CIA Releases 470,000 More Files Seized In 2011 Bin Laden Raid

A file photo of the late Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden

The CIA has released nearly 470,000 files found on a computer that was seized in the 2011 operation that killed Osama bin Laden.

The files, released on November 1, are the fourth set of bin Laden-related materials released by the U.S. government since May 2015.

They include bin Laden's personal journal and 18,000 document files, about 79,000 audio and image files, and more than 10,000 video files, the CIA said.

Bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011, during a raid by U.S. special forces on the Al-Qaeda founder's hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

The materials released on November 1 include a video collection with children's cartoons, several Hollywood movies, and three documentaries about bin Laden himself.

The CIA said materials that still have not been released are being withheld because they could harm national security, are blank, corrupted or duplicate files, are pornographic, or are protected by copyright.

Among the copyright-protected materials are more than two dozen computer-animated films like "Antz" and "Cars," as well as the computer game "Final Fantasy VII."

"Where in the World is Osama bin Laden" and two other documentaries about the al Qaeda leader were also among the materials seized.

"Today’s release of recovered al-Qaeda letters, videos, audio files, and other materials provides the opportunity for the American people to gain further insights into the plans and workings of this terrorist organization," said CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

The materials released November 1 are posted on line in their original Arabic.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP