PICK OF THE DAY: The Hunt for Bin Laden – BBC Knowledge at 8pm (WAT)

When Bin Laden was killed by American Special Forces on the 2nd May, 2011, it marked the end of the longest and most expensive manhunt in US history. The 9/11 attacks on New York and the Pentagon had brought Bin Laden to the world’s attention, but the mission to hunt and kill the terrorist leader had begun long before – when he crossed the CIA’s radar in 1991 as a terrorist financier.

Looking at three key phases in the hunt for Bin Laden – the years before 9/11, the run up to the attacks, and the post 9/11 years – Intelligence chiefs, presidents, secretaries of state, the military and operatives on the ground tell their stories – as well as a few of those who met Bin Laden.

The documentary reveals how America failed many times to track, find and take out the country’s most wanted man, and why US presidents struggled to navigate the political intricacies of giving the go-ahead on an assassination attempt.

The Hunt for Osama bin Laden took 20 years, three US presidents, countless deaths and millions of dollars. So when President Barack Obama announced ‘justice has been done’, the question was raised – could the need for justice have been avoided altogether?

Don’t miss this gripping documentary Wednesday 22 May at 8pm WAT on BBC Knowledge.