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'Bin Laden's Hard Drives': Release date, plot, cast and all you need to know about the Nat Geo special

A new special from National Geographic is an in-depth examination of newly declassified hard drives taken from Bin Laden's compound

September 11, 2001, changed the course of American history when two planes hijacked by Al-Qaeda terrorists crashed into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City. Four planes were hijacked in total, with one flying into the Pentagon and another crashing in a field after the passengers thwarted the terrorists. In total, nearly 3,000 people were killed that day in one of the biggest terrorist attacks the world had ever seen.

The mastermind behind the attack was revealed to be Osama Bin Laden, a name etched in history as the United States launched investigations and missions to find the man responsible for the gruesome attack. It was not until Barack Obama's tenure as the President that the US military found Bin Laden in his Pakistan compound and killed him in 2011, bringing to an end a decade-old search for the most wanted man in America.

Among many of Bin Laden's personal effects at the compound, the military seized many of his hard drives which were said to contain files of 'Tom & Jerry' and other entertainment. A new special from National Geographic titled ‘Bin Laden’s Hard Drive’ is an in-depth examination of newly declassified hard drives taken from the compound. Read on to know more about the special.

Release date

'Bin Laden's Hard Drive' will air on National Geographic on September 10 at 9/8c.

Plot

National Geographic and The New York Times best-selling author and CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen presents a groundbreaking look at the al-Qa’ida founder’s personal life through an in-depth examination of newly declassified hard drives taken from the compound. With insights from CIA profilers, criminal psychologists, religious scholars, battle-tested military experts as well as men who personally knew bin Laden, the one-hour event special more than a year in the making, ‘Bin Laden’s Hard Drive’, sifts through the trove of personal moments and the extremist content he created to piece together the story of the multifaceted man behind the headlines.

Nearly 470,000 digital files, 250 gigabytes of data, over 100 USB drives, DVDs, CDs, five computers and multiple cell phones. Piecing together every shred of evidence from these items taken from the Abbottabad compound where bin Laden was killed, ‘Bin Laden’s Hard Drive’ scrutinizes the al-Qa’ida founder’s layered personal psychology, his relationship with his family, the lens through which he viewed faith and religion, as well as his nihilistic legacy of violence and destruction.

Cast

CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen presents a groundbreaking look at the al-Qa’ida founder’s personal life as he leads a team of experts in the search for meaning in each letter and home video, leaving no item unturned, in a quest for answers. Bergen also sits down in London with Abdullah Anas — a former mujahideen and one of Osama bin Laden’s closest friends in the '80s, who traveled with him to Afghanistan to fight the Soviet forces — to unpack his thoughts on bin Laden’s evolution. He also speaks with Abdel Bari Atwan, a journalist and former editor-in-chief of Al Quds Al Arabi, who offers unique insights as one of the only reporters to spend two days in person with bin Laden.

Experts featured include Nelly Lahoud, Senior Fellow, International Security Program, New America and one of the few people in the world to have read every personal communication recovered from Abbottabad, Dr Reid Meloy, forensic psychologist and FBI consultant. There's also Ali Soufan, former FBI special agent who led investigations into al-Qa’ida and was one of the first to uncover the link between the terrorist outfit and 9/11, and Dalia Mogahed, American-Muslim scholar and Director of Research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding.

Producers

'Bin Laden's Hard Drives' is produced by National Geographic and Karga Seven Pictures.

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