Turns out, Osama bin Laden was a big fan of ‘Charlie Bit My Finger’

Business Insider
Mar 31, 2018
1 minute read
Humor photo

SUMMARY

On Nov. 1, the CIA released a trove of files that former Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had on his computer at the time of his death, and among them are children’s programs…

On Nov. 1, the CIA released a trove of files that former Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had on his computer at the time of his death, and among them are children's programs like "Tom and Jerry," crocheting instructions, and the 2007 viral YouTube video "Charlie Bit My Finger."


Also read: The 5 weirdest books on Osama Bin Laden's bookshelf

Although the majority of the documents, videos, images, and audio clips released by the CIA are related to bin Laden's terror operations, some of the files are of a more benign nature. "Charlie Bit My Finger" appears under the file name "Tootin__Bathtub_Baby_Cousins.flv," alongside numerous clips of the cartoon "Tom and Jerry" and Jackie Chan films. There are also instructions for crocheting butterflies, socks, and baskets.

Osama (left) and his son, Hamza bin Laden. Screengrab from YouTube.

The presence of so much children's content can be explained by the fact that bin Laden was living with his family in the secret compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where he was killed by US Navy Seal Team 6 in May 2011. Some of the videos in the files released by the CIA — like songs designed for children learning English — raise the possibility that bin Laden was schooling his children from the compound while he was in hiding.

Notably, the CIA decided not to release bin Laden's large pornography stash in the Nov. 1 file dump.

SHARE