Osama bin Laden was the founder of the pan-Islamic militant organisation al-Qaeda, who made his way onto the FBI’s “Most Wanted list” for his involvement in the 1998 US embassy bombings. The extremist devoted his life to undermining the West and is best-known for masterminding 9/11 – a series of four orchestrated terrorist attacks in the US on September 11, 2001 – killing almost 3,000 people. On May 3, 2011, bin Laden was shot and killed by US Navy SEALS inside a private residential compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, following a covert CIA operation code-named Operation Neptune Spear, under the direct orders of US President Barack Obama. 

However, when the terrorist was executed, just after 1:00AM local time, he was found to be wearing the local loose-fitting tunic and pants known as “kurta pyjamas” and unarmed, reports revealed.

His arrogance was the reason.

The Special Operations team known as SEAL Team Six also discovered €500 (£430) in cash and two telephone numbers sewn into his clothes.

Leon Panetta, the former director of the CIA claimed two days after the raid that the al-Qaeda leader “believed his network was strong enough [that] he’d get a heads-up” before a US strike.

He added that this confidence was so strong that it may also be the reason the compound was so lightly guarded and explain the lack of weapons found on him.

He believed his network was strong enough [that] he’d get a heads-up

Leon Panetta

The disclosure that bin Laden was carrying €500 in cash raised obvious questions about whether the al-Qaeda chief was intending to flee to Europe, as US dollars would have been the obvious choice of currency to carry if he intended to change it in countries neighbouring Pakistan.

It also helped justify the CIA’s nervousness about not informing the Pakistani authorities for fear that bin Laden would be tipped off.

Details about the raid on the compound were later made public, revealing the Navy SEALS who carried out the attack had to get past barricades that blocked the stairs leading to bin Laden’s second-floor bedroom.

Mr Panetta also said both the SEALS teams had to “breach three or four walls” inside the compound to get to their target because the Black Hawk helicopter carrying commandos – whose mission was to land on the roof – suffered mechanical failure.

However, the terrorist’s final moments are conflicted in reports by the SEALS who were there.

Robert J. O’Neil, who would later identify himself as one of the special forces who shot bin Laden, claims he pushed past the lead SEAL, entered the room and confronted the target.

Mr O’Neil states bin Laden was standing behind a woman with his hands on her shoulders, pushing her forward.

He then claims he shot bin Laden twice in the head and once more as he hit the floor.However, Matt Bissonnette gives a conflicting account. 

He claims bin Laden had already been mortally wounded from a shootout on the staircase, before cowering behind his wives in a separate room.

Mr Bissonette claims he and Mr O’Neil then stormed the room – finding an injured bin Laden on the ground – and fired multiple shots into him.

Journalist Peter Bergen investigated the conflicting claims and found that most of the SEALs present during the raid favoured Mr Bissonnette’s account of the events. 

It is also claimed that Mr O’Neill did not mention firing the shots that killed bin Laden in the after action report following the operations.

According to US officials, bin Laden was buried at sea because no country would accept his remains.

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