Videos of Osama Bin Laden watching Al Jazeera on his television and recording messages to his Al Qaeda followers were released on Saturday by the U.S. Defense Department.

The audio-less videos support the Obama administration's position that Bin Laden was still a key and active leader in the Al Qaeda operation--a notion that has been challenged by some foreign policy experts.

In the best video, shown below, Bin Laden is sitting on the floor watching television in an undecorated room. His beard is its natural color, and he's wearing a beanie and blanket. He refuses to relax his arm, holding it and the remote in his hand's grasp up high. Other videos are outtakes from messages he was recording.

It remains unexplained why someone recorded Bin Laden watching television.