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The Story of the Hunt for Bin Laden

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ security correspondent Gordon Corera tells the story of the search for the world's most wanted terrorist.

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Security correspondent Gordon Corera tells the untold tale of how the Americans hunted their most wanted man - from the caves of Tora Bora in Afghanistan through to his stronghold in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad.

It proved to be a cat and mouse game between the world's greatest superpower and a relatively small group of militants who showed themselves capable of outwitting the latest technology with barely more than simple cunning and a Kalashnikov.

US Special forces appear to have had Osama Bin Laden within their grasp but then the trail went cold despite a $25m ransom on his head.

Bounty hunters believed they could succeed where the American military failed but fared no better.

Then one of Bin Laden's followers made a fatal mistake - which led the way to Bin Laden's death.

Gordon Corera investigates, with contributions from members of the CIA who followed Bin Laden into the mountains, FBI agents who worked on a legal case, and from General Richard Myers, the former Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Available now

23 minutes

Last on

Sun 14 Aug 2011 13:05GMT

Broadcasts

  • Tue 9 Aug 2011 08:05GMT
  • Tue 9 Aug 2011 12:05GMT
  • Tue 9 Aug 2011 15:05GMT
  • Tue 9 Aug 2011 19:05GMT
  • Wed 10 Aug 2011 01:05GMT
  • Sun 14 Aug 2011 13:05GMT