Washington (CNN) -- Materials taken from Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan confirm that the al Qaeda leader communicated with the Yemen-based group al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, according to a U.S. official familiar with the ongoing U.S. analysis of the documents. It is not clear whether that group ever received the communications or if it acted upon them, said the official, who could not be named due to the sensitivity of the intelligence information. The United States is still trying to determine if the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, American-born Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, was in direct communication with bin Laden. Washington considers the Yemen-based group a very active wing of al Qaeda. Several attempted bombing plots targeting the United States -- including the unsuccessful Times Square bombing of 2010 and the attempt to blow up courier planes with explosives hidden in printer cartridges -- were hatched in Yemen.
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The materials were taken in the May 2 raid on bin Laden's compound in Pakistan
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They confirm the al Qaeda leader communicated with an affiliate group in Yemen
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Bin Laden was involved in planning attacks, the materials show
The @placeholder intelligence community had classified information at the time suggesting that bin Laden was involved, the U.S. official said, but the documents taken from the compound have provided confirmation.
Officials have previously said @placeholder always placed a top priority on trying to attack Americans.
Officials have previously said bin Laden always placed a top priority on trying to attack @placeholder.