought in. 734 00:33:16,286 --> 00:33:17,579 - [Kevin] They selected pretty much an 735 00:33:17,579 --> 00:33:18,914 all-star team of operators 736 00:33:18,914 --> 00:33:21,416 and get them ready to execute the mission. 737 00:33:21,416 --> 00:33:23,752 At that point, they'd also figured out 738 00:33:23,752 --> 00:33:25,587 the parameters of the compound 739 00:33:25,587 --> 00:33:28,215 and built a mock-up in North Carolina 740 00:33:28,215 --> 00:33:29,841 that they could train on. 741 00:33:29,841 --> 00:33:31,051 - [Lis] And what they're doing there 742 00:33:31,051 --> 00:33:33,178 is trying to figure out things like, 743 00:33:33,178 --> 00:33:35,430 how do they get from point A to point B? 744 00:33:35,430 --> 00:33:37,515 Where are the helicopters going to land? 745 00:33:37,515 --> 00:33:39,267 Where are their vulnerabilities? 746 00:33:40,310 --> 00:33:41,811 - [Martin] This three-week training operation 747 00:33:41,811 --> 00:33:43,772 is one of the most covert missions 748 00:33:43,772 --> 00:33:46,149 to ever take place on American soil. 749 00:33:46,149 --> 00:33:47,943 No one knows what's about to happen. 750 00:33:49,402 --> 00:33:52,322 - [Paul] In late April of 2011, SEAL Team 6 751 00:33:52,322 --> 00:33:53,949 deploys to Afghanistan. 752 00:33:53,949 --> 00:33:56,117 Even at that time, no one can be certain 753 00:33:56,117 --> 00:33:58,995 whether bin Laden is even present in Abbottabad. 754 00:33:58,995 --> 00:34:01,790 The only way to find out will be to launch the assault. 755 00:34:07,003 --> 00:34:10,924 - [Laurence] May 2nd, 2011 at 10:30 PM, 756 00:34:10,924 --> 00:34:14,302 two Black Hawk helicopters take off from Afghanistan 757 00:34:14,302 --> 00:34:19,391 with 23 members of SEAL Team 6 and one interpreter on board. 758 00:34:20,558 --> 00:34:24,228 The operation codenamed Neptune Spear has begun. 759 00:34:24,228 --> 00:34:28,565 They're heading towards Abbottabad, 150 miles away. 760 00:34:28,565 --> 00:34:30,402 [choppers whirring] 761 00:34:30,402 --> 00:34:33,029 - [Martin] The mission's going to infiltrate Pakistani airspace 762 00:34:33,029 --> 00:34:34,447 without permission. 763 00:34:34,447 --> 00:34:36,616 And because Pakistan is a modern nation 764 00:34:36,616 --> 00:34:37,826 with a modern military, 765 00:34:37,826 --> 00:34:39,995 they have a robust air defense system, 766 00:34:39,995 --> 00:34:41,413 so there's the chance 767 00:34:41,413 --> 00:34:42,746 that the mission might just get shot out of the sky 768 00:34:42,746 --> 00:34:44,708 before they can even reach the objective. 769 00:34:44,708 --> 00:34:47,502 However, the Blackhawks that they're using for this mission 770 00:34:47,502 --> 00:34:50,630 have been specially modified to reduce sound 771 00:34:50,630 --> 00:34:51,965 and radar signature. 772 00:34:51,965 --> 00:34:55,176 So they're essentially stealth helicopters. 773 00:34:55,176 --> 00:34:56,636 - [Kevin] The SEALs had stripped their gear down 774 00:34:56,636 --> 00:34:57,846 to the bare essentials 775 00:34:57,846 --> 00:34:59,514 because they were concerned about weight. 776 00:34:59,514 --> 00:35:01,182 And they wanted to make sure they could get the whole team 777 00:35:01,182 --> 00:35:02,767 into the two helicopters. 778 00:35:03,727 --> 00:35:06,146 So going in, they didn't have any heavy weapons. 779 00:35:06,146 --> 00:35:08,148 They carried minimal ammunition. 780 00:35:08,148 --> 00:35:09,399 They had their night vision, 781 00:35:09,399 --> 00:35:10,567 and that was about it. 782 00:35:10,567 --> 00:35:13,737 [helicopter whirring] 783 00:35:14,571 --> 00:35:15,822 - [Paul] Inside the White House, 784 00:35:15,822 --> 00:35:17,282 the president, the vice president, 785 00:35:17,282 --> 00:35:19,034 the secretary of defense, 786 00:35:19,034 --> 00:35:21,870 they're all in there watching the raid in real-time 787 00:35:21,870 --> 00:35:23,330 while it's occurring. 788 00:35:23,330 --> 00:35:25,415 But you've got to imagine how bizarre it would be 789 00:35:25,415 --> 00:35:27,667 knowing that the president of the United States 790 00:35:27,667 --> 00:35:29,002 and his closest advisors 791 00:35:29,002 --> 00:35:32,672 are literally watching over your shoulder. 792 00:35:32,672 --> 00:35:34,049 - [Martin] At 12:30 AM, 793 00:35:34,049 --> 00:35:36,843 the Army helicopters transporting SEAL Team 6 794 00:35:36,843 --> 00:35:39,220 reach the compound in Abbottabad. 795 00:35:39,220 --> 00:35:41,681 But as one of those modified Blackhawks 796 00:35:41,681 --> 00:35:44,309 maneuvers into position to touch down, 797 00:35:44,309 --> 00:35:47,854 it creates a vortex effect that kills its lift, 798 00:35:47,854 --> 00:35:52,901 and so the aircraft comes down violently rather than gently. 799 00:35:54,569 --> 00:35:56,237 - [Kevin] The element of surprise was absolutely gone 800 00:35:56,237 --> 00:35:57,781 at that point. 801 00:35:57,781 --> 00:36:00,241 The helicopter looked like a lawn dart inside the compound, 802 00:36:00,241 --> 00:36:03,119 and anybody in the compound knew now that this was 803 00:36:03,119 --> 00:36:06,956 some sort of military operation coming for them. 804 00:36:06,956 --> 00:36:09,000 - [Paul] It could have been a catastrophe, 805 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:10,210 but ironically, 806 00:36:10,210 --> 00:36:11,753 the crash probably got them 807 00:36:11,753 --> 00:36:13,129 on the ground quicker. 808 00:36:13,129 --> 00:36:16,007 The first task for them is to basically secure 809 00:36:16,007 --> 00:36:18,885 all of the surrounding environs around the house. 810 00:36:18,885 --> 00:36:22,222 Then an assault team storms the building itself. 811 00:36:22,222 --> 00:36:24,849 [C2 bomb bangs] 812 00:36:24,849 --> 00:36:27,018 - [Dina] Obama, Clinton, 813 00:36:27,018 --> 00:36:29,270 all these people who are sitting in the room, 814 00:36:29,270 --> 00:36:31,314 they have a drone that's watching all of this, 815 00:36:31,314 --> 00:36:34,442 but they have no idea what's happening inside. 816 00:36:34,442 --> 00:36:37,112 Obama said it was the longest 40 minutes of his life. 817 00:36:37,112 --> 00:36:38,780 [tense music] 818 00:36:38,780 --> 00:36:41,074 - [Paul] As the SEALs are moving up through the house, 819 00:36:41,074 --> 00:36:43,076 they encounter one of Bin Laden's adult sons, 820 00:36:43,076 --> 00:36:46,913 and they shoot him dead on one of the landings. 821 00:36:46,913 --> 00:36:49,290 Adult males in the compound are presumed 822 00:36:49,290 --> 00:36:50,875 to be al-Qaeda fighters. 823 00:36:50,875 --> 00:36:53,586 And the women and children are basically zip-tied 824 00:36:53,586 --> 00:36:55,338 and herded together. 825 00:36:55,338 --> 00:36:57,465 They're not offering any significant resistance, 826 00:36:57,465 --> 00:37:02,095 but it is taking time to secure these noncombatants. 827 00:37:02,095 --> 00:37:04,139 - [Dina] And what they had figured is that Osama bin Laden 828 00:37:04,139 --> 00:37:06,474 was probably with his family on the top floor, 829 00:37:06,474 --> 00:37:08,893 and they start making their way up the stairs. 830 00:37:08,893 --> 00:37:10,353 They have no idea 831 00:37:10,353 --> 00:37:12,480 what the inside of the house looks like, right? 832 00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:14,524 They've only seen it on the outside. 833 00:37:14,524 --> 00:37:16,526 They don't know if it's gonna be booby-trapped, 834 00:37:16,526 --> 00:37:19,320 so there was a concern that every time you opened a door, 835 00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:21,656 they'd blow themselves up. 836 00:37:22,866 --> 00:37:25,076 - [Martin] The SEALs make their way up the staircase 837 00:37:25,076 --> 00:37:26,411 to the third floor, 838 00:37:26,411 --> 00:37:28,413 it's the most fortified part of the compound, 839 00:37:28,413 --> 00:37:30,999 so anyone inside has had minutes 840 00:37:30,999 --> 00:37:32,625 to prepare their defense. 841 00:37:32,625 --> 00:37:34,502 As they enter, they see a man peering at them 842 00:37:34,502 --> 00:37:36,880 from one of the doorways, and they open fire. 843 00:37:38,006 --> 00:37:40,049 - [Kevin] The SEALs get to the doorway. 844 00:37:40,049 --> 00:37:44,637 The door opens, and on the ground is a man, wounded. 845 00:37:44,637 --> 00:37:47,640 And there are women in the room that rush towards him. 846 00:37:49,017 --> 00:37:52,979 The point man shields the women, and the SEALs behind him 847 00:37:52,979 --> 00:37:54,981 get to the side of the man on the ground, 848 00:37:54,981 --> 00:37:56,399 and they shoot him. 849 00:37:56,399 --> 00:37:57,901 [gunshot] 850 00:37:57,901 --> 00:38:00,987 At that point, they then secure the rest of this room, 851 00:38:00,987 --> 00:38:02,530 and they're trying to identify who it is 852 00:38:02,530 --> 00:38:03,907 that they've just shot. 853 00:38:05,325 --> 00:38:07,035 - The SEALs only have 40 minutes on the ground, 854 00:38:07,035 --> 00:38:08,828 so they're in a race against time, 855 00:38:08,828 --> 00:38:10,622 and they don't know whether or not the man 856 00:38:10,622 --> 00:38:14,042 that they have just killed is actually their target. 857 00:38:14,042 --> 00:38:15,919 He has gunshot wounds to his face, 858 00:38:15,919 --> 00:38:17,712 so they can't tell by looking at him. 859 00:38:17,712 --> 00:38:19,756 However, then one of the women in the room 860 00:38:19,756 --> 00:38:23,468 confirms that, yes, they have indeed killed Osama bin Laden. 861 00:38:24,344 --> 00:38:25,845 - [Kevin] They also find a treasure trove 862 00:38:25,845 --> 00:38:27,806 of al-Qaeda intelligence material, 863 00:38:27,806 --> 00:38:30,850 which they try to gather up as much as they can. 864 00:38:30,850 --> 00:38:33,144 - [Juliette] But they've lost lost one helicopter. 865 00:38:33,144 --> 00:38:35,605 The other one only has about 40 minutes 866 00:38:35,605 --> 00:38:38,066 of capacity to wait around. 867 00:38:38,066 --> 00:38:41,361 A backup helicopter has been sent in, 868 00:38:41,361 --> 00:38:43,530 but time is short. 869 00:38:44,781 --> 00:38:47,116 - [Paul] They evacuate bin Laden's dead body 870 00:38:47,116 --> 00:38:48,660 and some of the SEALs 871 00:38:48,660 --> 00:38:51,246 on the remaining stealth helicopter. 872 00:38:51,246 --> 00:38:53,665 They bring in a Chinook to pick up the rest of them. 873 00:38:53,665 --> 00:38:56,459 That's the big, heavy transport utility helicopter. 874 00:38:56,459 --> 00:38:58,795 They're loud, they're enormous, 875 00:38:58,795 --> 00:39:00,922 and now they've given up any possibility 876 00:39:00,922 --> 00:39:03,508 of secrecy or surprise. 877 00:39:03,508 --> 00:39:05,134 - As they're flying away, they receive reports 878 00:39:05,134 --> 00:39:06,469 that the Pakistani Air Force 879 00:39:06,469 --> 00:39:08,513 may be scrambling fighter interceptors 880 00:39:08,513 --> 00:39:10,056 to come and shoot them down. 881 00:39:10,056 --> 00:39:14,811 And so every single minute feels like a lifetime. 882 00:39:14,811 --> 00:39:17,939 For 90 minutes, they fly towards safety, 883 00:39:17,939 --> 00:39:19,065 and then eventually, 884 00:39:19,065 --> 00:39:21,276 when they enter Afghani airspace, 885 00:39:21,276 --> 00:39:23,027 they are finally safe. 886 00:39:23,027 --> 00:39:26,406 - They take the body, they perform some DNA tests 887 00:39:26,406 --> 00:39:28,533 to make sure it's Osama bin Laden. 888 00:39:28,533 --> 00:39:31,327 And then it's flown to an aircraft carrier 889 00:39:31,327 --> 00:39:33,121 where they conduct a Muslim funeral 890 00:39:33,121 --> 00:39:35,456 and bury Osama bin Laden at sea. 891 00:39:40,169 --> 00:39:41,629 [dramatic music] 892 00:39:41,629 --> 00:39:43,882 - [Laurence] Osama bin Laden's reign of terror 893 00:39:43,882 --> 00:39:45,842 is finally over. 894 00:39:45,842 --> 00:39:47,010 - Tonight- 895 00:39:47,010 --> 00:39:48,511 - [Laurence] President Obama reveals 896 00:39:48,511 --> 00:39:50,930 the news with a public announcement. 897 00:39:50,930 --> 00:39:53,016 - The United States has conducted an operation 898 00:39:53,016 --> 00:39:57,270 that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda. 899 00:39:57,270 --> 00:39:59,981 [crowd chanting] 900 00:40:01,232 --> 00:40:03,359 - It was such a jubilant moment for the country 901 00:40:03,359 --> 00:40:04,986 that people drove hours and hours 902 00:40:04,986 --> 00:40:07,864 just to celebrate outside of the White House. 903 00:40:07,864 --> 00:40:11,200 It was a chapter closing for a lot of Americans. 904 00:40:12,493 --> 00:40:14,370 - Shortly after the successful conclusion of the raid, 905 00:40:14,370 --> 00:40:17,123 the members of SEAL Team 6 redeployed back 906 00:40:17,123 --> 00:40:18,958 to the United States for a secret meeting 907 00:40:18,958 --> 00:40:20,293 with President Obama, 908 00:40:20,293 --> 00:40:22,795 who awarded each of the raiders the Silver Star. 909 00:40:24,339 --> 00:40:28,509 - [Martin] Finally, after 10 years of missed opportunities, 910 00:40:28,509 --> 00:40:31,930 false leads, and dead ends, Osama bin Laden, 911 00:40:31,930 --> 00:40:34,974 the most wanted man on planet Earth, 912 00:40:34,974 --> 00:40:38,478 the man who killed over 3,000 Americans on September 11th, 913 00:40:38,478 --> 00:40:40,605 and the man who's responsible for the deaths 914 00:40:40,605 --> 00:40:43,191 of thousands of other people worldwide, 915 00:40:43,191 --> 00:40:47,320 he has finally been killed, and justice has been served. 916 00:40:49,989 --> 00:40:52,867 - It's the end of one of the most intense manhunts 917 00:40:52,867 --> 00:40:56,704 in history, and while bin Laden's death doesn't end 918 00:40:56,704 --> 00:40:58,623 the threat of terror, 919 00:40:58,623 --> 00:41:02,543 it does prove that even the world's most elusive fugitive 920 00:41:02,543 --> 00:41:05,129 can't escape justice forever. 921 00:41:05,129 --> 00:41:06,965 I'm Laurence Fishburne. 922 00:41:06,965 --> 00:41:11,052 Thank you for watching this case-closed episode