Bin Laden "not impressed" by Stratford following teenage visit
A visit to Stratford by Osama bin Laden during his teenage years helped foster his hatred of the west, newly released documents revealed this week.
The Guardian reported that a personal journal, recovered from the house in which he died in 2011, revealed that he visited Stratford when he was a 13-year-old.
A brief entry describes his visit to the town and says that he was “not impressed” by British society and culture.
It reads: “I got the impression that they were a loose people, and my age didn’t allow me to form a complete picture of life there.
“We went every Sunday to visit Shakespeare’s house. I was not impressed and I saw that they were a society different from ours and that they were a morally loose society.”
The journal was part of 470,000 documents released yesterday by the CIA in the interests of transparency and to enhance public understanding of al-Qa‘ida and its former leader.
CIA Director Pompeo said: "Today’s release of recovered al-Qa‘ida letters, videos, audio files and other materials provides the opportunity for the American people to gain further insights into the plans and workings of this terrorist organization.”
“The CIA will continue to seek opportunities to share information with the American people consistent with our obligation to protect national security."
