"When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature, they will like the strong horse.”
And I think you and bin Laden are correct. For people who have no real values, unlike, say, American conservatives who don't just admire someone only because he's STRONG, there is a type of human who admires brutes and bullies. I suppose in prisons, for example, the bully and the vicious thug are all greatly admired. So, if you're amoral, then, thinking like bin Laden might be a perennial idea that's still worth keeping. Post Jesus Christ and the rise of Judeao/Christian ethics most people stopped admiring a man just because he could inflict pain and suffering on others. This is one reason the Romans hated the Christians and Hitler hated Christianity, too (granted not as much as he hated the Jews). He hated the Christians who truly believe in God's teachings because they were unwilling to admire sheer brutality for its own sake.
There are those who believe fear is the shortest way to reputation and fame.
I am not one of them. But Joseph Conrad and Bin Laden make the same point: playing by the rules is for losers.
And power attracts certain kinds of people who think the rules don’t apply to them.