By Mark Ellis
A hidden stash of pornography was found in the compound of Osama bin Laden by the U.S. commandos who killed him, current and former U.S. officials reported to Reuters news agency.
The extensive collection of pornography videos recovered in bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan was modern and electronically recorded according to the officials, who discussed the discovery on condition of anonymity, according to Reuters.
ABC News reported the collection of videos and magazines was found in the bedroom of bin Laden himself.
If bin Laden was the primary consumer, it adds to a troubling portrait. “A lot of men without a father figure turn to pornography,” says Steve Arterburn, author of “Every Man’s Battle,” a landmark book about men’s battle with pornography, written from a Christian perspective. The book has sold four million copies since its release.
“Osama bin Laden was one of 50 kids; he was number 17, and his father died when he was 10-years-old,” Arterburn notes. “When there is the loss of a father-figure it is not unusual for men to turn to pornography so they can feel like a man.”
“He is a classic figure of a man lacking a father,” Arterburn adds.
If the pornography was viewed by bin Laden or other terrorists, it would add to an unusual pattern discovered with the 911 terrorists, who visited strip clubs immediately prior to their attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Three other U.S. officials familiar with evidence gathered during investigations of other Islamic militants said the discovery of pornography is not uncommon in such cases, according to Reuters.
Since bin Laden’s compound was cut off from the Internet and other hard-wired communications networks, the pornography must have been personally transported into the compound by couriers or others.
A video released by the Obama administration showed bin Laden watching pictures of himself on a TV screen, indicating the compound was equipped with video equipment.
Materials carted away from the compound by the U.S. commandos included digital thumb drives, a possible means by which couriers could have transported pornography to the late al Qaeda leader.
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