Osama bin Laden’s home videos are shedding light on his seemingly idyllic family life while in hiding — including footage of the wedding of the 9/11 mastermind’s son and potential successor, Hamza.
The home videos were seized from the al Qaeda kingpin’s Abbottabad compound in Pakistan after SEAL Team Six killed him during a dramatic raid in 2011.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo said the release included 18,000 documents, 79,000 audio files and images, and more than 10,000 videos that illustrate the inner workings of the terror group.
An hour-long video of Hamza is the first one in which the younger bin Laden is seen as an adult.
Sporting a traditional white headdress, a trimmed mustache but no beard at his wedding, he is sitting on a carpet with other men as a man chanting Koranic verses is heard in the background, according to the Daily Mail.
Hamza says he accepts his marriage to his bride “on the book of God and the example of the Prophet. Peace be upon him,” the news outlet reported.
“Takbeer!” the others shout, using another Arabic phrase for “God is greatest.”
Hamza, who is about 28 years old, is seen by many as a potential successor to his father in the jihadist movement.
Other videos show young kids playing on swings in a courtyard and a boy about 7 years old reciting phrases in Arabic.
In one scene, an old man is seen teaching two young boys how to shoot what appears to be a toy assault weapon at water-filled balloons adorning a board. The children then play on a slide.
Another clip shows a toddler holding up a cellphone in a dingy room with a computer and monitor behind him.
Also included in the cache is information about how al Qaeda planned to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11; the group’s effort to exploit the Arab uprisings in 2011; and the organization’s work to polish its image with fellow Muslims.
It was the fourth trove of documents, images and computer files recovered during the raid. Earlier materials were released in May 2015, March 2016 and January of this year.
Some materials have not yet been released because they could harm national security, are blank, pornographic or are protected by copyright, according to the CIA.
The home videos were seized from the al Qaeda kingpin’s Abbottabad compound in Pakistan after SEAL Team Six killed him during a dramatic raid in 2011.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo said the release included 18,000 documents, 79,000 audio files and images, and more than 10,000 videos that illustrate the inner workings of the terror group.
An hour-long video of Hamza is the first one in which the younger bin Laden is seen as an adult.
Sporting a traditional white headdress, a trimmed mustache but no beard at his wedding, he is sitting on a carpet with other men as a man chanting Koranic verses is heard in the background, according to the Daily Mail.
Hamza says he accepts his marriage to his bride “on the book of God and the example of the Prophet. Peace be upon him,” the news outlet reported.
“Takbeer!” the others shout, using another Arabic phrase for “God is greatest.”
Hamza, who is about 28 years old, is seen by many as a potential successor to his father in the jihadist movement.
Other videos show young kids playing on swings in a courtyard and a boy about 7 years old reciting phrases in Arabic.
In one scene, an old man is seen teaching two young boys how to shoot what appears to be a toy assault weapon at water-filled balloons adorning a board. The children then play on a slide.
Another clip shows a toddler holding up a cellphone in a dingy room with a computer and monitor behind him.
Also included in the cache is information about how al Qaeda planned to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11; the group’s effort to exploit the Arab uprisings in 2011; and the organization’s work to polish its image with fellow Muslims.
It was the fourth trove of documents, images and computer files recovered during the raid. Earlier materials were released in May 2015, March 2016 and January of this year.
Some materials have not yet been released because they could harm national security, are blank, pornographic or are protected by copyright, according to the CIA.
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