German spies say they were the ones who told the CIA where Osama Bin Laden was hiding

• German spies told CIA where Osama Bin Laden was hiding, paper claimed
• Tip-off said to be of 'fundamental importance' in the hunt for the terrorist
• But German paper said US special forces tracked down precise location
• Al-Qaeda leader killed by Navy SEALs in Pakistan compound in 2011

German spies have claimed they were the ones who told the CIA where Osama Bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan so US special forces could kill the al-Qaeda leader, according to reports.

The BND, Germany's foreign intelligence agency, tipped off U.S. officials about where the architect of the September 11 attacks was taking refuge, newspaper Bild am Sonntag claimed.

The tip-off from a BND source within Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency was said to be of 'fundamental importance' in the hunt for the terrorist, the German paper said.

Bin Laden was found hiding in a walled compound in Abbottabad less than a mile from Pakistan's elite military academy and he was shot by Navy SEALs in 2011.

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German spies have claimed they were the ones who told the CIA where Osama Bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan so US special forces could kill the al-Qaeda leader

The Pakistani government has staunchly denied that it knew the al-Qaeda leader was living within or that he received protection from Inter-Services Intelligence.

The report said ultimately US services tracked down Bin Laden's exact location by following one of his couriers, as Washington has said.

It also claimed the BND used its Bad Aibling listening post in Germany's southern Bavaria state to monitor telephone and email traffic in northern Pakistan to ensure the secrecy of the planned raid. 

This follows claims that President Obama lied to Americans about the role of Pakistan special forces in the raid which killed Bin Laden so he could take credit for the mission.

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Bin Laden was found hiding in a walled compound in Abbottabad (pictured) less than a mile from Pakistan's elite military academy

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Decorated veteran Rob O'Neill (pictured) claimed he killed the terrorist leader with three shots to his forehead during the SEAL raid

Journalist Seymour Hersh has accused the the Commander-In-Chief of rushing to receive plaudits just hours after the Navy SEAL operation.

The BND's 'apparent act of heroism' has been published as the agency is battling heavy criticism over their choice of targets.

It has been accused of helping the US National Security Agency spy not just on extremists and criminals but also on political and business targets, including the French government, European Commission and Airbus Group.

The claims - and questions of how much the office of Chancellor Angela Merkel knew about the reported joint snooping - are subject to two parliamentary inquests.

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The report said ultimately US services tracked down Bin Laden's exact location by following one of his couriers, pictured the compound was seen in flames after the attack

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President Obama, pictured with senior defence and security officials, has been accused of lying to Americans about the role of Pakistan special forces in the raid which killed Bin Laden so he could take credit

Ms Merkel has pledged to testify before the panels and her Social Democratic Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel has heaped pressure on her. 

On Sunday Mr Gabriel demanded Merkel's government show 'backbone' and release the classified list of search terms even if Washington objects to their publication.

His party has also charged Merkel's conservatives deceived the electorate by voicing unrealistic hopes for a US-German 'no-spy agreement' in the lead-up to 2013 elections. 

Questions have been raised over the exact narrative of how bin Laden came to die.

Decorated veteran Rob O'Neill claimed he killed the terrorist leader with three shots to his forehead during the SEAL raid on 2 May 2011.

But other accounts suggest Mr O'Neill shot him once, leaving him mortally-wounded and the terrorist was killed by two other SEALs with further shots to the chest rather than forehead.

Mr O'Neill has previously said: 'Standing on two feet in front of me with his hands on his wife's shoulders, behind her, was the face I'd seen thousands of times. 

'I was standing above him when he took his last breath, and I heard it audibly,' he said. 'We just ended the war.'  

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Bin Laden in his hide-out before SEAL Team Six were sent in to kill him. The al Qaeda leader was discovered by years of careful CIA work and two helicopters were scrambled to deploy the servicemen