Bin Laden was in ‘active’ control of Al Qaeda till death

Reversing assessments that Bin Laden lived a nomadic existence, the US now says his Abbottabad house, the same location where he was killed, was a command and control centre.

Following the raid, the US has released five videos of Bin Laden watching TV and giving speeches. Officials say he was deeply involved in al-Qaeda decision-making.

The BBC reports an anonymous official saying "This compound in Abbottabad was an active command and control centre for al-Qaeda's top leader and it's clear [...] that he was not just a strategic thinker for the group...he was active in operational planning and in driving tactical decisions.”

The five tapes, their sound removed by the Pentagon, show Bin Laden watching a report about himself on television, and, in several clips, practising video addresses.

One of the videos released was a "complete, yet unreleased" tape he described as "a message to the American people," the intelligence official said.

It was believed to have been produced between early October and the beginning of November 2010.

Officials have speculated that the changing colour of Bin Laden's beard - dyed black in the addresses but grey when filmed watching himself on television - suggests he was someone who "jealously guarded" his image.

The material found at the compound - which is reported to include digital, audio and video files, as well as printed material, computer equipment, recording devices and hand-written documents - has been described by officials as "the single largest collection of senior terrorist materials ever".

Personal letters between Bin Laden and others are also said to be among the documents recovered.

CIA Director Leon Panetta said in a statement that the material seized "only further confirms how important it was to go after Bin Laden".

In one of the videos, Bin Laden is shown watching a programme about himself on Arabic language television.

He is shown sitting on the floor wrapped in what looks like a blanket or a coat, holding a remote control.

In one scene, he watches a programme showing an image of himself superimposed on a picture of the World Trade Center in flames after it was hit by hijacked planes.