Bin-Laden knew of 26/11 attacks and wanted to capitalise on it: book

Mumbai: Osama Bin Laden, the fallen leader of the terrorist outfit al-Qaeda, had prior information about the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, and wanted to establish an al-Qaeda state in Pakistan following the full blown war that was expected to break out between the two countries.

The new claims were made in a book recently authored by Azaz Syed, an investigative journalist and a former correspondent for Dawn News, and says that Osama wanted to capitlaise on the war between the two countries that he expected to follow.

The book titled "Pakistan’s secret war on al-Qaeda'' details further revelations such as the secret life of bin Laden in Pakistan, about the two Kuwaiti brothers who hosted him in Pakistan, and his network of couriers and informants.

According to a report in the Dawn, the book also revealed that Osama lived in disguise, avoided sporting his signature turban, shaved-off his beard and grew it back only recently before he was killed in the covert operations by the American forces.

It has also emerged that one of his daughters were married off to one of the two Kuwaiti brothers. The book also deals with the strained relation between the CIA and the ISI.

The 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai killed 166 people, many of whom were foreigners.