The hunt for Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaeda responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks that killed 2,977 people and injured thousands more, lasted approximately a decade, culminating in his death in Pakistan on May 2, 2011.
American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden, a Netflix documentary series premiering March 10, features interviews with individuals who were involved in planning the momentous raid. The three-part series features top intelligence officials who served under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, detailing the critical events that led to bin Laden’s capture and the reasons it took almost ten years to locate him.
According to Leon Panetta, CIA director at the time of bin Laden’s death, who shares his insights in the documentary, the terrorist’s death signified that “In many ways, we had really brought justice to all of those victims” of 9/11.
Here’s an examination of the most significant turning point in the highly classified mission, as well as the events unfolding in Pakistan and Washington, D.C. on the day of the raid.
How the U.S. located Osama bin Laden
In 2009, shortly after his first inauguration, President Barack Obama instructed intelligence officials to intensify their efforts to find Osama bin Laden, making it the top priority for the new CIA director, Panetta. These officials concentrated on finding a courier named Abu Ahmed, with the hope that he would lead them to bin Laden’s location. They knew they were progressing when they presented the name to top al Qaeda operative Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), who was being held in Guantanamo Bay. KSM cautioned other detainees not to discuss Ahmed with any Americans, unaware that his conversations were being monitored.
A crucial moment occurred in the summer of 2010, when intelligence officials intercepted one of Ahmed’s phone calls and tracked him to a white SUV. They followed the vehicle to a large compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, which immediately aroused suspicion. It was unclear how Ahmed, who had no apparent source of income, could afford such a substantial property. In addition, the compound’s walls were topped with barbed wire, and the balcony had a large privacy screen. Panetta notes in the series that Abbottabad is a tourist destination known for its mountains: “Why would you put an eight-foot wall on the third floor?” Intelligence officials then measured the shadow of a man observed walking in the garden daily, who was determined to be the same height as bin Laden. They even contacted a journalist who had interviewed Osama to request footage of him walking, in order to compare the individual’s gait.
In April 2011, the Navy’s elite special operations force, Seal Team 6, began preparing to raid the compound, using a mock-up of the building located in North Carolina that was based on surveillance footage. Whenever a section of the mock-up was damaged during simulations, it was immediately repaired to allow the team to continue practicing.
After about a month of training, Seal Team 6 launched the raid on the compound on May 2, using helicopters designed to minimize radar detection.
Inside the war room
In American Manhunt, top Obama advisors share details about their activities in the hours leading up to the bin Laden siege. As Seal Team 6 flew to the compound, American officials coped with the pressure in their own ways. Panetta mentions that he attended mass to pray. Deputy CIA director Michael Morell discloses that his marriage was strained because his wife was upset that he couldn’t attend his daughter’s final high school concert, and he couldn’t reveal the reason for his absence. Rob O’Neill of Seal Team 6 was writing letters for his children to read in the event of his death. President Obama, known to play when nervous, engaged in a game of spades. Ben Rhodes, a senior communications advisor, recalls that people began sharing their memories of where they were on 9/11.
After landing their helicopters outside the compound, Seal Team 6 encountered several obstacles before locating bin Laden. One soldier recounts realizing they had reached bin Laden’s hiding place upon discovering a false door in a concrete wall, exclaiming “nobody does that!” After locating, shooting, and killing bin Laden’s courier Ahmed, they were confronted by women acting as human shields—”another indicator that he’s here,” O’Neill remembers.
O’Neill recalls that when he finally came face-to-face with the world’s most wanted man, he recognized bin Laden’s nose and noticed that he was taller and thinner than he had anticipated. On May 2, 2011, Seal Team 6 fatally shot bin Laden and confiscated all intelligence records found on the premises.
Despite the success of the mission, there was no immediate celebration in Washington, D.C. Rhodes explains that the President insisted on confirming that Seal Team 6 had safely exited Pakistani airspace before declaring any victory. No Americans were injured during the operation. In the series, O’Neill summarizes the team’s thoughts: “We accepted death on this mission but it’s nice to live.”