How Osama bin Laden may have used porn to communicate with followers
A new documentary claims Osama bin Laden may have used pornography to communicate with al-Qaeda.
A “fairly extensive” collection of pornography was uncovered in bin Laden’s Pakistan hideout when he was killed by US commandos in 2011, according to Reuters.
The officials said they were not sure precisely where in the compound the pornography was discovered or who had been viewing it.
Specifically, the officials said they did not know if bin Laden himself had acquired or viewed the materials.
In the National Geographic special, Bin Laden’s Hard Drive, CNN security analyst Peter Bergen raises the idea that bin Laden may have been burying encrypted instructions in pornography to avoid detection.
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The 9/11 mastermind didn’t have internet at his Abbottabad compound but had a number of TVs and video playback equipment. He reportedly used couriers to communicate fearing electronic communication would be traced.
Over 100 USB drives, as well as five computers, multiple mobile phones and hundreds of thousands of digital files were taken from the compound after bin Laden’s death.
Bergen was the first western journalist to interview bin Laden on television and in the upcoming special he analyses the confiscated items for meaning suggesting it’s the key to preventing future terrorist attacks.
“Exploring these hard drives, it’s clear that digital information can say a lot. Osama bin Laden’s files left behind an imprint of a complex man, responsible for the murder of thousands of people.
“History will remember him for that but, in order to cut through the perception of this ascetic in a cave on a holy crusade, it’s important for us to see how he crafted the videos that went out to his followers.
“To read how his well-educated wives helped him write incendiary speeches. To watch as he inculcated his children and grandchildren into an ideology of hate leading to acts of violence against animals and the recitation of jihadist poetry.
“Understanding him is vital in order to combat other potential bin Ladens in the future,” said Bergen, according to Business Wire.
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