A diplomatic source told CNN that the courier who was in close contact
with Osama bin Laden and who eventually led the United States to him
was a Kuwaiti named Abu Ahmad. U.S. officials have said that when the identity of the courier -- who
they have not named -- was established in 2007 the U.S. began a path
to the house in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where the al Qaeda leader was
living. Analysis of assessments of detainees held at the U.S. Navy's detention
facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, include several mentions of a man by
the name of Abu Ahmad al Kuwaiti, who was reportedly close to Khalid
Sheikh Mohammed -- also a Kuwaiti. The information on the detainee assessments came from U.S. Defense
Department documents published by WikiLeaks. Since the operation that killed bin Laden, U.S. officials have
described the courier they were tracking as a protege of Mohammed and
another senior member of al Qaeda, Abu Faraj al Libi, a Libyan
detainee who was named as al Qaeda's third most senior leader when he
was captured in May 2005. One assessment -- compiled in October 2008 -- concerns a Saudi citizen
called Maad al Qathani, the man who was intended to be the "20th
hijacker" on 9/11 but who failed to gain entry to the United States. It said: "Detainee is associated with other key al-Qaida members
including senior operations planners Khalid Shaykh Muhammad." The document later said that al Qathani "received computer training
from al-Qaida member Abu Ahmad al-Kuwaiti in preparation for his
mission to the U.S." Al Kuwaiti was then "a senior al Qaeda facilitator and subordinate" of
Mohammed. The assessment added: "Al-Kuwaiti worked in the al-Qaida
media house operated by KU-10024 (Mohammed) in Kandahar and served as
a courier." Al Qathani reportedly spent about three months in basic training with
al Qaeda from December 2000 to February 2001 when he was introduced to
bin Laden. Establishing al Qathani's association with Mohammed, the assessment
continued: "Detainee stated UBL told him that since he (detainee)
loved to serve his religion, he must go to KU-10024, who will ask him
to "do things." It was the first of several encounters with the al
Qaeda leader, to whom al Qathani swore a personal oath of allegiance. The document established that al Kuwaiti was close to bin Laden and
traveled with him. "Al-Kuwaiti was seen in Tora Bora and it is possible al-Kuwaiti was
one of the individuals detainee reported accompanying UBL in Tora Bora
prior to UBL's disappearance," it says. In an assessment of al Qathani's intelligence value, the document
noted that he "had access to the inner circles of al-Qaida through his
interactions with senior al-Qaida members including UBL, (Ayman al-)
Zawahiri, KU-10024 (Mohammed) and others." Al-Zawahiri was al Qaeda's No. 2 man under bin Laden. Another detainee assessment also mentioned al Kuwaiti. It was of an
Indonesian member of al Qaeda called Riduan Isomuddin, who had spent
nearly two years in the 1980s fighting jihad in Pakistan and
Afghanistan.
with Osama bin Laden and who eventually led the United States to him
was a Kuwaiti named Abu Ahmad. U.S. officials have said that when the identity of the courier -- who
they have not named -- was established in 2007 the U.S. began a path
to the house in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where the al Qaeda leader was
living. Analysis of assessments of detainees held at the U.S. Navy's detention
facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, include several mentions of a man by
the name of Abu Ahmad al Kuwaiti, who was reportedly close to Khalid
Sheikh Mohammed -- also a Kuwaiti. The information on the detainee assessments came from U.S. Defense
Department documents published by WikiLeaks. Since the operation that killed bin Laden, U.S. officials have
described the courier they were tracking as a protege of Mohammed and
another senior member of al Qaeda, Abu Faraj al Libi, a Libyan
detainee who was named as al Qaeda's third most senior leader when he
was captured in May 2005. One assessment -- compiled in October 2008 -- concerns a Saudi citizen
called Maad al Qathani, the man who was intended to be the "20th
hijacker" on 9/11 but who failed to gain entry to the United States. It said: "Detainee is associated with other key al-Qaida members
including senior operations planners Khalid Shaykh Muhammad." The document later said that al Qathani "received computer training
from al-Qaida member Abu Ahmad al-Kuwaiti in preparation for his
mission to the U.S." Al Kuwaiti was then "a senior al Qaeda facilitator and subordinate" of
Mohammed. The assessment added: "Al-Kuwaiti worked in the al-Qaida
media house operated by KU-10024 (Mohammed) in Kandahar and served as
a courier." Al Qathani reportedly spent about three months in basic training with
al Qaeda from December 2000 to February 2001 when he was introduced to
bin Laden. Establishing al Qathani's association with Mohammed, the assessment
continued: "Detainee stated UBL told him that since he (detainee)
loved to serve his religion, he must go to KU-10024, who will ask him
to "do things." It was the first of several encounters with the al
Qaeda leader, to whom al Qathani swore a personal oath of allegiance. The document established that al Kuwaiti was close to bin Laden and
traveled with him. "Al-Kuwaiti was seen in Tora Bora and it is possible al-Kuwaiti was
one of the individuals detainee reported accompanying UBL in Tora Bora
prior to UBL's disappearance," it says. In an assessment of al Qathani's intelligence value, the document
noted that he "had access to the inner circles of al-Qaida through his
interactions with senior al-Qaida members including UBL, (Ayman al-)
Zawahiri, KU-10024 (Mohammed) and others." Al-Zawahiri was al Qaeda's No. 2 man under bin Laden. Another detainee assessment also mentioned al Kuwaiti. It was of an
Indonesian member of al Qaeda called Riduan Isomuddin, who had spent
nearly two years in the 1980s fighting jihad in Pakistan and
Afghanistan.
