U.S. Releases Bin Laden’s Personal Videos

The U.S. government released videos Saturday American forces obtained following the raid on Osama bin Laden’s Pakistan-based compund.

The five videos, silent since the Intelligence Community opted to remove the audio to prevent spreading al Qaeda propaganda, depict the terrorist leader watching footage of himself on television, recording one of his infamous video messages, and rehearsing additional taped statements.

According to a Senior Intelligence Official, the footage was released to “make clear that bin Laden remained active in al Qaeda’s terrorist propaganda operations, especially in shaping his own image” and offer further proof that U.S. forces killed bin Laden.

“It is highly unlikely that some of this footage would have resided anywhere else but with bin Laden,” the official explained.

Following last Sunday’s strike, U.S. forces removed a sizeable collection of electronic equipment from the Pakistan.

“There’s actually so much material that we’re still trying to accurately quantify it,” a Senior Intelligence Official noted.

While the material is still under review, the Official told reporters that it is evident bin Laden “continued to direct even tactical details of the group’s management and to encourage plotting.”

“The materials show that bin Laden remained focused on inspiring and engineering international terrorism and specifically on attacking the United States,” the official said.