US intelligence warned terrorists could create virtual jihadist Report from 2008 shows US intelligence feared a 'virtual Bin Laden' Study said the terrorist avatar could preach for centuries Intelligence officers thought jihadists would infiltrate World of Warcraft Terrorists 'would use virtual reality and gaming communities to recruit' US intelligence officers feared that terrorists would create an online avatar of Osama Bin Laden to continue to preach the late Al Qaeda leader's message for centuries. A study predicted that jihadists would use images and recordings of Bin Laden to put together new speeches and fatwas which would be broadcast online even after his death. Its theories also included terrorists infiltrating virtual reality worlds such as Second Life or online role-playing games such as World of Warcraft to recruit new members. Fearing a fake: A 2008 report by US intelligence officers ponder that terrorists would create an online avatar of bin Laden by putting together and rehashing old images and speeches The report was written for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in 2008, but had not been released to the public until this week. It concludes that it is "likely" that virtual worlds would be used to spread propaganda, train new members, and even find prospects, but that there was little evidence of such activities at the time of writing. "Imagine that jihadist supporters create a detailed avatar of Usama bin Ladin and use his many voice recordings to animate the avatar for up-close virtual reality experiences that could be used to preach, convert, recruit, and propagate dogma to the media," the confidential study says. The Bin Laden avatar could preach and issue new fatwas for hundreds of years to come, as the fidelity of his likeness would be entirely believable and animated in new ways to keep him current and fresh. Fantasy theories: The study predicted that jihadists would use role-playing games such as World of Warcraft to recruit new members and spread propaganda As of this report, there is little evidence that militant Islamist and jihadist groups have begun extensively exploiting the opportunities presented by virtual worlds. However, they will likely soon seek to exploit newer virtual world technologies for recruiting, raising and transferring funds, training new recruits, conducting reconnaissance and surveillance, and planning attacks by using virtual representations of prospective targets. The 142-page study, titled '3D Cyberspace Spillover: Where Virtual Worlds Get Real', was published by Steven Aftergood, a secrecy expert and researcher for the Federation of American Scientists, who obtained it through a Freedom of Information request. However, Aftergood told Mashable, that "the purpose of the study was to stimulate unconventional thinking" which is why, he added, some theories can be seen as outlandish. Osama bin Laden was the founder of Al-Qaeda, the terrorist organisation behind the 9/11 attacks, and several other violent acts of terrorism. He was killed in May 2011 after he was tracked down by American intelligence in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A United States special forces military unit carried out Operation Neptune Spear, ordered by President Obama, and bin Laden was shot dead during the raid of his compound. The news of his death was welcomed across the world, however the US operation was condemned by the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and the Taliban and pro-bin Laden rallies were held by Islamist groups in Pakistan, Sudan and Turkey.