A mansion partly belonging to Osama bin Laden’s half-brother has become the third multi-million dollar home hit by an attack of graffiti the past few weeks.
The property, located in Lower Bel Air, is covered in spray paint on nearly every square inch, which was visible when SkyCal flew overhead Saturday evening. However, the tagging happened a few days earlier, making it yet another vacant luxury home hit by vandals.
The first two houseseach located in the Hollywood Hills, are said to be owned by film producer John Powers Middleton, the son of Philadelphia Phillies owner John S. Middleton.
YouTuber and urban explorer Davy Mercado, who goes by the online name @clickclackbrainsplat, explored the property before speaking to KCAL News on Saturday, showing off the graffiti on the walls and ground both inside and outside the house.
He first visited the house last year, when the house was painted pink and had not yet been targeted by the tags.
“I don’t condone it. I don’t support it,” he said. “I happened to come across something without papers and that’s exactly what I happened to come across on Friday.”
The real estate agent with whom the property is for sale – for a whopping $21.5 million – confirmed that it is partly owned by Ibrahim bin Laden, half-brother of the infamous founder and militant leader of Al Qaeda. They say it has been vacant for more than 20 years, except for a manager who left the building four years ago after falling ill.
Adam Latham, a photographer who was hired several years ago to take some photos of the property, said he was shocked when he discovered its history.
“It was quite strange and I was a little worried about whether I should tell any of my clients because it was a little awkward,” Latham said.
All this comes after the “graffiti towers” in downtown Los Angeles drew attention across the country when dozens of floors of an abandoned luxury apartment project were also covered in tons of street art.
Los Angeles Police Department officers were called to the property on Friday after learning of the vandalism and that a burglary had occurred. However, the property manager refused to press charges, so no arrests have been made.
The real estate agent says there is one offer on the table at the time, with plans to demolish the building and replace it with something else.
Jeff Nguyen
