Media reports say five arrested by Pakistani intelligence agency
Pakistan’s intelligence agency has arrested five alleged CIA informants who helped execute the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, according to media reports from the U.S. The New York Times reported that the owner of the safe house rented by the CIA to spy on the bin Laden compound in Abbottabad was among those arrested. While Pakistan denied the reports, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Inter Services Public Relations told the BBC that people had been arrested for interrogation. Among those targeted were people suspected of throwing flares into bin Laden’s compound to guide approaching U.S. helicopters on the night of the raid, as well as those who allegedly helped the helicopters refuel in Pakistani territory. Relations between the U.S. and Pakistan have been strained since the operation was carried out in May. There has been speculation that high-level Pakistani authorities were aware of bin Laden’s presence in the country.