Would you believe that former wrestler and A list actor, Dwayne Johnson, AKA The Rock, tweeted the death of Osama Bin Laden on twitter before just about anyone else even knew about it? It seems almost surreal that an actor could be privy to such delicate and groundbreaking news as the death of the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. But once we delve into it a little more, it doesn’t seem that improbable.
Cast yourself back to May 2, 2011. US president Barack Obama had been defending his legitimacy as president due to a failure to produce a long form birth certificate proving his place of birth as being within the US. Principle among his detractors was billionaire Donald Trump, a staunch Republican and critic of the president. Little did he, or anyone else know that there was a good and legitimate reason for his failure to produce the document. He was preoccupied with a much more serious situation. One which would create history.
On that day in May 2011, television stations the world over were breaking from regular broadcasts with speculation about a military action within Pakistan. Many news stations didn’t exactly know what was happening, but many of them had a bit of an idea. The only ones that knew were the Navy Seals, those within the Situation Room of the White House, Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld’s Chief of staff and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Yep, The Rock, Dwayne Johnson knew about Osama Bin Laden’s death and tweeted it on Twitter, although subtly. You can understand Rumsfeld’s Chief of staff knowing of such an astounding piece of information. I mean, if he didn’t there would have to be a problem with communication within the Pentagon. He used his inside knowledge to be one of the first to tweet the death of Osama Bin Laden, tweeting at 10:24 that sources had informed him that he was dead. But he wasn’t the first. At exactly the same time, actor Dwayne Johnson also tweeted Osama Bin Laden’s death. Although he didn’t exactly spell it out, it was certainly pointed at the terrorist leaders death. His exact tweet:
“Just got word that will shock the world – Land of the free…home of the brave DAMN PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”
This supposed inside knowledge, and timing, has led many to speculate whether or not he really knew about the big news, or the tweet was about something else altogether. But the man himself has given just a little insight.
As an action star he regularly pays visits to serving troops, and even undergoes training for movie roles. Obviously this would create connections and friendships, and as he alluded to in an interview, he may have been connected to one of the Nave Seals connected to the mission, or someone in the Situation Room of the White House. In any event, when Dwayne Johnson tweeted Osama Bin Ladens death he was a part of history.
