UN human rights investigators calls on US to disclose whether there had been any plan to capture terror chief
The Yemeni-born woman is one of three wives of bin Laden currently being interrogated in Pakistan.
Authorities are also holding eight or nine children found at the compound after the U.S. raid.
Story: Al-Qaida confirms bin Laden's death
Their accounts will show how bin Laden spent his time and could offer glimpses into the inner workings of al-Qaida.
Speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, the official did not say on Friday whether the Yemeni wife has said that bin Laden was also living there since 2006.
'Cash-strapped'A senior Pakistani intelligence official also told reporters late Thursday that bin Laden was "cash strapped" in his final days and that al-Qaida had split into two factions, with the larger one controlled by the group's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri.
The official didn't provide details or elaborate how his agency made the conclusions about bin Laden.
The image of Pakistan's intelligence agency has been battered in the wake of Monday's U.S. commando raid that killed bin Laden. Portraying him as isolated and weak may be aimed at trying to deflect attention from that.
U.N. human rights investigators also called on the U.S. on Friday to disclose the full facts surrounding the killing of bin Laden, in particular whether there had been any plan to capture him.
Christof Heyns, U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, and Martin Scheinin, special rapporteur on protecting human rights while countering terrorism, said that in certain exceptional cases, deadly force may be used in "operations against terrorists."
"However, the norm should be that terrorists be dealt with as criminals, through legal processes of arrest, trial and judicially-decided punishment," the independent experts said in a joint statement. "It will be particularly important to know if the planning of the mission allowed an effort to capture bin Laden."
It was important to get this information "into the open," according to the investigators who report to the U.N. Human Rights Council whose 47 members include the U.S.
Meanwhile, NBC News reported Thursday that al-Qaida considered attacking U.S. trains on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks , according to an initial look at DVDs, computers and other documents seized at the raid on Bin Laden's home.
Details of the plan emerged as some of the first intelligence was gleaned from the trove of information found in bin Laden's residence when Navy SEALs killed the al-Qaida leader and four of his associates.
Video: Info from bin Laden raid yields train intel Counterterrorism officials said they believe the plot was only in the initial planning stages, and there is no recent intelligence about any active plan for such an attack.
Extensive surveillance of bin Laden's hideout was carried out from a nearby CIA safe house in Abbottabad, U.S. officials said.
The U.S. officials told the Washington Post that the safe house was the base for intelligence gathering that began after bin Laden's compound was discovered last August and which was so exhaustive the CIA asked Congress to reallocate tens of millions of dollars to fund it.
The fact bin Laden was found in a garrison town — his compound was not far from a major military academy — has embarrassed Pakistan and the covert raid by U.S. commandos has angered its military.
On Thursday, Pakistan's army acknowledged its own "shortcomings" in efforts to find the al-Qaida leader but threatened to review cooperation with Washington if there is another similar violation of Pakistani sovereignty.
The army said its Inter-Services Intelligence agency had arrested or killed about 100 al-Qaida terrorists and associates with or without CIA cooperation.
Story: Pakistan pays US lobbyists to deny it helped bin Laden National humiliationIn a statement, the army said it provided initial intelligence on the whereabouts of bin Laden to the CIA, but that the Americans developed it further and did not share it with the ISI "contrary to the existing practice between the two services."
The tough-sounding statement was a sign of the anger in the army. It also appeared aimed at appeasing politicians, the public and the media in the country over what's viewed by many there as a national humiliation delivered by a deeply unpopular America.
About 1,500 Pakistani Islamists protested on Friday against bin Laden's killing near Quetta, saying more figures like him would arise to wage holy war against the United States.
Story: Protesters condemn 'brutal killing' of bin Laden Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir also warned Thursday of "disastrous consequences" if the U.S. staged a similar attack on its territory.
WASHINGTON — One of Osama bin Laden's wives has claimed she lived in the al-Qaida chief's final hideout for five years without leaving the upper floors of the house, a Pakistani intelligence official said Friday.
Authorities are also holding eight or nine children found at the compound after the U.S. raid.
Story: Al-Qaida confirms bin Laden's death
Their accounts will show how bin Laden spent his time and could offer glimpses into the inner workings of al-Qaida.
Speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, the official did not say on Friday whether the Yemeni wife has said that bin Laden was also living there since 2006.
'Cash-strapped'A senior Pakistani intelligence official also told reporters late Thursday that bin Laden was "cash strapped" in his final days and that al-Qaida had split into two factions, with the larger one controlled by the group's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri.
The official didn't provide details or elaborate how his agency made the conclusions about bin Laden.
The image of Pakistan's intelligence agency has been battered in the wake of Monday's U.S. commando raid that killed bin Laden. Portraying him as isolated and weak may be aimed at trying to deflect attention from that.
U.N. human rights investigators also called on the U.S. on Friday to disclose the full facts surrounding the killing of bin Laden, in particular whether there had been any plan to capture him.
Christof Heyns, U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, and Martin Scheinin, special rapporteur on protecting human rights while countering terrorism, said that in certain exceptional cases, deadly force may be used in "operations against terrorists."
"However, the norm should be that terrorists be dealt with as criminals, through legal processes of arrest, trial and judicially-decided punishment," the independent experts said in a joint statement. "It will be particularly important to know if the planning of the mission allowed an effort to capture bin Laden."
It was important to get this information "into the open," according to the investigators who report to the U.N. Human Rights Council whose 47 members include the U.S.
Meanwhile, NBC News reported Thursday that al-Qaida considered attacking U.S. trains on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks , according to an initial look at DVDs, computers and other documents seized at the raid on Bin Laden's home.
Details of the plan emerged as some of the first intelligence was gleaned from the trove of information found in bin Laden's residence when Navy SEALs killed the al-Qaida leader and four of his associates.
Video: Info from bin Laden raid yields train intel Counterterrorism officials said they believe the plot was only in the initial planning stages, and there is no recent intelligence about any active plan for such an attack.
Extensive surveillance of bin Laden's hideout was carried out from a nearby CIA safe house in Abbottabad, U.S. officials said.
The U.S. officials told the Washington Post that the safe house was the base for intelligence gathering that began after bin Laden's compound was discovered last August and which was so exhaustive the CIA asked Congress to reallocate tens of millions of dollars to fund it.
The fact bin Laden was found in a garrison town — his compound was not far from a major military academy — has embarrassed Pakistan and the covert raid by U.S. commandos has angered its military.
On Thursday, Pakistan's army acknowledged its own "shortcomings" in efforts to find the al-Qaida leader but threatened to review cooperation with Washington if there is another similar violation of Pakistani sovereignty.
The army said its Inter-Services Intelligence agency had arrested or killed about 100 al-Qaida terrorists and associates with or without CIA cooperation.
Story: Pakistan pays US lobbyists to deny it helped bin Laden National humiliationIn a statement, the army said it provided initial intelligence on the whereabouts of bin Laden to the CIA, but that the Americans developed it further and did not share it with the ISI "contrary to the existing practice between the two services."
The tough-sounding statement was a sign of the anger in the army. It also appeared aimed at appeasing politicians, the public and the media in the country over what's viewed by many there as a national humiliation delivered by a deeply unpopular America.
About 1,500 Pakistani Islamists protested on Friday against bin Laden's killing near Quetta, saying more figures like him would arise to wage holy war against the United States.
Story: Protesters condemn 'brutal killing' of bin Laden Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir also warned Thursday of "disastrous consequences" if the U.S. staged a similar attack on its territory.
A Pakistani woman photographs her daughter on Thursday, May 5, at a gate of the compound where al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was caught and killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan. (Aqeel Ahmed / AP)
School girls pass by armed Pakistani policemen guarding the sealed entrance to the compound in Abbottabad, May 5, in which Osama bin Laden had been living. (MD Nadeem / EPA)
Part of a damaged helicopter rests in the compound after U.S. Navy SEAL commandos killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, May 2, in a photo made available on May 4. (Reuters)
Boys herd sheep past the compound where U.S. Navy SEAL commandos killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad May 5. (Akhtar Soomro / Reuters)
Pakistani security officials arrive at the Osama bin Laden compound in Abbottabad on Wednesday, May 4. (Aamir Qureshi / AFP - Getty Images)
Local residents gather outside a burned section of bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad. (Aamir Qureshi / AFP - Getty Images)
A Pakistani police officer gestures at a checkpoint along a road leading to a house where bin Laden was captured and killed in Abbottabad. Area residents were still confused and suspicious about bin Laden's death, which took place before dawn on Monday. (Anjum Naveed / AP)
Pakistani children look out from a high vantage point at bin Laden's compound on Tuesday, May 3. (Aqeel Ahmed / AP)
Pakistan army troops remove canvas screens from outside the compound's house. (Anjum Naveed / AP)
Neighbors and news media gather around the compound, right, after authorities ease security around the property. (Aqeel Ahmed / AP)
A satellite image, taken June 15, 2005, shows the Abbottabad compound, center, where bin Laden was killed in on Monday. (DigitalGlobe via Reuters)- A Pakistani soldier secures the compound. (T. Mughal / EPA)
- The compound is seen in flames after it was attacked early May 2 in this still image taken from cellphone video footage. (Reuters)
Part of a damaged U.S. MH-60 helicopter lies the compound. The helicopter was destroyed by U.S. forces after a mechanical failure left it unable to take off. (Reuters)
A still image from video obtained by ABC News shows blood stains in the interior of the house where bin Laden was killed. (ABC News via Reuters)
Aerial views released by the Department of Defense show the area in Abbottabad in 2004, left, before the house was built, and in 2011, right. (Department of Defense via Reuters)
A graphic released by the Department of Defense shows the compound where bin Laden was killed. (Department of Defense via Reuters)
Pakistani soldiers and police officers patrol near the house, background, where bin Laden had lived. (Anjum Naveed / AP)- A general view of the city of Abbottabad. Signs on the hillside say "Home of Piffers" and "Home of Balochis," in reference to two regiments of the Pakistani army that are headquartered in Abbottabad. (Aslam Jadoon / EPA)
- The hideout of bin Laden is seen the day after his death. (Farooq Naeem / AFP - Getty Images)
Students look toward the compound from a nearby religious school in Abbottabad. (Faisal Mahmood / Reuters)- Pakistani security officials survey the walls of the compound where bin Laden was killed. The outer walls were between 10 and 18 feet high. (MD Nadeem / EPA)
Schoolchildren walk in a street in Thanda Choha village, Abbottabad, near to bin Laden's compound. (MD Nadeem / EPA)
Pakistani soldiers stand guard near the compound May 2. (Anjum Naveed / AP)
A worker prepares traditional bread at a shop that claims to have sold bread to residents of bin Laden's compound, in Thanda Choha village, Abbottabad. (MD Nadeem / EPA)- Boys collect pieces of metal from a wheat field outside bin Laden's house, seen in the background, on May 3. People showed off small parts of what appeared to be a U.S. helicopter that the U.S. says malfunctioned and was blown up by the American team as it retreated. (Anjum Naveed / AP)
- Pakistani security officials stand guard at the main entrance to the compound on May 3. (MD Nadeem / EPA)
Supporters of the Pakistani religious group Jamaat-e-Islami rally against the U.S. in Abbottabad on Friday, May 6. Hundreds took to the streets in the town where Osama bin Laden was killed, shouting "death to America." (Anjum Naveed / AP)
Timeline: A timeline of Osama bin Laden's life
Considered enemy No. 1 by the U.S., the Saudi millionaire is the perpetrator behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Click on key dates to learn more about the founder of al-Qaida, an international terror network.
