AP
Osama bin Laden's surprising file cache has been released by the CIA.
- Alongside files relating to his terrorist activities, former Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had children's videos, movies, and viral videos on his computer at the time of his death.
- Bin laden lived with his family in the compound in Pakistan where he was eventually killed in 2011 and likely used some of the videos to educate his children.
The CIA on Wednesday 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."
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.
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 Wednesday's file dump.