Evidence reported from Osama bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound indicates that an unidentified person there played video games. It does not show that bin Laden himself played them. The clearest evidence is saved-game data from a computer seized in the 2011 raid, reported in 2017; a separate 2015 report concerned game guides among recovered documents.
What the saved-game files show
In November 2017, ABC News reported that files on a computer seized during the 2011 raid included saved-game data for four Nintendo DS titles: Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, New Super Mario Bros, Metroid Prime Hunters and Yoshi’s Island DS. Saved-game files support the conclusion that someone played those games. The report did not identify the player, so the files do not establish that bin Laden was the one playing.
ABC also listed game files for One Piece — Gear Spirit, Naruto Saikyou Ninja Daikesshuu 3 and Battles of Prince of Persia. Their presence is not, by itself, evidence that each was played: the reported saved-game evidence specifically concerned the four titles above. ABC News’s account of the seized computer summarizes those findings.
What the 2015 game-guide reports add
In May 2015, a government document list included two game-related items under the category “Documents Probably Used by Other Compound Residents”: “Delta Force Extreme 2 [sic] Videogame Guide” and “Game Spot [sic] Videogame Guide,” according to GameSpot. A guide shows that game-related reading material was present; it does not prove that anyone owned or played the game, or that a reader used it to study tactics. GameSpot said there was no indication bin Laden or anyone else in the compound studied the game for tactical purposes and that the documents were believed to have been read by someone other than bin Laden.
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The title in the guide appears to refer to Delta Force: Xtreme 2, a PC game released on May 27, 2009, as GameSpot noted. The Los Angeles Times reported that U.S. officials speculated the guide might have been for bin Laden’s children or wives; that was speculation, not an established identification of its reader. The Los Angeles Times report provides that context.
Why the player’s identity remains unknown
The reports describe material found at a residence shared by bin Laden and other people. The 2015 guide list itself classified the items as probably used by other compound residents, while the 2017 saved-game findings establish activity but do not name the person responsible. Neither report connects bin Laden personally to playing a game.
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The Washington Post reported that the compound was cut off from telephone and internet service for security reasons. That context does not identify the player, and it gives no basis for claiming the games were played online. The Washington Post’s 2015 account discusses the isolation and the game-guide reports.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where the material came from
The CIA maintains a public archive of material recovered from the Abbottabad compound. Its November 2017 release page is an official archive entry point. The specific game findings described here are attributed to the contemporary reporting; they should not be read as a claim that the reporting independently identifies who used the computer or the guides.
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