CIA Shares 'Brick' From Abbottabad Compound Where Osama Bin Laden Was Killed

A couple of days after the 15th anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on Wednesday (May 6) posted a souvenir pic from the compound where the Al Qaeda leader was holed up. In a social media post titled 'Artifact of the week', the CIA shared a pic of a brick that was taken from the Abbottabad compound where Bin Laden lived with his family before being neutralised by Navy Seal operatives.

The CIA accompanied the image with a detailed historical account, revisiting the intelligence operation behind the Abbottabad raid. Located only about a mile from the Pakistan Military Academy, the Abbottabad compound was built somewhere around 2006. Surrounded by 12 to 18-foot walls topped by barbed wire, the compound was significantly larger than other homes in the area.

Bin Laden and his family's living quarters were on the second and third levels, while the third floor had a seven-foot privacy wall. The building did not have any telephone and internet service. Meanwhile, the residents burned their trash rather than having it picked up.

"Following the raid on the Bin Ladin compound, 13 bricks variously stamped with an "A," "M," or "S" were retrieved from a pile of building materials next to the main house," CIA explained.

"Agency officials presented the first brick to former CIA Director Leon Panetta and this brick to the CIA Museum.," it added.

As the post gained traction, social media users pointed out that the brick symbolised the terrorist who long evaded American intelligence with support from the Pakistani government and army, the two entities that have been receiving lenient treatment from President Donald Trump currently.

"This should humble Pakistan's military and its apologists," said one user, while another added: "Brick from a compound protected by the Pakistan Army, currently headed by your president's favourite field marshal."

Check the Viral Post Here:

Artifact of the Week: Brick from Abbottabad Compound.

Learn more: https://t.co/VcWYYuyEKx pic.twitter.com/vOLIHZuYRk

— CIA (@CIA) May 5, 2026

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Bin Laden's Death

On May 2, 2011, the US Special Forces killed Bin Laden during an early morning raid. A group of 25 Navy Seals arrived outside the compound in two Black Hawk helicopters. After breaching the outer walls of the compound, they made their way through the ground floor of the three-story building.

Three men, including a son of Bin Laden, were killed, as well as one woman. The Al Qaeda leader's body was identified by one of his wives with the Special Forces soldiers using facial recognition to further ascertain the identity. Afterwards, Bin Laden's body was taken aboard the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea, where it was buried within 24 hours according to Islamic law.