The Aftermath of Bin Laden’s Death: Inside al Qaeda’s Hard Drive

SpyCast

History, Education, News

4.4 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 16 June 2011

⏱️ 29 minutes

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Summary

After killing Osama bin Laden, the SEALs reportedly took hundreds of drives, disks, and computers from the house in Abbottabad, Pakistan. What challenges will American intelligence agencies face in exploiting bin Laden’s computers and what can be learned from the computer of a terrorist mastermind? SPY Historian Mark Stout discusses the complexities of digital dumpster diving with Wall Street Journal reporter Alan Cullison, who in 2001 purchased and exploited a computer used by Ayman al-Zawahiri, now the heir apparent to lead al Qaeda. Part two of a series.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're Hello and welcome to Spycast from the Secret Files of the International Spy Museum in
0:30.4	Washington DC. I'm Mark Stout historian of the museum. I'm a PhD author and historian who served for 13 years as an analyst in the U.S. Intelligence Community.
0:40.0	Every month, the museum brings you interesting talks with authors,
0:43.0	scholars, and practitioners who has something to do with the world of
0:45.6	intelligence and espionage.
0:47.2	As we record this today in June 2011 we've all been following with great interest
0:57.9	the story of the killing of Osama bin Laden a month ago now in Abbot, Pakistan.
1:04.0	And it's been widely reported that numerous computers and other forms of digital media
1:09.0	were recovered from his house there.
1:11.4	The big question, of course, is what's on Osama bin Laden's
1:14.2	computers. Those of us outside the US intelligence community don't know yet and
1:18.2	frankly we probably won't know for a very long time. However we here at the spy
1:22.2	museum know somebody who has gone through two Al Qaeda computers,
1:26.0	one of them used by I'm in Al-Zawahiri, the number two in Al-Qaeda, and another one apparently
1:30.0	used by Mohammed Atif, the number three in Al Qaeda.
1:33.2	We thought we'd talk with this person today
1:34.8	because he's got a terrific story
1:36.3	and also because he can help us imagine
1:38.4	some of the things that might be on Osama bin Laden's
1:40.9	computers that the CIA is analyzing and dissecting even as we speak.
1:45.8	We have with us today Alan Cullison.
1:47.6	He's the Moscow correspondent for the Wall Street Journal.
	...

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