US releases seized bin Laden videos

A senior intelligence official also told reporters at the Pentagon that bin Laden had remained a key leader in Al-Qaeda, and was overseeing strategy and operations from his secret compound in Pakistan.

"He was far from a figurehead, he was an active player," the official said. Journalists were shown five videos including one in which the Al-Qaeda chief was shown inside his secret compound, holding a remote and watching images of himself on television, giving clear indication of bin Laden\'s interest in his own image on networks around the world.

Another video is described by bin Laden as "A message to the American people" that is believed to have been recorded in October or November, a senior US intelligence official told reporters at a Pentagon briefing.

The videos, seized during the historic raid last Sunday-Monday that killed bin Laden and ended the most elaborate manhunt in history, were part of a treasure trove of documents and evidence, some of which showed that bin Laden remained a senior director of the terror group.

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