CIA Tried to Snag Bin Laden DNA with Fake Vaccination Drive [Espionage]
Adrian Chen
In the weeks before the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, the CIA had a prominent doctor organize a fake vaccination drive, in an attempt to secretly collect DNA from him and his family.
The CIA recruited a local surgeon to run the phony drive. (The doctor has since been arrested for his role.) From the Guardian:
The doctor went to Abbottabad in March, saying he had procured funds to give free vaccinations for hepatitis B. Bypassing the management of the Abbottabad health services, he paid generous sums to low-ranking local government health workers, who took part in the operation without knowing about the connection to Bin Laden. Health visitors in the area were among the few people who had gained access to the Bin Laden compound in the past, administering polio drops to some of the children
Apparently one nurse was able to gain access to the compound, though it’s unknown if she was actually able to get DNA. Authorities were after DNA in the United States, too: A report claimed agents actually subpoenaed OBL’s sister’s brain after she died in a Boston hospital. Pakistan, as you can imagine, is absolutely thrilled that the US has been snooping around their citizens’ genetic material without telling them.