Bin Laden Had Cash, Was Ready to Flee, Intel Said

Osama bin Laden had a cash stash and was prepared to flee his compound if danger threatened, top U.S. intelligence officials say. But overconfidence in his security proved to be the fatal lapse as Navy SEALs approached and invaded his hiding place, ultimately killing him, the officials told members of Congress Tuesday.

The top terrorist in the world had cash totaling 500 Euros (about $775 U.S.) and two phone numbers sewn into his clothing when he was killed, which the officials said during the classified briefing that those were signs that he was ready to run, Politico reports.

Three sources who attended the briefing confirmed the details for Politico, the news service reports.

The revelation came from CIA Director Leon Panetta in answer to a question about why more security personnel weren't protecting bin Laden in Abbottabad, a military town north of Islamabad. The al-Qaida chieftan believed “his network was strong enough he’d get a heads-up” before he could be attacked, Panetta responded, according to Politico.

Panetta divulged the evidence of the cash and phone numbers to support the administration’s contention that bin Laden was ready to escape the compound if alerted to a potential attack, a source told Politico.

Presumably, U.S. investigators will be calling those phone numbers in bin Laden's clothing to see who answers.