By 1986 bin Laden had emerged from the shadow of more senior figures in the mujahideen to lead his own unit of young Arabs from a hideout known as the “Lion’s Den”. “We were aware of him but he absolutely refused to talk to us because he had his own money and guns and everything he needed,” says Scheuer. “We would have liked to talk to anyone fighting the Russians but he never gave us any indication that he wanted to talk. We never had contact with him.” The CIA was also aware of his growing antipathy towards the US. “He was already saying things like, 'First the Soviets but ultimately the Americans are just as bad’ .”