Osama Bin Laden kept files on Prince Harry and tracked his planned deployment to Iraq, CIA reveals
OSAMA Bin Laden kept documents on Prince Harry and tracked his planned deployment to Iraq, top secret files released by the CIA reveal.
The Al-Qaeda mastermind downloaded news articles related to Harry’s proposed military deployment on computers found in the May 2011 raid on his home in Abbottabad, Pakistan, The Sun Online can reveal.
One had the headline “Prince Harry moves into the line of fire” and another read “Prince Harry in Iraq could raise troops' risk”.
Harry, who was due to serve with his unit the Blues and Royals in May 2007, was never deployed to Iraq after officials changed their mind at the last minute - but he secretly served in Helmand, Afghanistan, later that year.
Now the new CIA files, released on Wednesday, indicate the royal may have been a target for the terror group behind the deadly September 11th attacks.
Terrorism analyst Bill Roggio, who has been lobbying for the release of the bombshell files since 2011, told The Sun Online that the evidence proves evil Bin Laden wanted to kill Harry.
He said: “Without a doubt it shows Prince Harry was a target for Al-Qaeda - they were gunning for him - and also when he was deployed to Afghanistan.
“The Taliban were gunning for him and Al-Qaeda were gunning for him.”
The slew of files released on Wednesday includes videos, letters, images and audio files found on computers in the terror leader's compound after he was killed in a raid by US Navy Seals.
They include incredible home footage showing the Bin Laden children playing with farm animals and guns - as well as funny viral videos and cartoons.
The trove of files - which included episodes of documentary A History Of Britain, copies of Wallace And Gromit: A Matter Of Loaf And Death, and Shaun The Sheep: A Woolly Good Time - also reveal how the sick jihadist was obsessed with British culture.
He also had a video of Queen Elizabeth II listening to a reading of the Koran.
Other movies found included Resident Evil, Cars, Antz and Chicken Little.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo described the release as an "opportunity for the American people to gain further insights into the plans and workings of this terrorist organisation".
Bin Laden's reportedly extensive porn collection has not been released - with the CIA stating they withheld "materials protected by copyright; pornography; malware; and blank, corrupted and duplicate files".
Roggio, the editor of the Long War Journal, revealed that it may take years to read and translate the 470,000 files.
But he said the key findings so far were a wedding video of the terror leader’s son Hamsa Bin Laden and material which gives new insight into Al Qaeda's relationship with Iran - and the origins of ISIS.
“One of the interesting things for us is Hamsa Bin Laden’s wedding video - not just because we get to see what Hamsa looks like as a young adult - but because we get to see some top Al-Qaeda leaders with Hamsa including Mohammed Islambouli, a senior member of the network," Roggio said.
“We believe the wedding was held in Iran, which is where all these individuals were detained at the time.
“But you don’t see any guards - they are clearly in a mosque or something.
“Another document gives us insight into Al-Qaeda's relationship with Iran - both the positives and the negatives - so they were willing to cooperate with Iran on a tactical level while at the same time being distrustful of them.
“The narrative put out by the Obama administration at this time was that Bin Laden was like a 'lion in winter'- basically on his own - but we see evidence of him commanding the network up until the time of his death, continuing links to various jihadist groups.
“These affiliates did not break away or become disconnected - there was constant communication between say Al-Quaeda and its branches in Yemen or Somalia or North Africa.
“We also get to see the historical origins and ties between Al-Qaeda and its branch in Iraq and the origins of the Islamic State.”
Roggio said the documents were key in the fight against terrorism.
He said: “Many of these individuals - terror leaders and operatives are still in the game.
“Hamsa Bin Laden is still alive, Islambouli is still alive, there's a long list.
"In order for us to better fight Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS) you have to understand their organisations, their strengths, weaknesses how they are thinking, what they are interested in, what problems there are organisationally.
“It’s also important to understand the history of the terrorist group that has launched terror attacks around the world and is responsible for the spread of Jihadism across the globe today.”
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