BBOTTABAD, Pakistan — Frightened neighbours say they had no idea that the man living in a three-storey villa hidden behind barbed wire in a leafy, well-to-do Pakistani town was the world's most wanted extremist.
In the dead of night, residents of the middle-class area, home to retired army officers and businessmen, woke to a helicopter gunfight, which filled them with dread.
Described by US officials as "extraordinarily unique" the compound housing the terrorist leader was more like a fortress than a residential dwelling.
Surrounded by 18ft walls topped by barbed wire, the only access was through two security gates.
I did not have the slightest idea what was going on," said local resident Waseem. "It is a very quiet neighbourhood, the most peaceful area."
Ejaz Mahmood, a tailor, said he heard a blast in the early hours of Monday and "saw a fireball coming down from the air".
Residents were stunned when they switched on their television sets after daybreak to hear US President Barack Obama announce that bin Laden had been killed in their home town.
One of Bin Laden's neighbours, who lived just 100 metres away from him, described how he took to his roof to witness the dramatic raid.
"The helicopter swept past my house, flying very low, coming very close. I threw myself to the ground thinking it was going to collide with my house," Zahoor Abbasi said.
There was a massive explosion: a huge flame leapt into the sky from the house, and then shortly afterwards it all appeared to be over.
Residents said the neighbourhood, about two hours' drive from the capital Islamabad, was home mostly to migrants from the Swat Valley -- previously a stronghold of Taliban militants in the northwest -- and Afghanistan.
The compound that once housed bin Laden is near potato fields and eucalyptus trees in a valley ringed by hills.
It has 12-18 foot (four-to-six metre) high walls and was closely guarded on Monday by police and soldiers, said reporters.
Despite its size, the "owner" who aided bin Laden – who was linked to the property by US intelligence agents – and his brother had "no explainable source of wealth".
The property also had no telephone or internet services associated with it.
"Intelligence analysts concluded that this compound was custom-built to hide someone of significance," said the official.
Locals said large Landcruisers and other expensive cars were seen driving into the compound, which is in a regular middle-class neighbourhood.
Salman Riaz, a film actor, said that five months ago he and a crew tried to do some filming next to the house, but were told to stop by two men who came out.
Never in our wildest thoughts did we think Osama bin Laden was staying in this house," said Aurangzeb Khan, a local driver.
He told that the owner of the house was a man named Arshad, who would buy 10 to 15 rotis (traditional flat bread) from a nearby shop for each meal.
Khan remained doubtful about the raid after the story of bin Laden's demise emerged.
"It all seems like a drama or a kind of game being played by Pakistan and the United States," he said.
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