All language subtitles for Bin.Laden.The.Road.To.9.&.11.S01E03

[gunfire]

[shouting in foreign language]

[speaking in foreign language]

[yelling]

[gunfire]

[horn blaring]

[men shouting]

Narrator: We know bin Laden
as the terrorist,

the world's most evil man.

For those once closest to him
his story is more complex.

Obaidullah Baheer: I worshipped
everything about bin Laden,

how he had turned away
from so much money,

to stand by his religious
responsibility

towards our people,
towards my people.

Aimen Dean: I was appalled
by what happened,

it filled my heart with horror,

we are going into the path
of endless, perpetual bloodshed.

Khaled Batarfi: I prayed
secretly that he would die.

I mourned the person
I knew and loved

but I didn't mourn the monster
he turned out to be.

Tracy Walder: I worked
at the CIA

on the operations side in
the Counterterrorism Center

before, during,
and after September 11th.

Afghanistan, even though yes,
the Taliban were ruling it,

it was sort of
the wild, wild west,

it was essentially, you know,
a failed state,

which made it sort of
a breeding ground for Al-Qaeda

[suspenseful music playing]

[gunfire]

Aimen Dean: It became clear
to me

that something was happening,
Afghanistan is becoming more

and more the training ground
for many jihadists

from all across the world,

especially the Middle East,
Europe, and North America.

One of them
was Abdulaziz al-Omari,

one of the leaders
of the hijackers in 9/11,

and many others.

This is where they were chosen
for their talents,

and they were diverted
to other camps

that are more or less secretive
in order for them to be trained

for what was coming,

which was, of course,
basically the 9/11 attacks.

[inaudible speech]

Translation: Men must send
their children

to the fields of battle

so that they can acquire
military training

to defend and support
the religion of Muhammad"

[gunfire]

Obaidullah Baheer:
With bin Laden's influence,

with his money,

they end up creating
this platform

which is the base of jihad
around the world.

And it did become that,

international jihad
sprung from there.

Al-Qaeda start planning
their next step

which is to become a think tank,
or a brainstorming organisation

for how to bring the West
to its knees.

And then they start doing that
from that point onwards

Tracy Walder: A drone was flying
over one of the camps

in Afghanistan,

and they noticed
a very tall individual

dressed all in white,

surrounded by a security
formation.

That's really the closest
I have ever come

to seeing Osama bin Laden.

Wearing white I think really is
a symbol of a spiritual leader.

I believe that bin Laden felt

that he was a prophet here
in the physical form.

I 100% believe that bin Laden
thought he was a prophet.

Narrator: As bin Laden's
operations ramped up

so did his level of threat
against the United States.

CNN Reporter: Mr bin Laden,
can you tell us,

is the jihad directed against
the US government

or the people
of the United States?

It was obvious that he is now
ready to go public...

..and speak directly
to the American people

and threaten them.

He knew something is coming
and he wanted to be sure

that he's taking responsibility
for that thing that's coming.

And that will help him

because if he's now the enemy
of the United States,

he's on the same level

of the United States
in his mind,

and that will help him

to recruit more people
in the Muslim world.

"The United States has been
occupying the lands of Islam

"in the holiest of places,

"the Arabian Peninsula,
plundering its riches,

"dictating to its rulers,

"humiliating its people,

"and terrorising its neighbours.

"The ruling to kill
the Americans and their allies,

"civilians and military,

"is an individual duty
for every Muslim

"who can do it in any country in
which it is possible to do it.

"American history does
not distinguish

"between civilians and military,
not even women and children.

"They're the ones
who used the bombs

"against Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

"The Fatwa applies to all those

"who assist and support
in killing the sons of Muslims."

[gunfire]

Hamid Mir: I wrote some columns

in which I raised questions
about that edict,

which is called 'Fatwa'.

So, I said, how can
Osama bin Laden or any other...

..Muslim justify the killings

of innocent non-Muslims

in the light
of Islamic teachings?

We travelled to Kandahar,
that visit,

that was terrifying...

..because I saw them putting
a watermelon on the head,

and Al-Qaeda fighters

are practicing
and shooting the watermelon.

You see, it is terrifying.
It is terrifying.

I closed down my eyes
many times.

In my previous interview I asked
him many tough questions

very easily.

This time,
after watching all this,

and realising
they were very dangerous people,

it was difficult for me to ask
tough questions.

I am asking him, "Mr bin Laden,
can you justify your edict?"

He was very hostile, you see.

He was trying to justify
the killing of every American,

and he was using
the name of Islam.

And I was telling him that,
"You cannot justify your views

"in light of the teachings
of Islam."

But he was trying,
again and again, to convince me,

and I was not ready to agree.

And he was taking breaks
again and again.

I realised
he was also not fully equipped

by the religious knowledge,

and he was getting assistance

from some other scholars.

[car horn honking]

[chatter]

Man 1: He's alive.
Man 2: He's alive!

[chatter]

[distant siren blaring]

[gunfire]

Aimen Dean: I was
in the prayer hall

of Al Farouq camp

when I heard the celebratory
gunfire outside

and people shouting,
"Allahu Akbar!"

And so, I inquired
what was happening.

And they said that,
"Rejoice, everyone.

"The largest CIA station
in Africa

"was raised to the ground,
you know,

"with a big explosive device
of the Mujahideen."

[chatter]

CIA station, wow!

The CIA was attacked in Africa?

Then the news of the casualties
started to come,

that 12 Americans were killed.

And, well, hooray for that.
That's how we reacted.

220-plus Africans
were killed too.

Many of them were Kenyans
and Somalis

who were just in the wrong place
at the wrong time.

Man: Move out the way!

- 5,000 people were wounded,

because the device
was heavily laden with shrapnel

which basically maximised
the casualties.

Ali Soufan: Many people
in Washington,

and especially
in FBI headquarters,

did not want to believe it
was Osama bin Laden who did it

because, guess what?

They don't have any evidence
that Osama bin Laden

ever conducted a terrorist
attack like this before.

The first official assignment
involving Al-Qaeda

and Osama bin Laden

happened after the East Africa
embassy bombings.

I was one of the agents who
were tasked

to see if bin Laden
was involved in that attack.

Eventually, we found evidence
on the ground in Nairobi

coming from one
of the suicide bombers

who actually survived the attack

that he belongs
to Osama bin Laden's network,

and he belongs to Al-Qaeda.

[children chanting]

Obaidullah Baheer:
Till that point,

everything was defensive,
you know?

Like, everything we were doing
in Palestine, in Afghanistan,

whatever was happening
in Chechnya,

all of that was reactionary
jihad.

It was reactionary resistance,
right?

For the first time,
we had one Muslim leader or icon

step up and take the game
to the opponent.

So, I remember at that time,
we used to say

he was the first person
to throw a punch back.

He swears to reign terror
on the enemy.

That's when bin Laden
actually became a legend to us.

- Changes were made today

on the FBI's
'10 most wanted' list

Male Reporter: But before
they can arrest him,

they have to find him.

The US continues to offer
up to $5 million

for information leading
to the capture

of America's most dangerous
terrorist threat.

Aimen Dean: I still remember,
it was late August

and Osama bin Laden already
arrived in Al Farouq camp.

But he left just before sunset.

[inaudible chatter]

[missiles launching]

Aimen Dean: Many hours later,

in the early hours
of the morning

I just saw many lights
approaching

and then diving into the camp.

I think at least 20 missiles
struck that day.

Even the tent where I was,
there was casualties.

I felt extremely lucky
to be alive.

It really hit home -

we are now going into the path

of endless, perpetual bloodshed.

[chatter]

Rahimullah Yusufzai:
I received a phone call.

I heard a voice saying,
"I am Dr Zawahiri,"

and he said that Sheikh -

they called
Osama bin Laden 'Sheikh'.

He said,
"Sheikh is sitting with me.

"I will talk to you
about a message

"which we want to be broadcast."

So, then we had
quick greetings... from Osama.

And then Dr Zawahiri gave me
the message

saying that our camp
was attacked by the Americans

with cruise missiles,

we survived.

In fact, he said,
"We were 500 kilometres away."

He was making fun of American
intelligence.

And he said,
"Now the war has begun

"and we will reply
in the same coin"

[car horn honking]

"We believe that the biggest
thieves in the world

"are Americans

"and the biggest terrorists
on earth are the Americans.

"The only way for us to fend off
this assault

"is to use our armies.

"We do not differentiate between

"those dressed in military
or civilian attire.

"They are all the targets
in this Fatwa."

Narrator: Aimen Dean
was so disturbed

by bin Laden's targeting
of civilians,

he decided to leave Al-Qaeda.

Aimen Dean: I remember
when I left Afghanistan,

I was heading to Qatar

under the pretext
of medical examination.

I was detained by the Qatari
intelligence services.

That set in motion a series
of events basically that,

in the end, led to me
being recruited

by the British
intelligence service.

My role was to debrief
the UK security agencies

about Al-Qaeda,

about their camps,
their safe houses,

their training locations,

as well as their training
manuals,

including explosives,
chemical weapons, poisons,

biological weapons,
all of these things.

It's only few months
into these debriefing sessions

that it became clear

that I could still return
to Afghanistan

with an excellent cover story.

It means that I'm going there
not as a member of Al-Qaeda

but as a spy, as a double agent.

Narrator: When Dean returned
to Afghanistan,

he found security
around bin Laden

had become much tighter.

Aimen Dean: Osama bin Laden

became more and more invisible
to his followers.

It became very difficult
to always confirm his location.

I've met many jihadist leaders
in my life.

There is always one unique thing
about these leaders,

is that they are determined
to fight

as much as they are determined
to die...

..but what they always wish for

is that they don't want
their death to take place

unless they have caused
the enemy maximum damage.

Narrator: Whilst bin Laden
was less visible

to his acolytes,

he made sure the West
did not forget him.

- It was broad daylight today

when the USS Cole
began to tie up

in the port city of Aden
in Yemen.

The small boat with two men
in it

was apparently not seen
as a threat.

Tonight, we know

that five American soldiers
were killed,

and a dozen are unaccounted for,
and 36 were wounded.

Ali Soufan: When I arrived
on the scene in October of 2000

I was in charge
of the investigation.

I looked at the harbour.

It was something that
you will never forget.

Many of the victims fell
when they were waiting in line

to go and eat in the cafeteria.

The metal rolled
like a carpet...

..and their bodies
were entangled in the metal.

The smell of death,

it's something that
will continue with you forever.

Bin Laden did a video

where he was wearing
a Yemeni dagger.

It was I think part
of his son's wedding video.

At the time, I kind of said,

"Wow, we never saw him wearing
a Yemeni dagger before."

- He wanted to basically
send a message

against the might
of the United States.

[men singing
in foreign language]

Aimen Dean: The period

in which the East Africa
bombings happened,

the USS Cole happened,

the traffic into Afghanistan
at the time, in and out,

was quite significant.

People were coming and going.

I started to see the build-up
of Al-Qaeda's jihadists

coming to be trained
to carry out attacks

that would put terror
and the fear of God, literally,

into the hearts of the enemy.

[car horn honking]

Narrator: Following the bombing
of the USS Cole,

bin Laden and selected
senior members of Al-Qaeda

were refining their plans

for an even more ambitious
attack on America.

Aimen Dean: Al-Qaeda
kept the plot

under an extreme veil
of secrecy.

Years after the event,

when I met some senior members
of Al-Qaeda later, they said

that two thirds of Al-Qaeda
Sharia council members

never knew, you know,

about the attacks until a day
or two beforehand.

One of the aspects
of Islamic theology

that I taught myself about
was dream interpretation.

Abdulaziz al-Omari,

one of the leaders of
the 9/11 hijackers, came to me

and he said that he saw a dream.

He saw himself riding
a giant green bird.

Just massive,
the size of an aeroplane.

And that he was riding
that bird,

flying towards a massive tower.

He knew that this tower
was his target,

and then he smashed into it.

He said to me,
"What does it mean?"

I said "Your death is going
to happen in a faraway land."

When Abu Hafs al-Masri heard
the outline of the dream,

he said, "Did anyone tell you
anything about any plot,

"about any operation,

"about any attack we're
planning?"

And he said, "No. No-one told me
anything."

So, he took him
to Osama bin Laden...

..and told him
to repeat the dream to him.

So, Osama bin Laden said...

"We have to include you
in an operation

"because if we include you,

"then we hope that your dream
will be fulfilled."

I never told the intelligence
services about it at the time

because I thought,
it's just a dream.

Aimen Dean: The last time
I ever met him,

he appeared, as always, calm,
collected, determined.

I mean no-one detected
any visible change, you know,

that will tell you that
something out of the ordinary,

something extraordinary
is about to happen.

[ominous music playing]

[traffic noise]

- Just hours before the 9/11,

My receptionist told me,
"There's somebody from Kabul.

"He is here to see you."

They put him on the phone,
and he said,

"I'm here with the message
from the Sheikh."

Obaidullah Baheer:
I was 11 years old...

..and I remember getting
out of class

and suddenly everyone's
gathered in front of the TV.

Aimen Dean: I was coming
to London

for debriefing with
the UK intelligence services.

I went to Oxford Street,

I saw a group of people
around Dixons.

There were so many TVs,

and I saw so many people
congregating around the screens.

Then I saw
the World Trade Center.

The first thing that came
to my mind - "This is it."

So, he was looking
towards the TV set...

..and there was a breaking news.

I said, "What happened?"

He said, "There is
a plane crash. Plane crash."

I said,
"This is just an accident.

"Why are you dancing?"

So, he gave me a piece of paper.

There was a small
statement written

in Arabic language,

and he was looking towards
the TV again and again,

again and again,

and he was saying...
[foreign language]

"The second one, the second one,
the second one."

[crowd yelling]

Obaidullah Baheer:
I remember at that point,

we were jumping up and down,

we were throwing fists
in the air.

Woman: Holy shit!

[indistinct chatter]

Hamid Mir: When the second plane
crashed in the Twin Towers,

and the person started smiling,
I collapsed on my chair.

Khaled Batarfi:
I saw the towers burning

and at that time,
I remember praying to God...

..please don't make Muslim
mujahideen who did this,

because it will turn bad

for Islam and Muslims
everywhere.

[sirens]

Hamid Mir: The statement
said that,

"I am not directly responsible

"for what happened in America,
but...

.."I praise their action."

That was the statement.

Reporter: You can see
the two towers.

- [explosion]
- A huge explosion, now!

We better get out of the way!

[woman screaming]

Woman: Oh my god!

Woman 2: Oh no!

[crying and shrieking]

Khaled Batarfi: I prayed
that Al-Qaeda

has nothing to do with it,

but my prayers
were not answered.

From that point on,

I prayed secretly
that he would die.

[sinister music playing]

Obaidullah Baheer: After 9/11
bin Laden because our idol,

he was the hero.

If you ever asked us how
the death of countless civilians

in New York City made sense,

we would be like, "Well, does
the death of Palestinian people

"make sense to you?"

Now, we realised
that an eye for an eye

would leave us
with a blind world.

- Tonight,
the United States of America

makes the following demands
on the Taliban.

Deliver to United States
authorities

all the leaders of Al-Qaeda
who hide in your land.

They will hand over
the terrorists...

..or they will share
in their fate.

[bird cawing]

Translation: What America's
living through today

is nothing compared to what
we have been living through

for decades.

Our nation has been living
for more than 80 years

with this kind of oppression.

But now God blessed
a group of Muslims

and opened His doors
before them,

so they were able
to destroy America...

..and I hope God will exalt them
and welcome them in His heaven.

[suspense music playing]

Hamid Mir: Americans were trying
their level best

to hunt him down.

They were bombing Kabul
very aggressively.

[distant explosions]

Narrator: Hamid Mir is taken
to meet Osama bin Laden

for the third time.

Hamid Mir: It was early morning
and I was blindfolded.

His son, Abdul Rahman,
had a digital camera

and he was acting
as my cameraman.

I started my interview.

He was full of hatred against
President George W Bush.

At one moment, he said
that if the Americans

will use chemical
or nuclear weapons

against Afghanistan,

we can respond back
in the same manner.

So, I asked him
a follow-up question

and he said that,
he claimed that,

"Yes, I have these kind
of weapons as a deterrence."

And then somebody rushed in
and he said,

"We need to leave this place
as soon as possible."

So, there was panic in the room.

They left from the back door,
I left from the front door.

After my last interview
with bin Laden...

..I lost contact with him.

I tried to meet him again,

but I never got any information
about his whereabouts.

- We had intelligence

that bin Laden was in
the mountains of Tora Bora...

..which is a very difficult area
to get to.

It's very, very mountainous.

I felt like,
"September 11th happened,

"this is my way
that I can contribute

"to the thousands of lives
that were lost

"and that I can kill the person
that did this."

Reporter: At Tora Bora today

US fighter planes and B52s
dropped their payloads

as part of their continuing
quest to destroy Al-Qaeda.

[distant explosions]

[indistinct radio chatter]

[explosion]

[indistinct radio chatter]

Tracey Walder: In those
mountain regions,

it's very difficult to capture
or kill one person

with only bombs.

[explosion]

Unfortunately,
there was a decision

that was made that was clearly
way above my pay grade

to not send ground troops
into that area.

[men shouting]

Obaidullah Baheer: It was
a fight between religions,

it was a fight between right,
wrong -

it was that black and white
for us back then.

My grandfather sent
Hezb-e Islami fighters

to extract bin Laden
from Tora Bora

and probably saved his life.

Tracy Walder: We believe
that bin Laden

went into the Afghan-Pak
border region.

We sort of felt like
we had this moment,

that we could vindicate
what had been done to us.

Then to see that slip away,
that was very frustrating.

We lost him.

Narrator: Bin Laden
and his family are fugitives.

Hunted by the world's
most sophisticated

and technologically-advanced
spy agencies.

[computer trilling]

[tense rhythmic music playing]

Tracy Walder: I personally
did not know where he was,

but a lot of times we would
sit around and talk about it.

I know that seems like
a strange conversation

but sometimes it
was just something we did.

I visited Afghanistan,
I was covering elections there

and I came to know he is hiding
in Kunar mountains.

So, I went to Kunar,
and when I reached there...

..he'd left the place.

- How it is possible that
when entire US intelligence...

..and other intelligence
agencies

are trying to find out
Osama bin Laden,

nobody is able to find
Osama bin Laden.

Narrator: The intelligence
agencies

would eventually discover

that, aided by old friends
and associates,

bin Laden had crossed
the Afghan border

into Pakistan...

..moving from safe house
to safe house.

Moving in Pakistan

was not some difficult thing
for Osama bin Laden.

He changed his appearance,
he was moving freely.

He used to travel in the vans

he would always used to move
along his family.

In Pakistan whenever
you are moving with the women

at security check points,

they are lenient about you.

One or two times,

he was also stopped
by the security people,

but he was having
a different appearance

and he was allowed to go.

Narrator: In 2005,
Osama bin Laden and his family

moved to a city
in eastern Pakistan.

Azaz Syed: Most of the people

who would live around
the compound of Osama bin Laden,

they are middle-class people.

This was a very unusual house.

14-foot-high walls

with the barbed wires
on the top of the walls.

The balconies were also covered.

So, there was no apparent window

which anybody could use

to see inside
who's living there.

Narrator: This compound
became a settled home

for bin Laden,
his wives and children.

Ali Soufan: We always knew

he was most probably
hiding in Pakistan,

but my God, I never thought
he will be just over the fence

of the biggest military academy
in the country.

That was very interesting
on so many different levels.

[birds twittering]

[girl laughing]

[speaking foreign language]

[inaudible chatter]

[serene music playing]

Azaz Syed: The children
would play in the compound.

They were having lambs,
they were having rabbits.

They were having pets
over there.

[poultry chirping and squawking]

[playful screams]

[playful screams and chatter]

[serene music continues]

[firearm discharges]

He would play
with the small children,

but most of the time

he would spend
watching television.

[TV playing in foreign language]

Narrator: During
his 10 years in hiding

bin Laden closely followed
world events.

[crowds chanting]

"What we are witnessing
these days

"of consecutive revolutions
is a grand and glorious event.

"The exit of Muslims from being
under the control of the USA.

"And the Americans
worry about that,

"which is great."

[crowds chattering and singing]

[crowds yelling]

[crowds chanting]

[yelling]

[gunfire]

Narrator: Bin Laden
communicated to his followers

via videos

delivered by a trusted courier.

[bin Laden speaking Arabic]

Translation: We fight
because we are free men

who don't sleep
under repression.

Just as you lay waste
to our nation

so shall we lay waste to yours.

Tracy Walder: His followers,
I guess,

were satisfied with sort of,
you know, a TV appearance

once every six months or so.

And as long as they had proof
of life,

I think they were satisfied
in continuing his mission still.

[electronic trilling]

[suspenseful music playing]

Tracy Walder: The breakthrough
was the courier.

We had information that led us
to one of his couriers.

The courier was travelling
to a house

and that house looked
very suspicious and strange

for the area.

You know, we would have
no way of knowing

that he was actually there.

And so, I think, you know,
a lot of it was hypothesis.

They took a huge risk.

- I'm Robert J O'Neil,

I was a Navy SEAL
for almost 17 years.

They brought us into a room,

and he said, "Alright, guys,
the reason you're here

"is this is as close
as we've ever been

"to Osama bin Laden."

We went to the helicopters,

and we did our last thing,
you know, pee in the bush,

have a smoke,
do whatever you do,

and instead of handshakes,
we gave each other hugs.

And it's kinda like,

"Alright, see you on the ground,
have a good fight."

So, at 80 minutes in,
we bank to the south

and that's when the aircrew guys
open the door

and you look out the window.

There's already a gunfight,

there's a couple bombs
going off.

I look to the left,
there's bin Laden's house.

We went in through the bottom

and there's a long hallway
with doors on each side.

On that stairwell
was Khalid bin Laden,

he's like 20 years old.

That's one of Osama bin Laden's
sons.

The guy in front
out-manoeuvred him, shot him.

Killed Khalid bin Laden
and we went up those stairs.

Now, we were on
the second floor,

there's one more stairwell
to go.

We went up the stairs,
and there's Osama bin Laden

standing there three feet away.

I remember thinking,
"He's taller than I thought."

He was taller than me.
He's skinnier than I thought.

His wife Amal
is right in front of him.

He's got his hands
on her shoulders

and I don't know what he's doing
but he's not surrendering

and I'm assuming
he is a suicide bomber.

"I have sworn
to live in freedom.

"Even if I find bitter
the taste of death...

.."I don't want to die
humiliated or deceived."

He has a second to convince me
not to kill him.

He didn't do it.

I treated him
as a suicide bomber,

and I shot him
in the face twice.

He fell down
and I shot him again.

- Tonight, I can report
to the American people

that the United States
has conducted an operation

that killed Osama bin Laden,
the leader of Al-Qaeda...

..and a terrorist
who's responsible for the murder

of thousands of innocent men,
women, and children.

I didn't feel ecstatic.

I didn't feel...

..excited. I just felt like...

.."OK, that's... he's done."

Just because Osama bin Laden
is dead,

it does not mean
that it's the end.

He might be more valuable
for the organisation

dead than alive.

[crowd shouting]

My first reaction was relief.

It was an absolute sense
of relief.

I did not feel the sense
of either happiness,

or gloating.

He was always warm
and kind to me.

It was just a sense
of relief for everyone

that this man's
misguided quest is over.

[majestic music playing]

Female Reporter: Taliban forces
entered the heart

of the Afghan capital,
Kabul, today,

the culmination
of a rapid advance

and retaking of control

almost exactly two decades

after they were ousted
from power.

[crowds yelling]

Obaidullah Baheer:
The US lost this war

because democracy
and their liberating mission

ended up becoming
one and the same thing.

A liberating mission that meant

that they didn't care
for our culture,

for our history,
for our religion.

That they were here
to replace it

and that reinforced everything

that bin Laden had talked about.

[chatter]

Ali Soufan: He is the son
of a billionaire

who left everything behind...

..in order to declare war...

..that can bring the glory
of Islam back.

That's how they view him,
that's how they look upon him.

That's how Osama bin Laden
will probably, would like...

..to be remembered.

The only problem with that,

that you have thousands
and thousands of people who died

in the process.

Innocent people.

Muslims and non-Muslims.

People that had nothing
to do with his wars.

That's not leadership.

So, towards the end
I think it's one of these things

where the passion of the heart

blew out the candle
of the brain.

Hamid Mir: Now, 20 years
passed since 9/11,

and about 10 years passed
since his death...

..but the world is still
not very safe.

And I fear that maybe not me

but some other young
journalist,

will see another bin Laden

because the situation
in Afghanistan,

the situation in Palestine,
the situation in Kashmir,

and in other parts of the world
actually created bin Laden.

I fear we may see
more bin Ladens.

Captioned by Ai-Media
ai-media.tv

[ominous theme music playing]