Osama bin Laden led an austere life, spending his personal fortune on attacks against the West and serving his guests good food, according Ayman al-Zawahiri. In a new video posted online called "Days with the Imam, Part Two" a bespectacled Zawahiri fondly recalled his predecessor's meager comforts.
Zawahiri said, "When you entered his house you would be surprised. It was a very simple house, with some wooden beds and plastic coverings and very little furniture. If the Sheikh invited us to his house, he would give us what he had in the way of bread, vegetables, rice - whatever was available he would give us."
He added, "He spent all his money on jihad," saying bin Laden had given $50,000 to help finance the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. At the time, he had no more than $55,000 to his name.
Zawahiri chuckled occasionally as he recounted his memories of bin Laden, whom he said had urged his fellow mujahideen to shun electricity to prepare for the hardships of life as on the run.
Zawahiri said that despite his frugal way of life, bin Laden was a generous host and once bought a whole herd of sheep to feed his frequent visitors in Afghanistan. He said, "He was known for his generosity with guests. He would slaughter livestock for them and give them tasty food." |