Mystery Surrounds Bibles Found Hidden in Osama bin Laden Compound
Two copies of an English version of the Holy Bible were found in the building where Osama bin Laden spent his last days and was killed by U.S. forces, Pakistani officials revealed on Tuesday night.
The compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where the al-Qaida leader was shot dead by U.S. Navy SEALs last May, is being demolished this week. A number of interesting discoveries have been made among the rubble, however.
Among them are cleverly hidden radios and two copies of the Bible, but different theories exist about why the extremist Islamic leader, who waged a holy war against the U.S., would have Bibles in his possession. Certain passages have apparently been highlighted in different colors, leading some Pakistani intelligence officials to believe that they might be coded messages referencing future terror attacks, The Times of India reported. Pakistan's ISI security service is conducting further investigations on the texts in question.
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"We had already cleared the compound before demolition but found two copies of the Bible and two radio sets," an unidentified Pakistani commander shared with The Sun. "The Bibles were in English and we cannot be sure why they were there. These copies were found as we checked the rooms for the final time before demolishing the building.
"The radios are in working condition and will be given with the Bibles to the investigators. Some pages were folded and we will see later what was of most interest to bin Laden.
"Maybe he was looking for teachings of jihad (holy war)," he suggested.
The Sun article suggests that American CIA agents will not be able to analyze the books themselves, because relations have recently broken down between the USA and Pakistan after intelligence was discovered suggesting Pakistani officials had known all along where the al-Qaida leader was hiding.
Discussion also still surrounds what to do with the site after the compound is cleared. Local officials apparently want a hospital to be built there, but Islamist extremists allegedly may want a mosque there instead to serve as a rallying point for bin Laden followers.
