How Osama Bin Laden’s Laundry Led To His Demise

A new book has been published that reveals some of the more surprising aspects of the capture of Osama bin Laden.

Bin Laden was killed at his compound by US forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2, 2011, after having been in hiding for five years.

Despite being the most wanted man in the world at that time, bin Laden managed to keep himself and members of his extended family hidden from sight, with he, his three wives, children and grandchildren concealed within an acre of land behind high privacy walls.

The unusual features of the property – which had no phone lines or Internet service – raised suspicion among members of the military, who began watching it from a nearby base.

However, as mundane as it may seem, the notorious al-Qaeda founder might have gone undetected for a little while longer had the family had a tumble dryer inside the house.

Among other fascinating insights into the final days of one of the most feared men of the 21st century, Bergen reveals that laundry hung out to dry on a clothesline just outside the compound had been the final piece in the puzzle for former CIA Director Leon Panetta.

Every day, the clothesline could be seen flapping with female garments, men’s shalwar kameez, children’s clothes and nappies.

After examining the range of clothing, agents worked out that the mysterious inhabitants would have to include an adult man, multiple adult women, and at least nine children. This set-up fit exactly the make up of the household they were searching for.

Although agents were never able to put together concrete evidence of bin Laden living behind the secretive walls, ‘they also never found evidence that undercut the notion that he was living there’, as per Bergen.

The laundry situation was enough to convince Panetta, who presented the findings to then-president Barack Obama, ultimately leading to the fateful raid.