CIA releases 470,000 more files from 2011 Osama raid

WASHINGTON: Never-before-seen video of Osama bin Laden’s son and potential successor was released by the CIA in a trove of material recovered during the May 2011 raid that killed the al-Qaeda leader at his compound in Pakistan.

The video offers the first public look at Hamza bin Laden as an adult. Until now, the public has only seen childhood pictures of him.

In recent years, al-Qaeda has released audio messages from Hamza. And to mark a recent anni- versary of 9/11, al-Qaeda superimposed a childhood photo of him over a photo of the World Trade Center.

He is expected to rise to prominence in the extremist movement and is being closely watched as the rival Islamic State (IS) organisation suffers setbacks in the Middle East.

One hour-long video shows Hamza at his wedding, sitting on a carpet with other men. A man reciting Quranic verses can be heard in the background.

Sporting a traditional white headdress, he verbally accepts his marriage to his bride “on the book of God and the example of the prophet. Peace be upon him”.

It was the fourth trove of documents, images and computer files recovered during the raid on Osama’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Earlier materials were released in May 2015, March 2016 and January of this year.

The CIA said the nearly 470,000 additional files offered insights into the inner workings of the terrorist organisation responsible for 9/11 and detail its clashes with IS, a spinoff of al-Qaeda’s operation in Iraq.

They also shed light on hardships that al-Qaeda faced at the time of Osama’s death.

Included is a 228-page, handwritten personal journal of Osama and about 79,000 images and audio files, including practice reels of public speeches.

Also released were home videos and over 10,000 video files, includ- ing the one of Hamza’s wedding.

Also included is information on how al-Qaeda planned to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the network’s work to spread its message through Western media, the group’s effort to exploit the Arab uprisings in 2011, Osama’s quest to keep his organisation together amid disagreements over beliefs and operational tactics, and al-Qaeda’s work to burnish its image with fellow Muslims amid negative media.