US News

NSA tracked Al Qaeda cell phones in search for bin Laden; DNA test confirmed terrorist’s ID after shooting

Secret documents leaked by Edward Snowden show that the National Security Agency penetrated guarded Al Qaeda communications to locate Osama bin Laden’s hideout.

The NSA managed to track cell phone calls and establish calling patterns that led CIA analysts to pinpoint bin Laden’s Pakistan lair for the commandos who killed him, the Washington Post reported.

A top-secret document detailing the “black budget” of US intelligence services reveals that an arm of the NSA known as the Tailored Access Operations group provided data from mobile phones used by al Qaeda operatives and other “persons of interest”.

The group is known for secretly installing spyware and tracking devices on mobile phone networks and computers.

The Navy SEALs who raided the Abbottabad compound and killed the al Qaeda leader were guided by a fleet of satellites, according to the documents, provided by Snowden to the Washington Post.

The documents also show that a U.S. military laboratory in Afghanistan analyzed DNA from Osama bin Laden’s corpse and confirmed his identify shortly after he was killed by the SEALs.

A forensic intelligence laboratory run by the Defense Intelligence Agency performed the DNA testing eight hours after the raid. The Post reported that the tests “provided a conclusive match.”