TikTok said it was “aggressively” moving to contain the spread of the viral letter, removing posts that have amplified bin Laden’s anti-American message.
“Content promoting this letter clearly violates our rules on supporting any form of terrorism,” TikTok wrote in a statement.
But the damage was already done, leading to furious reactions across the country.
“It is appalling to witness younger Americans voicing sympathy for bin Laden’s dangerous and antisemitic worldview 22 years after our nation was horrifically attacked and our loved ones were callously murdered by Islamists,” said the group 9/11 Families United.
Bin Laden, who was killed by U.S. forces in 2011, wrote the letter in 2002.
It was the al-Qaeda leader’s attempt to justify the deadly Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S., which killed nearly 3,000 people.
The letter accuses the U.S. of looting Arab nations and of pursuing a hegemonic foreign policy agenda, pinning the blame on all Americans for supporting Washington.
The letter, which includes antisemitic language, picked up an audience from young Americans who were surprised bin Laden mentioned support for Palestine.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) was among those that reacted to the letter going viral.
“Taking a brief, and what should be unnecessary, pause to remind anyone who is confused…Osama Bin Laden was a genocidal terrorist personally responsible for one of the biggest crimes in modern history,” the IDF wrote in a post.
And Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said the viral letter proved it was time to ban TikTok. “If you didn’t know why, there’s another example today.”
Read more coverage at TheHill.com.
