A Decade Ago, a Pakistani Man Unknowingly Live-Tweeted the Raid on Osama Bin Laden. Read Story

Thirteen years ago, on May 2, 2011, a Pakistani man named Sohaib Athar unwittingly documented the U.S. military operation that killed Osama bin Laden. An IT consultant, he became an overnight sensation as he live-tweeted a mysterious blast and helicopter activity in Abbottabad, which turned out to be the raid on Bin Laden’s compound. The night of the raid, Mr. Athar live-tweeted his observations, expressing humor and confusion at the unusual events unfolding.

His tweets garnered attention and sparked discussions, as he and others speculated about the unfolding situation. As rumors and reports spread, Mr. Athar found himself at the center of a major historical event. It wasn’t until the next morning that Mr. Athar realized the significance of his tweets.

After receiving confirmation of the events and watching President Obama’s televised address, he understood that he had unintentionally documented the capture and demise of the notorious terrorist leader. Reflecting on the experience, Mr. Athar humorously acknowledged his unwitting role in documenting the historic moment. He quipped about live-blogging the raid without realizing it and expressed that he would have approached his tweets differently if he had known what was unfolding.

Mr. Athar, known by the Twitter handle ReallyVirtual, hails from Lahore, Pakistan, and describes himself as taking a break from the rat race by residing in the mountains with his laptops. His unintentional live-tweeting of the raid on Bin Laden’s compound earned him the moniker, “the man who live-tweeted Osama’s death,” and became a significant part of his personal history.