WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Some documents written by bin Laden were seized by US Navy SEALs the night he was killed. They include the al-Qaeda founder's correspondence with friends and family as well as with members of al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.
“We had sent a number of the brothers to Britain and Russia and Europe to be prepared and ready to work before the end of the year, some of them were with us before, but they had left and came back to us and travelled again and they are [in] Russia (exploding the gas line or the American Embassy), Britain (a number of targets, depending on what our brothers will determine what will be suitable) that can fit what materials are available,” the document reads.
However, it specified that al-Qaeda’s attempt to carry out a terror attack on Russian soil was unsuccessful.
“I confess that we have not succeeded…due to many reasons. First of them was bad luck and God wasn’t on our side,” the document reads.
Bin Laden Called on African Jihadists to Attack US Embassies, Oil Companies
Bin Laden called on jihadists from North African countries to concentrate more on "breaking the power" of the United States by attacking its embassies and oil companies rather than on the idea of creating an Islamic state.
Bin Laden wrote in an undated letter addressed "to Atiyah":
"You should ask them [those who consider themselves 'the army of the Muslims in the Islamic Maghreb'] to avoid insisting on the formation of an Islamic State at the time being, but to work on breaking the power of our main enemy by attacking the American embassies in the African countries, such as Sierra Leone, Togo, and mainly to attack the American oil companies."
"By fighting the local enemy we don't get the result that we deployed for, which is to reinstate the wise Caliphate and eliminate the disgrace and humiliation that our nation is suffering from," he wrote.
Bin Laden Continued to Focus on Anti-US Attacks In His Final Days
The al-Qaeda founder urged his followers to stay focused on fighting against the United States and killing its citizens until the very end.
"We have to focus on killing and fighting the American people," bin Laden said in a personal letter.
"Therefore, we have to put the administration of the White House and the Congress — where the command post for the operations against us is located — under direct pressure by using the equation of fear," the letter reads.
Bin Laden wrote that using fear to influence Americans was possible by conducting operations on US soil and by targeting US oil companies abroad.
He said that these operations needed to be supported by a media campaign, part of which could be aired in the US media.
Al-Qaeda Sought to Impact Western Voters
“The voters are the ones, who demanded America's pullout from Vietnam, and they are the ones who pulled out their Spanish troops from Afghanistan and they are the ones who turned the evil Tony Blair into a lame duck and ended his ten year carrier of arrogance and American subordination with disgrace!! The American and European citizens are the switch to shut down this heartless damned Zio-crusade machine of Evil and greed.”
The document called “Terror Franchise” shows one motive and strategy behind al-Qaeda’s terrorism was to stoke fear in the western public so that they would question “Zionist” and “Crusader” wars against Muslims and Islam.
It called on Muslims all over the world to carry out attacks on western political, economic and civilian targets. It further urged Muslims with technical, scientific and academic backgrounds to use their knowledge to develop dozens of ways to carry out terror attacks.
By caring out terror attacks, al-Qaeda believed they could make western voters accountable for their governments’ support of Israel and force a change in their policies.
Al-Qaeda Received Millions in Contributions
Al-Qaeda received regular contributions from donors to finance a multi-million dollar organization, according to one declassified document.
The group acquired more than $48 million by 2009 through regular donations ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to more than $6 million.
Taken alone, the document does not provide a full picture of al-Qaeda’s finances, but it does provide a glimpse into the terrorist organization’s bookkeeping and financing.
Bin Laden Planned to Mark 9/11 Anniversary With Media Campaign
Bin Laden was also planning to launch a media campaign to mark the tenth anniversary of 9/11 attacks.
"We are awaiting the tenth anniversary of the blessed attacks on New York and Washington which will be in nine months," he wrote in a letter to his followers.
According to the militant, his followers were well aware of the importance of taking the advantage of the anniversary in the media.
"I have been in correspondence with the brothers to provide Al-Jazeera with several statements when the channel starts covering the attacks on the first of September," Bin Laden wrote.
US Wades Into ‘War With no End in Sight’
Bin Laden also wrote in a letter to the American public that the US had entered into expensive and never-ending wars that the country’s leaders perpetuated through lies and false promises of security.
“I would like to say that your war with us is the longest war in your history and the most expensive for you financially,” bin Laden wrote. “You are wading into a war with no end in sight on the horizon, which has no connection to your security.”
The letter refers to US leadership promising a quick war while continually pushing back the date when US forces would withdraw as they “continue to bleed in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
“As for us, jihad against the tyrants and the aggressors is a form of great worship in our religion. It is more precious to us than our fathers and sons. Thus, our jihad against you is worship and your killing us is a testimony,” bin Laden wrote.
He went on to praise God for waging jihad for 30 years “against the Russians and then against you.”
“Continue the war if you will,” he added.
The al-Qaeda leader also stated justice is the strongest army, and security is the best way of life, but argued they slipped out of the US grasp “the day you made the Jews victorious in occupying our land and killing our brothers in Palestine.”
“The path to security is for you to lift your oppression from us,” he concluded.
