The Bin Laden Papers

“A comprehensive, meticulously constructed and eye-opening look at bin Laden as husband, father and leader-in-hiding. . . . An engaging and persuasive read.”—Karen J. Greenberg, Washington Post

“A groundbreaking book [and] a remarkable insider account of al-Qaeda’s history, based on the writings of bin Laden and his inner circle.”—Peter Spiegel, Financial Times

“A revelatory book.”—Steve Coll, New Yorker

“This eye-opening book—based on information recovered from Osama bin Laden’s hard drive after his death in the raid on his Abbottabad hideaway—is the first real inside look into his mind and an organisation that changed how we live.”—Sunday Times, “50 Best Books for the Sunlounger”

“Never less than gripping. . . . [Offers] an extraordinary insight into the inner workings of al-Qaeda, both before and after 9/11, and lays bare the terrorist organisation’s closely guarded plans, ambitions and frustrations.”—Saul David, Sunday Telegraph

“The corrective insights contained in this excellent readable book merit careful attention by scholars, policy makers, soldiers, and our political leadership.”—Justin Doherty, Aspects of History

“[A] fascinating book—the first real inside look into an organisation that changed how we live. . . . It is astonishing to have such a picture of the inner workings of a terrorist group.”—Christina Lamb, Sunday Times

“An impressive accomplishment. . . . The value of Nelly Lahoud’s scholarship . . . is clear.”—Sam Sweeney, National Review

“A rich trove exposing a terrorist organization that persists even after its founder’s demise.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Make no mistake, this is an important book that should be widely read. . . . A revelation on nearly every page. . . . In terms of understanding al-Qaeda between 2001 and 2011 it’s indispensable.”—Jim Motavalli, New York Journal of Books

Selected by the International Affairs blog for its Top 10 Books Christmas reading list, 2022

“The Bin Laden Papers is a work of immense, exciting scholarship, and it sparkles with new insights about bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network. Crisply written by Nelly Lahoud, it is one of the most important histories of the war on terror.”—Peter Bergen, author of The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden

“A masterful analysis and riveting story. As though finally cleaning a window obscured by years of grime, Nelly Lahoud’s The Bin Laden Papers clarifies a man and his movement that confused and confounded much of the world for decades.”—General (ret.) Stanley McChrystal, former Commander of United States Forces Afghanistan

“Terrorist expert Nelly Lahoud reveals the hidden history of Al Qaeda in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The Bin Laden Papers paints a portrait of an ambitious and dedicated terrorist leader who is often out of touch with reality and unable to control the movement he helped spawn.”—Daniel Byman, author of Road Warriors: Foreign Fighters in the Armies of Jihad

“Nelly Lahoud’s consummate analysis of 6,000 al-Qaeda documents is a prodigious and indispensable achievement. Deploying clinical understanding of political, religious, and family contexts, she provides a riveting inside account, the fullest likely ever to emerge, of the thoughts and motivations of a man and movement that have so malignly impacted our era.”—James Piscatori, coauthor of Islam Beyond Borders: The Umma in World Politics

“A singular achievement that stands as the definitive and original account of the trajectory of al-Qaeda from 2001 to the death of Bin Laden. This clearly presented analysis draws on the author’s unique expertise to correct the record of Bin Laden and international terrorism post 9/11.”—Martha Crenshaw, coauthor of Countering Terrorism