Truth & Lies: The Last Days of Osama bin Laden

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Broadcast DATE: September 9, 2011

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When to Watch

Friday at 9 p.m. on CBC-TV; CBC-TV rebroadcasts the fifth estate on Sundays, at 11 p.m. (11:30 NT). CBC News Network rebroadcasts the fifth estate on Sundays, at 7 p.m. ET; and Tuesdays, at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

In the months since US Navy SEALs shot and killed Osama bin Laden, news media have written the first draft of history. But so far, no one has told the epic story of human, political and diplomatic intrigue that began years before 9/11 and ended in a bloody ambush in Pakistan, May 2, 2011.

In its season opener on Friday, Sept. 9, the fifth estate brings the hunt for Osama bin Laden vividly alive with three-dimensional imaging, blueprints, stunning original footage from Abbottabad, dramatic depictions, and provocative exclusive interviews with the people who witnessed it first hand. Relatives take us deep behind the scenes to give us an insider's view of the bin Laden family. A meticulous reconstruction of the Abbottabad compound evokes daily life for the world's most wanted man; how he paced and plotted and prayed, listening to BBC radio with his wives and children, never suspecting the agents of his death were already boarding their helicopters.

We cross the world to the White House Situation Room where U.S. President Obama awaits the outcome of a mission that will define his presidency and change the world. One of the people inside the room that day describes that moment of unbearable tension. Would they ever hear the words: "Enemy Killed in Action"?

If the events of May 2 caught the world by surprise, thousands of soldiers and intelligence officers had been waiting to pounce for years. They had war-gamed a multitude of scenarios and had come agonizingly close before but previous presidents had ultimately pulled the plug. Truth & Lies brings senior military players and special operations officers out of the shadows to explain what really happened. Until now many of these people have only been quoted anonymously in articles.

In the immediate aftermath of bin Laden's death, many outsized statements were issued: bin Laden was killed in a "firefight" with the SEALs. He cowered behind a woman, one of his wives. His bedroom cabinets were full of porn and Viagra.

How true were these reports? Truth & Lies builds towards one of the most vexing questions of all: "How could Pakistan not have known that Osama bin Laden was safely living in that country for years?" Bob McKeown interviews senior Pakistani decision-makers and uncovers new information about the disputed events of the Abbottabad raid.