The Bin Laden Papers: How the Abbottabad Raid Revealed the Truth about al-Qaeda, New America online

The Bin Laden Papers: How the Abbottabad Raid Revealed the Truth about al-Qaeda

DATE: April 26, 2022

TIME: 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Bin Laden’s greatest fear was not capture or death but the revelation of al-Qaeda’s secrets. Yet when he was killed in May 2011, SEAL Team 6 brought back thousands of pages of al-Qaeda’s most secret correspondence. In her ground-breaking book, The Bin Laden Papers: How the Abbottabad Raid Revealed the Truth about al-Qaeda, Its Leader and His Family, New America Senior Fellow Nelly Lahoud distills the lessons of nearly 6,000 pages of Arabic language private communications. For the first time, al-Qaeda’s closely guarded secrets are laid bare, shattering misconceptions and revealing how and what Bin Laden communicated with his associates, his plans for future attacks, and al-Qaeda’s hostility toward countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan.

To discuss her book, New America welcomes Nelly Lahoud, author of The Bin Laden Papers and a senior fellow with New America’s International Security program. Lahoud is the author of three other books, including The Jihadis’ Path to Self Destruction. She was also lead author of Letters From Abbottabad: Bin Ladin Sidelined?, the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point’s analysis of the first tranche of the documents to be released. The event will be moderated by Peter Bergen, New America Vice President for Global Studies and Fellows, professor of practice at Arizona State University, and author of The Rise and Fall of Osama Bin Laden.

Join the conversation online using #BinLadenPapers and following @NewAmericaISP.

PARTICIPANTS

Nelly Lahoud

Senior Fellow, New America International Security program

Author, The Bin Laden Papers

MODERATOR

Peter Bergen, @PeterBergenCNN

Vice President for Global Studies and Fellows, New America

Professor of Practice, ASU

Author, The Rise and Fall of Osama Bin Laden

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