Treasure trove of al Qaeda intel combed for gold

Locals and the media gather outside the perimeter wall and sealed gate into the compound and a house in Pakistan where al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was caught and killed and a treasure trove of documents for intelligence experts was seized.

/ AP Photo/Anjum Naveed

In what could be one of the biggest single intelligence hauls since the U.S. first declared war on Islamic extremists, officials are combing over thousands of electronic files and paper documents seized in the raid in Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden.

CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports the computers, files, hard drives and other evidence confiscated from the bin Laden compound are being analyzed at the FBI's forensic lab in Quantico, Va. The CIA, which has the lead in analyzing the data, has set up a task force comprised of analysts from multiple disciplines.

The CIA will share any relevant findings with other intelligence agencies, though it's not clear how much of the information (if any) will be shared with the public. Officials will not comment on the quantity or quality of the material. But, one said, "We expect to find some good stuff."

The trove of materials collected from the compound where bin Laden had lived the last 5 or 6 years includes 10 hard drives, five computers and more than 100 storage devices like disks, DVDs and thumb drives, in addition to many paper documents as well, CNN reports.

While those examining the material will certainly not be publicly revealing its contents anytime soon, the wealth of documents both could and should yield at least some information on the remaining al Qaeda operatives, their plans, their network, their recruitment efforts, their movements, as well as other operational matters.

In addition to providing much sought-after intelligence on the remaining al Qaeda operatives, U.S. officials say the data will be combed to provide some insight over the controversy surrounding Pakistan's role in bin Laden sheltering there. Specifically, officials are hoping the documents will explain how exactly bin Laden lived in Pakistan for so long undetected.

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"(Intelligence experts) are trying to determine themselves whether or not there were individuals within the Pakistani government or military intelligence services who were knowledgeable about bin Laden's residence there and whether or not they were providing support," John Brennan, Obama's counterterrorism advisor, said, according to al Jazeera.

If the CIA task force proves that the material is a fruitful as some expect, Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, told the Toronto Star that the "intelligence harvest" could ultimately prove "as important if not more important than the actual killing of bin Laden."

[FlightRisk999]

What the world has been told about about who knew what "officially" is, of course, only the tip of the iceberg. Remember the "Ultra Secret" (Enigma) of World War 2?

The CIA had been covertly watching the compound for months, perhaps even years. During the Seals' raid, computers and other documents were confiscated along with cellphones. Because there were no telephone landlines or internet connections to the building, one can therefore safely assume that any cellphone calls made from within or outside the compound were regularly monitored and recorded for evidence as to who might be living there.

Furthermore, what appear to be antennas on the roof of the compound has not been adequately explained. Thus far, no media closeup photos show exactly what they are. What look like short, vertical "pipes" or masts could in fact be camouflaged 2-way radio antennas.

It is no secret that sophisticated, scrambled-signal or spread-spectrum 2-way radio equipment exists--handheld and otherwise--which could easily have been used by the residents of the compound to contact accomplices located nearby--perhaps to certain Pakistani intelligence or military people.

It is almost certain that any cellphone or radio transmissions emanating from the compound were recorded by the CIA to use as proof of any such covert Pakistani assistance. Presumably anyone guilty of protecting OBL will betray themselves by their own lies when such proof is ever produced. The trap has been set and time will tell.

[Hialeahtom]

This is Obama's way to create jobs. I wonder how long it will take to look through the "treasure trove" of Osama and how many people are involved? I bet by now all those information on the harddrives are no longer any good. Funny that Obama can never learn that we are people are not as stupid as he thinks.
Obama, don't waste the tax-payers money and time.

Hialeahtom

[reluctantzealot]

Can you imagine that many computers and no access to the internet? That's like having HDTV Giant Screen TV and only an old video player for input.

[tmittelstaed]

I also think there will be a giant treasure trove of info. And I doubt any of it will be encrypted or password protected and here is why. Bin Laden's primary goal was preservation of his own self. He was an egotist, power monger control freak. Since he never left the compound he would alway be right there to manage access to his files and computers. He would not need to password protect things to keep people out of them because he would be standing right there watching the people access the computers. And since he wasn't connected to the Internet that would be another reason he wouldn't need a password since there's no chance of viruses or so on that could affect him.

[billpl-2009]

don't think people are thinking this whole thing thru

I doubt the Pakistani government knew anything

they're not capable of keeping that big of secret, especially with $20 mil in booty for blowing his cover

plus, if Bin Laden didn't think he could have gotten away with it, he wouldn't have been there in the first place

Bin Laden = smart
Pakistani government = stupid
USA = patient

patience wins
case closed

[bradkt1]

I doubt that the U.S. is going to share any information gleaned from the Bin Laden raid on a wholesale basis with any Middle Eastern country. Certain key allies (in NATO for example) would receive information that affects them. Other countries that face ongoing terrorist plots would receive information about those plots and who is involved. There is also a good chance that there is information that identifies who the Al Qaeda contacts are in many of these countries.

Remeber, OBL used couriers to communicate, issue orders and promote people. That means that there had to be some record of their identities, locations and how to contact them kept somewhere...not just the couriers, but the people that he sent those couriers to...most likely on those discs and/or hard drives. What I am thinking is that while no one had the information about how to contact OBL from the bottom up, he had loads of information about how to contact many people from the top down. That makes sense to me. He was comfortable knowing that he was protected by the Pakistani Government and that no one could get to him. A lot of information on his computer discs and drives might not even be encrypted.

He didn't keep all of the financial information (banks, front companies, account numbers and the identities of money men) in his head. There has to be a record of them somewhere.

I predict that the country that will be most incriminated will be Pakistan. There is also probably a record of his contacts within the Pakistani Government...and the ISI didn't have a chance to sanitize the place before the U.S. Navy Seals cleaned it out.

There might be information about Al Qaeda recruiters, "rat lines," financial supporters, governments privately allied with Al Qaeda and Al Qaeda's contacts within those governments. There is also probably information that isn't obvious that matches up with other information that we already have.

The public won't learn the full extent of what the Navy Seals found at OBL's home for years...if ever.

Thios could be the kind of intelligence haul from which Al Qaeda never recovers. Let's hope so.

[mrbucket2]

But, why hadn't wikileaks found this before, lol

This trove of info will mostly prove more incriminating evidence against these evil doers and their protectors.

[morriswise]

There was no dialysis machine in the photos taken after the seals were gone. Answer: The dialysis machine was thrown into the ocean with Osama just in case he needed it to stay alive.

[Birdman04]

Who knew what and when? The rats will be scurrying for cover soon.