The CIA's harebrained scheme to fight terrorism with an Osama bin Laden toy

The CIA's harebrained scheme to fight terrorism with an Osama bin Laden toy
(Image credit: Kevin Lee/Getty Images)

From The Washington Post, a story about a ludicrous CIA plot to counter Al Qaeda's influence by manufacturing an Osama bin Laden toy whose face morphed into that of a demon:

Beginning in about 2005, the CIA began secretly developing a custom-made Osama bin Laden action figure, according to people familiar with the project. The faces of the figures were painted with a heat-dissolving material, designed to peel off and reveal a red-faced bin Laden who looked like a demon, with piercing green eyes and black facial markings.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.