Washington: Osama bin Laden's AK-47 rifle, found next to his body after he was killed in a daring midnight raid by US Navy SEALs in Pakistan, is on display at an ultra-secret CIA museum. The AK-47 is a recent addition to a collection housed at a museum inside the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
The museum displays the gadgets, artifacts and trophies of 70 years of spycraft, from World War II through to the War on Terror.
The museum is closed to the public and is only visited by employees and invited guests.
The Russian-made assault rifle, identified on a simple brass plaque as "Osama bin Laden's AK-47," shares a glass case with an al-Qaeda training manual found in Afghanistan soon after 9/11.
"This is the rifle that was recovered from the third floor of the Abbottabad compound by the assault team," curator Toni Hiley was quoted by NBC News as saying. "Because of its proximity to (bin Laden) there on the third floor in the compound, our analyst determined it to be his. It's a Russian AK with counterfeit Chinese markings," he said.
Neither Hiley nor the agency disclosed how the AK-47 got to the museum, with Hiley just saying that Leon Panetta, "asked that it come into the museum collection".
A source was quoted by NBC as saying that it came from the "dark side" of the agency, the operations staff that worked with the SEALs on the May 2011 raid.
The agency also does not comment on the specifics of how the weapon was recovered or whether it was loaded when retrieved.
"I wasn't there," said Hiley. "So I can't confirm or deny exactly where the weapon was. I just know that I have it in my museum and I'm happy to have it."
Hiley said the weapon is in good working condition, but that the origin of the Chinese markings is a mystery. She said it's not the weapon seen at Osama's side in many propaganda videos.
The CIA's private museum, which was started in the early 1990s, fills three corridors in two buildings at the CIA campus just outside Washington. Agency officials call it "the coolest museum you'll never see".
The museum displays the gadgets, artifacts and trophies of 70 years of spycraft, from World War II through to the War on Terror.
The museum is closed to the public and is only visited by employees and invited guests.
"This is the rifle that was recovered from the third floor of the Abbottabad compound by the assault team," curator Toni Hiley was quoted by NBC News as saying. "Because of its proximity to (bin Laden) there on the third floor in the compound, our analyst determined it to be his. It's a Russian AK with counterfeit Chinese markings," he said.
Advertisement
A source was quoted by NBC as saying that it came from the "dark side" of the agency, the operations staff that worked with the SEALs on the May 2011 raid.
Advertisement
"I wasn't there," said Hiley. "So I can't confirm or deny exactly where the weapon was. I just know that I have it in my museum and I'm happy to have it."
Advertisement
The CIA's private museum, which was started in the early 1990s, fills three corridors in two buildings at the CIA campus just outside Washington. Agency officials call it "the coolest museum you'll never see".
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem Javelin Series? Ex-Pakistan Star Says It'll Be Bigger Than... Bangladesh Allows Ousted MP Cricketer From Sheikh Hasina's Party To Play Test Series In Pakistan No Spectators Allowed In Pakistan vs Bangladesh Test Match In Karachi. This Is The Reason 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing Ayatollah Khamenei Warns Of "Divine Wrath" If Iran Backs Down Against Israel Mob Vandalised Kolkata Doctor Rape Murder Case Crime Scene? Cops Respond Oropouche Virus Kills 2 In Brazil: All About The Rare Disease Punjab Toll Plaza Blunder: Man Charged Rs 220 While Relaxing At Home NIA Probes Blast That Killed 1, Turns Out To Be Cooker Making Khichdi Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.