Putting an end to all speculations, the US confirmed on Wednesday that an "extensive" trove of hardcore pornography was recovered by the Navy SEALS from the Abbottabad hideout of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden during the raid in May 2011.
On Wednesday, the office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) declassified some 100 documents recovered from bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan. It further confirmed that a cache of pornography was also recovered during the raid, but said it won't be releasing the details of the type of porn accessed by the al Qaeda leader.
"We are not going to release these materials due to the nature of their contents," DNI spokesperson Jeffrey Anchukaitis told The Guardian.
While the office of the DNI has maintained it will not reveal any information on the type of porn watched by Osama, several speculations in this connection are already doing the rounds. A Reuters report from 2011 revealed that Osama's porn collection was "fairly extensive", and included recent-vintage video smut that were recorded using modern electronic devices.
The Express.Co.UK went with a rather straightforward headline: "Osama bin Laden a paedophile? Terror leader's extreme porn stash revealed." The report noted that the nature of pornographic material accessed by Osama bin Laden was "so extreme" that hardline groups such as Isis would have "beheaded, stoned to death or thrown Osama down a building for the hardcore pornography that he used to watch."
A New York Post report observed that the US Navy SEALS found "XXX-rated flicks" on the 100 thumb drives, DVDs and computer discs recovered from bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad. The report further noted that the SEALS also found herbal viagra Avena Syrup, which is made of wild oat, at Osama's bedside.
Despite the fact that it will never be clear whether bin Laden actually accessed porn contents, the news report has prompted a flurry of mockery, with some even suggesting that the US leaked the news to make Laden look like a hypocrite.
Osama, in a 2002 "Letter to America", criticised the United States for its sexualised culture.
Twitter Reactions
LoneStar @Lonestar357
In Osama's porn collection they also found a rare copy of the Kama Sutra Goat edition.
Miles Lacey @kiwiasmiles
#SoThatsWhyILiveInTheWoodsNow - I found Osama bin Laden's porn stash.
Michael Hoogkamer @mhoogkamer
So Osama Bin Laden had a collection of porn. But that is unislamic! So he was a kafir after all.
Luckie Cruz @luckie408
Isn't porn haram in Islam? Osama Bin Laden was said to have an "extensive" collection of secret porn
Aki @AkiMuthali
lol...wait...why should anybody be concerned with Osama bin Laden's porn stash? #GalacticFacepalm
Gboru Markson @GboruM
HE ranted and raved about the exploitation of women in the west.
Andrew Basso @RebelAcademic
Guess #BinLaden had to resort to #porn DVDs because his wifi was so bad it was... #Abbottabad #BinLadensBookshelf
