The builder of Bin Laden sanctuary was also his lifeline
Behaviour of people living in the compound was unusual but didn't draw attention, locals say
Abbottabad: The builder of Osama Bin Laden's last lair was a polite but taciturn man who kept the neighbours at arm's length and prying eyes from discovering the identity of his boss.
Known as Arshad Khan, the stocky Pashtun with glasses and a tuft of hair under his lower lip bought up plots of land on the outskirts of this garrison city.
Then, he built a sprawling compound anchored by a three-story building that would serve as sanctuary for the world's most wanted man.
The CIA says Bin Laden lived there for five years before he was finally tracked down. Khan lived there, too, along with another man known as Tariq, who neighbours said was Khan's brother, and the wives and children of the three men.
Trail to Bin Laden
Otherwise, little is known about Khan — including whether that was his real name, and whether he was also the courier whose trail eventually led US intelligence agents to Bin Laden's door. US officials say four other people died in the raid on Monday that killed Bin Laden: the courier, his brother, Bin Laden's son and a woman described as the courier's wife.
US officials have said they believe the courier also was the owner of the compound, and that he had been identified by a nickname, Abu Ahmad Al Kuwaiti, suggesting that he was from Kuwait.
Neighbours said the behaviour of the compound's residents was unusual, but not so much that it drew tremendous attention. Asked why he needed security cameras and perimeter walls as high as 18ft topped with barbed wire, Khan said he was in the midst of an acrimonious feud with relatives and had to safeguard his family.
Disputes between family factions can get ugly in Pakistan, and often result in someone picking up a gun.
"When I saw it being built, I thought, ‘Wow, the walls are so big,'" said Zahim Shekoh, 22, a college student whose house is about 100 yards from the compound. "Why so big? And why all the barbed wire?"
Lifeline to the world
By all accounts, Khan was Bin Laden's lifeline to the outside world, supplying the compound with food and medicine, neighbours said. His red Suzuki van was often seen stuffed with large bags of flour, fruit and other groceries.
Neighbours wondered why Khan and the man they knew as his brother needed so much food, and surmised that they were stocking up in bulk.
