Osama the gamer: A list of Bin Laden’s video games from his hard drive
This videograb provided by the Site Intelligence Group shows slain al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a previously unreleased video, part of which was posted by al-Qaeda’s media branch as-Sahab on jihadist forums on Sept. 12, 2011, to commemorate the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The 62-minute, 16-second video is titled “The Dawn of Imminent Victory.” AFP
Osama Bin Laden is perhaps known as the world’s most infamous terrorist but as it turns out, the man is quite the gamer like many of us.
The Central Intelligence Unit (CIA) recently released the contents of the Al Qaeda leader’s personal hard drives seized during the deadly 2011 raid at his hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
READ: CIA releases 470,000 more files from bin Laden raid
As anticipated, around 470,000 files included reels of public speeches, jihadist propaganda and previously unseen home video footage of his mysterious son, Hazma Bin Laden.
But unbeknown to many, Bin Laden also appeared to have a penchant for virtual gaming and pop culture, as his trove was filled with video games, movies, viral YouTube videos and anime.
Here are some of the gaming titles found on his hard drive, according to multiple reports:
Counter-Strike
After being in the forefront of a real-life deadly war, one would think that Bin Laden would want to be free from guns and mayhem on his spare time.
Turns out, Bin Laden was also a fan of popular first-person shooting (FPS) game Counter-Strike, where players can choose to be soldiers or terrorists and battle in an urban setting.
The game also allows users to face off with one another online—meaning some players have actually encountered the dreaded terrorist without knowing it.
Half-Life
This equally popular FPS game similar to Counter-Strike but with a science-fiction theme takes place in a faux-nuclear facility, where players encounter several extra-terrestrial creatures.
Various Nintendo emulator games
Even Bin Laden couldn’t resist the allure of Mario and Luigi and the rest of the crew.
A bunch of bootleg copies—or emulators for PC—were found on his files including “Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time,” “New Super Mario Bros,” “Metroid Prime Hunters” and “Yoshi’s Island DS.”
Bin Laden also owned printed copies of “Animal Crossing,” along with PC games “Zuma Deluxe,” “Sniper Elite” and “Nazi Zombie Army 2.”
Final Fantasy VII
Turns out, the then 54-year-old Saudi Arabian was also a fan of role-playing games, particularly “Final Fantasy VII.”
With a lot of time on his hands, it’s not hard to imagine Bin Laden immersing himself in “Cloud Strife “ and the rest of the crew.
He also reportedly possessed the whole “Devil May Cry” series.
Dragon Ball Z titles
After messing with virtual guns, swords and mushroom-like creatures, Bin Laden also had the affinity for some good-old fashioned hand-to-hand combat.
Several titles of “Dragon Ball” games also helped him fight boredom while in exile.
Other fighting games like “Street Fighter 4: The Ties that Bind” and “Storm Rider – Clash of the Evils” were seen as well.
Erotic Games
The feared extremist also had a naughty side, as several pornographic games and videos were seen in his files as well.
The CIA, however, refused to reveal the titles due to some copyright content.
Animated movies
Most of us pass time by indulging ourselves in some flicks, but surprisingly Bin Laden seemed to prefer animated ones.
The feared jihadist had copies of “Antz,” “Cars,” “Chicken Little,” “Resident Evil,” “Final Fantasy VII Advent Children” and “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.”
RELATED STORIES:
Family journal reveals Bin Laden’s thoughts of world around him
CIA’s list of Bin Laden files include ‘Charlie bit my finger’; dad who shot video ‘couldn’t react’
