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Faisal Tariq / NBC News
Shakeel Ahmed was hired to demolish Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The bricks piled up behind him sell for less than a nickel each.
ABBOTTABAD, Pakistan -- A contractor who was hired to demolish Osama bin Laden's former compound is selling the bricks as souvenirs.
Shakeel Ahmed was paid by Pakistan's government to strip the property of pipes, curtains, beams and even the former al-Qaida leader's bathtubs.
Thousands of bricks remain, which Ahmed says he plans to donate to the poor and sell off at auction.
But since word got out about Ahmed's stash, people from across Pakistan have been showing up in the hill town to buy bin Laden's bricks as souvenirs -- at a cost of less than a nickel each.
Farooq Naeem / AFP - Getty Images
U.S. forces found and killed the al-Qaida leader in the affluent Pakistani town of Abbottabad, where he had been living in a large compound.
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- NYT: Role of torture revisited in bin Laden narrative
- PhotoBlog: More photos from Abbottabad
- US official acknowledges drone strikes, civilian deaths
- US offers 'safe passage' to Afghan Taliban
The participants pictured in the famous photo of the White House Situation Room taken during the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound speak with NBC's Brian Williams.
Leave a Comment:
I'm betting more bricks will be sold than were ever part of the compound.
I should probably sell a few myself. Who's to know?
Yahooo!!! Free Enterprise at work!
LOL, it is the middle east though. These bricks will be used to throw at police and/or military.
Hello folks, news flash; Osama was seen by a spy drone having lunch with Elvis in a cave west of Kabul. Not just any cave, but the cave where he orchestrated the 9-11 attacks with sophisticated can and string communication technology and a blackboard with chalk. The plans scribbled on the blackboard had details on how to penetrate the most heavily defended air space in the world.
He was also seen with crates of state of the art box cutters and manuals on how to fly jumbo jets for dummies. There were also sparklers that were used to jump from WTC1 and II to WTC7 which caused the building to free fall at demolition like implosion speed. He also had passports that are able to withstand the high temperatures of a jet fuel explosion.
Don’t worry, we will send Seal Team 7 to get him, again. They have been trained to locate 6’4” terrorists dragging a dialysis machine around with them.
Trust you know what a dialysis machine does right? It is not used 24/7 not even daily. Aso for the rest of your post, conspiracy nonsense.
@article
Who, in the Western world, is going to be buying the bricks that make up his compound? Any Muslim hating person is not going to be sending money to Pakistan, everyone else will not care for the most part.
Geowil, you might re-read #1.2 with your sarcasm filter set to *off*.
@dman-353357 - Could you expand on your comment "Yahooo!!! Free Enterprise at work!"? I assume you are making a dig at capitalism? If so, then I assume you'd rather have every purchase you make 'approved'? Should each e-bay item being sold be validated as well?
I say if people are stupid enough to spend their money buying fake bricks, let them! No more unnecessary regulations...
Every time I see a picture of this place, I can’t help but think that it would have been just matter of time before an earthquake leveled it. With the lack of building codes in the rat hole called Pakistan that thought is not to far fetched. I am very happy that we killed the dirt bag before an earthquake could because the Pakistanis would have covered up his death just to keep the bastards memory alive.
Oh, chill out, Chris '12. I'm all for free enterprise. But I also recognize that in the heart of every entrepreneur lurks at least a little bit of the scam artist. How this guy makes his fortune is his business.
Like I said, you're taking this much too seriously.
He could sell them on Ebay for about $100 each.
Someone needs to 'enlighten' him about capitalism.
The tubs would sell for a fortune, as would his 'porn' collection.
For once I agree with you, Roy. The planets must be aligned in some once-in-a-millenium fashion.
Osama's shelter brick will be a good souvenir for Paki backstabbing and incompetency!
Pakis were trying to be too smart.
By the by, don't spend much money on losers!
Geography is not your strength is it ?
I bet they will show up on Ebay soon!
They sure will - but will they actually be Bin-Laden bricks? hmmmm - you know I've got a pile of bricks too!
who cares if they real or not? big deal - u want em buy em if u dont then dont? y even worry about it? im not buyin any either way...at a nickel a piece, dude will make $20-$30? u people r weird? think...
In Reality, a bomb will probably be placed in the pile of bricks to stop this infidel from profiting from the death of their beloved leader.
please do not make racist comments.
Racist comments? What race is being condemned?
Are not people that do not agree with Bin Laden and his followers killed?
Do you get any information in India?
I didn't note a racist comment in his post. Pretty sure there are plenty of derogatory terms out there that could satisfy your necessity for their to be racism involved. Perhaps you should research what they are so you know when to speak up concerning those matters.
Vikramjit Singh must be a moslem, they never admit when they make a mistake.
Well, maybe some do, somewhere, but I have not seen them do it. Perhaps they can not apologize to infidels or one of there brothers will cut off their heads?
Hell yes. This is a significant piece of cultural history, along w/my pet rock & my cabbage patch doll. The only decision here is do I join the herd or wait for the plastic replica @ wal-mart. Maybe - just maybe, I can find the CIA safe house where he's chillin & get it autographed. God bless the paki exchange rate & American journalism.
Gotta have it! This is a significant piece of cultural history. Put it next to my pet rock & cabbage patch doll. The big decision is do I buy now, or wait for the plastic replica @ walmart. God Bless the pakistani exchange rate & informative journalism.
You too can have a brick. Just send US funds for $0.05 for the brick and $4,300.19 for overnight shipment from Abbotabad to your door. Of course, the White House will come and confiscate your brick in the name of national security.
mathuin,
That was funny...and sadly probably true. LOL
With a notation stating "All proceeds will be donated to the Al' Qaeda and Taliban networks".
Any shell casings or blood stained rugs?
we can display them in our new tower.
Yes, I do, damn it.
Sign me up for an order of bricks.
lol.
Why not throw in a shoe or too as well.
You stupid, stupid humans. what a waste of oxygen.
LOLOL
Stay tuned - some profiteer probably has some of OBL's toe cheese stashed away, and they'll be offering that for sale in a year or two, attractively packaged in a crystal vial with a certificate of authenticity. There's nothing on this planet, no matter how unsavory, that isn't for sale, and what's worse is: there are a boatload of schmucks waiting to buy it.
If Osama had signed them they might be worth something
Why does the media continue to put this evil person in the spotlight - in ancient times, when somebody was this bad, their name was removed for all of society and people were never allowed to mention them again - we should return to this. I, for one, do not want to hear about this guy ever again. He's dead, He's gone. It's finished and done with. Let's move on.
Yikes! And who decides who is so "evil" we are to never discuss of them again? Ever read 1984? I couldn't think of a single person I would trust with this power of completely removing someone from record. I prefer not to have my history rewritten if you don't mind.
I would buy one so I can piss on it.
I'd buy one for a hundred bucks if there was proof that it bounced off that pr!cks head.
And I thought Americans would sell anything for a buck. Who cares
None listed on eBay yet - only a matter of time.
How come I can't find this on E.bay....are they starting bidding off at a nickel or is that the Buy it Now price... whats the cost for S&H...is it No Reserve...does it come in lots....
who do I contact to get some Bin Laden bricks? Any email? I would love to get some.
Gee, nothing in the MSM about April being the deadliest month for our troops in Afghanistan. All we get is this pablum.
It was the deadliest month this year. Present the facts correctly and fully if you are going to complain about news reporting otherwise you are just as bad as they are.
Does anyone else have a vision of a brick sitting in a shrine running through their head?
Turn the brick over and it says made in China by Gotcha Novelty company.
This makes me think. Does Obama have the bullet that killed Bin Ladin encased in glass sitting on his desk?
if I Buy all bricks, do I get to own the whole compound?!?!
I want to turn it in to a homeless shelter in case you wonder why?
or turn it in to a Mosque
Contact Shakeel Ahmed.. from the photo above.. I dont think US would allow those bricks in their soil.. it s a bad luck I think!
I guess, for a nickle, I could buy one and put it in my toilet tank. You know, get some use from it.
We should all buy a few and then take a sledge hammer to them and throw the remains in the nearest cesspool.