http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42853221/ns/world_news-death_of_bin_laden/?fb_ref=story_text&fb_source=home_onelineHow the US tracked couriers to elaborate bin Laden compound
First a name, then an extraordinary house with high walls — and no telephone or Internet. Bin Laden and a son are among five killed in a firefight.By Bill Dedman
Investigative reporter
msnbc.com
updated 12 minutes ago
Senior White House officials said Monday that the trail that led to Osama bin Laden began before 9/11, before the terror attacks that brought bin Laden to prominence. The trail warmed up last fall, when U.S. intelligence discovered an elaborate compound in Pakistan.
"From the time that we first recognized bin Laden as a threat, the U.S. gathered information on people in bin Laden's circle, including his personal couriers," a senior official in the Obama administration said in a background briefing from the White House.
After the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, "detainees gave us information on couriers. One courier in particular had our constant attention. Detainees gave us his nom de guerre, his pseudonym, and also identified this man as one of the few couriers trusted by bin Laden."
In 2007, the U.S. learned the man's name.
In 2009, "we identified areas in Pakistan where the courier and his brother operated. They were very careful, reinforcing belief we were on the right track."
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