Yesterday, the CIA released a trove of files obtained from Osama bin Laden’s compound when he was killed by US forces in 2011. We knew that bin Laden had some unexpected things on his computer, but we now have a better look at some of the files.
Photo: Getty
“Today’s release of recovered al-Qa’ida letters, videos, audio files and other materials provides the opportunity for the American people to gain further insights into the plans and workings of this terrorist organisation,” CIA Director Pompeo said in a statement.
“CIA will continue to seek opportunities to share information with the American people consistent with our obligation to protect national security,” Pompeo continued.
Osama bin Laden’s computer had a strange mix of everything from Tom and Jerry animated cartoons and crochet instructional videos to IED and beheading films. For instance, he had one video of the beheading of Jack Hensley, who was a 49-year-old American beheaded in Iraq in 2004. I don’t suggest you Google it.
Bin Laden even had Hollywood movies like Antz, Cars, Heroes of Tomorrow, Chicken Little, Resident Evil, and the 2009 Dreamworks animated 13-minute short, B.O.B.’s Big Break. Is it possible that kids were watching some of these movies in the compound? For sure. But I’d prefer to imagine that one of the worst terrorists of the century actually just had a soft spot for Western cartoons.
And if you’re wondering, yes, that first video appears to be the viral classic “Charlie Bit My Finger“.
We have a short list of some of the strangest titles below. You can search the entire list of videos here, and check out the other files that the US found on the agency’s main page.
- YouTube_-_Charlie_bit_my_finger_-_again__.flv
- MyEgy.CoM_Street.Fighter.IV.2009.DvDRip.rmvb
- Existence.of.the.Angels.mp4
- IMAX_Mysteries_Of_Egypt.rmvb
- Art_of_Crochet_by_Teresa_-_Baby_Crochet_Sock_Edging.flv
- How_to_Crochet_a_Basket.flv
- Crochet_Star_-_Small.flv
- Stripe_Crochet_Beanie_Cap_Hat.flv
- Twinkle_Twinkle_Little_Star.flv
- Tom-jerry17.rm
- Tom___Jerry_-_091.rmvb
- MyEgy.Com.By.Dr.MiDo.Jackie.chan.Ep_(26).rmvb
- Animal_Monkey_Never_Giveup.wmv
- [MSOMS-ANIME][MCT][534][nooood].mp4
- MyEgy.Com.Sindbad.By.Dr.MiDo._(28).rmvb
- MyEgy.CoM.BOBS_BIG_BREAK_DVDRiP_XViD.rmvb
- The_Pink_Panther_-_014_-_Bully_for_Pink.rmvb
- Sex_Crimes_and_the_Vatican.wmv
- BBC.Battlefields.3of4.Bomber.XviD.ahmed_ashour_wa_(dvd4arab).rmvb
- 3_Welcome_to_the_11th_Dimension.rmvb
- Colors_Video_for_Kids.flv
- YouTube_-_Girls_Fight_ضرابة_بنوتات.flv
- The_New_FAST_Alphabet_-_ABC_Phonics_Chant.flv
- SynThreeFingerFlick.mpg
- gomaa_dr_04_Race_To_The_Moon_eibda3.com.rmvb
- Bubbles.wmv
- MyEgy.CoM.buzzlightyear.Ep12.By_action2020.rmvb
- HOssam2010_06__The.Fall.of.Rome__eibda3.com.rmvb
- 1-2_buckle_my_shoe,alphabet_song.flv
- gomaa_dr__World.War.I.in.Colour_-_Making.the.Series__eibda3.com.avi
- Yousry_zero_hour_Mission_impossible_Eibda3.com.rmvb
- Crochet_5_Puff_Stitch_Cheap_Way.flv
- Yousry_A_world_of_crime_el3rab_Eibda3.com.rmvb
- 1_Einstein’s_Dream.rmvb
- cute_boy_reciting.flv
- gomaa_dr_03_Race_For_Survival_eibda3.com.rmvb
- classic_vanilla.flv
- How.many.Angels.are.there.mp4
- Star_Rainbow_Crochet_Applique’.flv
- YouTube_-_The_Art_of_Crochet_by_Teresa_-_Radiant_Crochet_Butterfly.flv
- [MSOMS-ANIME][MCT][538][nooood].mp4
- HORSE_DANCE.flv
You can watch the video for SynThreeFingerFlick.mpg below.
And as if all of this wasn’t weird enough, bin Laden apparently had a 9-11 truther video on his computer. Seriously.
Screenshot of the log containing the files on Osama bin Laden’s computer, including what appears to be the film Loose Change, a September 11 conspiracy movie
As Ciazarn points out on Twitter, there’s a file on the list called LooseChange2.flv. Loose Change is the tremendously popular conspiracy theory film that claims the attacks of 11 September 2001 were an inside job orchestrated by the US government and George W. Bush, and not perpetrated by anyone affiliated with Osama bin Laden.
The “2” in the file name presumably refers to the “second edition” of the conspiracy theory movie which was released in 2006. The movie was first released in 2005 online.
You can watch the trailer for Loose Change below. What a bizarre world we live in.