About Osama bin Laden

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Osama bin Muhammad bin 'Awad bin Laden most commonly known as Osama bin Laden is a militant Islamist and one of the founders of al-Qaeda. Bin Laden issued a 1998 edict that Muslims should kill civilians and military personnel from the United States and allied countries until they withdraw support for Israel and military forces from Islamic countries.

He has been indicted in United States federal court for his alleged involvement in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya, and is on the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. He has also been linked to the 2000 USS Cole bombing, the Bali nightclub bombings, the Madrid bombings, as well as bombings in the Jordanian capital of Amman and in Egypt's Sinai peninsula.



Although bin Laden has not been indicted for the September 11, 2001 attacks, he allegedly funded and directed them. These attacks involved the World Trade Center in New York City, The Pentagon, and the hijacking of United Airlines Flight 93. Altogether, 2,988 people were killed.

Osama bin Laden was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia . In a 1998 interview, later televised on Al Jazeera, he gave his birth date as March 10, 1957. His father was the late Muhammed Awad bin Laden, a wealthy businessman involved in construction and with close ties to the Saudi royal family Before World War I, Muhammed, poor and uneducated, emigrated from Hadhramaut, on the south coast of Yemen, to the Red Sea port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he began to work as a porter. Starting his own business in 1930, Muhammed built his fortune as a building contractor for the Saudi royal family during the 1950s.

In 1994 bin Laden's family publicly disowned him, shortly before the Saudi Arabian government revoked his citizenship for anti-government activity. He attended his son's wedding in January 2001, but since September 11 of that year he is believed only to have had contact with his mother on one occasion.

There is no definitive account of the number of children born to Muhammed bin Laden, but the number is generally put at 55. In addition, various accounts place Osama as his seventeenth son. Muhammed bin Laden was married 22 times, although to no more than four women at a time per Sharia law. Osama was born the only son of Muhammed bin Laden's tenth wife, Hamida al-Attas, nee Alia Ghanem who was born in Syria.

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Formation of al-Qaeda

By 1988, bin Laden had split from the MAK because of strategic differences. While Azzam and his MAK organization acted as support for the Afghan fighters and provided relief to refugees and injured, bin Laden wanted a more military role in which the Arab fighters would not only be trained and equipped by the organization but also be commanded on the battlefield by Arabic. One of the main leading point to the split and the creation of al-Qaeda was the insistence of Azzam that Arab fighters be integrated among the Afghan fighting groups instead of forming their separate fighting force.

After Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, bin Laden offered to help defend Saudi Arabia (with 12,000 armed men) but was rebuffed by the Saudi government. Bin Laden publicly denounced his government's dependence on the U.S. military and demanded an end to the presence of foreign military bases in the country. According to reports (by the BBC and others), the 1990/91 deployment of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia in connection with the Gulf War upset Muslims because the Saudi government claims legitimacy based on their role as guardians of the sacred Muslim cities of Mecca and Medina. After the Gulf War cease-fire agreement left Saddam Hussein remaining in power in Iraq, the ongoing presence of long-term bases for non-Muslim U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia continued to undermine the Saudi rulers' perceived legitimacy and inflamed anti-government Islamist militants, including bin Laden.

Bin Laden's increasingly strident criticisms of the Saudi monarchy led the government to attempt to silence him. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, "with help from a dissident member of the royal family, he managed to get out of the country under the pretext of attending an Islamic gathering in Pakistan in April 1991."Hassan al-Turabi, leader of the National Islamic Front, had invited bin Laden to "transplant his whole organization to Sudan" in 1989. Bin Laden's agents had begun purchasing property in Sudan in 1990. When the Saudi government began putting pressure on him in 1991, bin Laden moved to Sudan. The Saudi government revoked his citizenship in 1994.

Assisted by donations funneled through business and charitable fronts such as Benevolence International, established by his brother-in-law, Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, bin Laden established a new base for mujahideen operations in Khartoum, Sudan to disseminate Islamist philosophy and recruit operatives in Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and the United States. Bin Laden also invested in business ventures, such as al-Hajira, a construction company that built roads throughout Sudan, and Wadi al-Aqiq, an agricultural corporation that farmed hundreds of thousands of acres of sorghum, gum Arabic, sesame and sunflowers in Sudan's central Gezira province. Bin Laden's operations in Sudan were protected by the powerful Sudanese NIF government figure Hassan al Turabi. While in Sudan, bin Laden married one of Turabi's nieces.

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Refuge in Afghanistan

Sudanese officials, whose government was under international sanctions, offered to extradite bin Laden to Saudi Arabia in the mid-1990s. However, Saudi Arabia refused because of the political difficulties of accepting such a controversial figure into their custody. Consequently, in May 1996, under increasing pressure from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United States, Sudan asked bin Laden to leave and he returned to Afghanistan. He chartered a plane and flew to Kabul before settling in Jalalabad after being invited by Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, leader of the Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan, a member of the Afghan Northern Alliance. After spending a few months in the border region hosted by local leaders, bin Laden forged a close relationship with some of the leaders of Afghanistan's new Taliban government, notably Mullah Mohammed Omar. Bin Laden supported the Taliban government with financial and paramilitary assistance and, in 1997, he moved to Kandahar, the Taliban stronghold.

Bin Laden is suspected of funding the November 1997 Luxor massacre in Egypt conducted by Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, the largest Egyptian militant Islamist group. The Egyptian government convicted bin Laden's colleague, one of the leaders of Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, and sentenced him to death in absentia for the massacre.

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Attacks on United States targets

It is believed that bin Laden was involved with the December 29, 1992, bombing of the Gold Mihor Hotel in Aden, Yemen, which killed a Yemeni hotel employee and an Austrian national and seriously injured the Austrian's wife.

In 1998, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, (a leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad), co-signed a fatwa (binding religious edict) in the name of the World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders, declaring:

He ruling to kill the Americans and their allies civilians and military - is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque (in Jerusalem) and the holy mosque (in Makka) from their grip, and in order for their armies to move out of all the lands of Islam, defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim. This is in accordance with the words of Almighty Allah, 'and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together,' and 'fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah'.

In response to the 1998 United States embassy bombings following the fatwa, President Bill Clinton ordered a freeze on assets that could be linked to bin Laden. Clinton also signed an executive order, authorizing bin Laden's arrest or assassination. In August 1998, the U.S. launched an attack using cruise missiles. The attack failed to harm bin Laden but killed 19 other people.

On November 4, 1998, Osama bin Laden was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury and the U.S. offered a US $25 million reward for information leading to bin Laden's apprehension or conviction.

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France investigates bin Laden 'death' leak

PARIS, France (CNN) -- French President Jacques Chirac said on Saturday he would investigate the leak of confidential French defense ministry documents containing a report that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is dead, and said that report has been in no way confirmed.

"I was rather surprised to see that a confidential note from the DGSE (General Directorate for External Security) was published and I have asked the minister of Defense to start an investigation immediately and to reach whatever conclusions are necessary," Chirac said.

"Secondly, speaking of the source of the information itself, this information is in no way confirmed."

U.S. intelligence officials said Saturday they could not confirm the report suggesting that bin Laden might be dead.

The leaked information was first published in a French regional newspaper Saturday. The article said that a French foreign intelligence document dated September 21 quoted a "usually reliable source" as saying that Saudi Arabian authorities were trying to confirm reports that bin Laden died of an acute case of typhoid in Pakistan August 23.

Pakistani officials say they have no information that confirms bin Laden's death. Friday, U.S. President George Bush and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said in a joint news conference that the hunt is still on for the leaders of al Qaeda.

The report in L'Est Republicain said the Saudi secret service first got the reports of bin Laden's death on September 4 and were trying to get more details, in particular about the exact location in which the death apparently took place.

CNN is trying to confirm the reports with Saudi officials in Washington, D.C., and in Saudi Arabia.

An official with the French defense ministry confirmed that an investigation into the leaked documents was already under way.

The last message from bin Laden was an audiotaped post on an Islamic Web site on June 30. The CIA confirmed the voice giving the message was that of the al Qaeda leader.

In the message, bin Laden names Abu Hamza al-Mujaher as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's successor as leader of al Qaeda in Iraq.

The last videotaped statement from bin Laden was aired on October 29, 2004 on Al Jazeera.

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French Newspaper: Osama Bin Laden Is Dead

Som Patidar - All Headline News Staff Writer
Paris, France (AHN) - Referring to a document of French Foreign Intelligence Service (DGSE), a regional French newspaper reported Saturday that the Saudi secret services had proved that Al Qaeda head and the world's most wanted terrorist Osama Bin Laden is dead.

Quoting unnamed Saudi police sources, the newspaper said Osama Bin Laden died in Pakistan on August 23 of typhoid fever.

"According to a usually reliable source, the Saudi services are now convinced that Osama bin Laden is dead," the intelligence service's document reads.

On the other hand, Pakistani authorities said they do not have any information about Osama's death.

French defense authorities said said the news cannot be confirmed.

[Rasputin]

[Rasputin]

يك روزنامهي محلي فرانسه به نقل از گزارش امروز (شنبه) سرويس مخفي اين كشور اعلام كرد كه عربستان معتقد است اسامه بن لادن ماه گذشته بر اثر بيماري حصبه در پاكستان مرده است.

به گزارش خبرگزاري دانشجويان ايران (ايسنا) به نقل از خبرگزاري رويتر، روزنامهي فرانسوي لست ريپابليكن نسخهاي از گزارشي را كه تاريخ آن 21 سپتامبر است منتشر كرد و نوشت كه اين اين گزارش به ژاك شيراك رييس جمهور، دومينيك دوويلپن نخست وزير و وزيران كشور و دفاع فرانسه در همان روز نشان داده شده است.

در اين سند آمده است: براساس يك منبع معتبر، سرويسهاي سعودي در حال حاضر متقاعد شدهاند كه بن لادن مرده است.

در اين سند آمده است: اطلاعاتي كه از سوي سعوديها جمع آوري شده، نشان دهندهي اين است كه رهبر القاعده هنگامي كه در تاريخ 23 اوت 2006 در پاكستان بوده به اين بيماري مبتلا شده و همين بيماري سبب از كار افتادن سيستم داخلي بدن وي شده است.

در اين سند كه برچسب محرمانه دفاعي بر روي آن خورده و اولين بار از سوي سرويس مخفي فرانسه تهيه شده، آمده است: عربستان سعودي براي اولين بار در تاريخ 4 سپتامبر از اين خبر مطلع شد و در انتظار ماند تا قبل از اعلام رسمي آن جزييات بيشتري به دست آورد.

مقامات دفتر شيراك و دوويلپن اظهار نظر فوري دربارهي اين گزارش نكردهاند.

يك مقام رسمي در وزارت كشور پاكستان نيز گفت: ما هيچ اطلاعاتي دربارهي مرگ بن لادن نداريم.

[Rasputin]

Report: Bin Laden dead in Pakistan

The French defense ministry on Saturday called for an internal investigation of the leak of an intelligence document that raises the possibility that Osama bin Laden may have died of typhoid in Pakistan a month ago but said the report of the death remained unverified.

"The information defused this morning by the l'Est Republicain newspaper concerning the possible death of Osama bin Laden cannot be confirmed," a Defense Ministry statement said.

The daily newspaper for the Lorraine region in eastern France printed what it described as a confidential document from the French foreign intelligence service DGSE citing an uncorroborated report from Saudi secret services that the leader of the al-Qaida terror network had died.

The contents of the document, dated Sept. 21, or Thursday, were not confirmed by French or other intelligence sources. However, the DGSE transmitted the note to President Jacques Chirac and other officials, the newspaper said.

Chirac, speaking to reporters at a summit in Compiegne, France, with the leaders of Russia and Germany, said he had ordered the Defense Ministry to investigate and that the reports "are not confirmed in any way."

Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie "has demanded an investigation be carried out of this leak," a ministry statement said, adding that transmission of the confidential document could risk punishment.

Defense Ministry spokesman Jean-Francois Bureau, clarifying the statement, said that the DGSE document exists but that its contents - that bin Laden is allegedly dead - cannot be confirmed.

The DGSE, or Direction Generale des Services Exterieurs, indicated that its information came from a single source.

"According to a reliable source, Saudi security services are now convinced that Osama bin Laden is dead," said the intelligence report.

There have been periodic reports of bin Laden's illness or death in recent years but none has been proven accurate.

According to this document, Saudi security services were pursuing further details, notably the place of his burial.

"The chief of al-Qaida was a victim of a severe typhoid crisis while in Pakistan on August 23, 2006," the document says. His geographic isolation meant that medical assistance was impossible, the French report said, adding that his lower limbs were allegedly paralyzed. On Sept. 4, Saudi security services had their first information on bin Laden's alleged death, the unconfirmed document reported.

In Pakistan, a senior official of that country's top spy agency, the ISI or Directorate of Inter-Service Intelligence, said he had no information to confirm bin Laden's whereabouts or that he might be dead. The official said he believed the report could be fabricated. The official was not authorized to speak publicly on the topic and spoke on condition of anonymity.

U.S. Embassy officials in Pakistan and Afghanistan also said they could not confirm the French report.

[Sepideh_UK]

Intresting...
Thanx

[Rasputin]

Did Bin Laden Die Of Typhoid In Pakistan?

leaked intelligence report indicates that there is a chance Osama Bin Laden may be dead. The report says he might have died of typhoid in Pakistan some time in August, 2006. French President, Jacques Chirac has asked Michele Alliot-Marie, his Defense Minister, to try to find out how this leaked intelligence found its way to L'Est Republicain, a French regional newspaper.

The L'Est Republicain article printed a copy of a DGSE intelligence document stating that Osama Bin Laden had died. The document states that the information has not been corroborated. According to the newspaper, top French officials, including the President, received the document on September 21.

The document stated that as Bin Laden had been hiding in a very remote area, his severe Typhoid crisis could not be treated by a doctor.

According to US intelligence, there is no evidence to indicate that Bin Laden has died. Senior officials in Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry doubt the information is correct. Intelligence officials in Pakistan say they have no information to indicate this.

Jacques Chirac stressed that the the information has not been confirmed in any way. When asked by reporters what comments he had on this, he answered 'I have no comment.'

Most intelligence experts believe Al-Qaeda would release information on Bin Laden's death quickly. They would not allow the news to come out from other sources and lose the initiative.

Several reports saying Bin Laden has died have surfaced over the years. So far, none of them have been true.

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Rumors swirl over bin Laden's fate

Osama bin Laden has a water-borne illness, a Saudi intelligence source told CNN on Saturday, a report that conflicts with an article in a French newspaper saying that the al Qaeda leader is dead.

The Saudi intelligence source told CNN's Nic Robertson that there have been credible reports for the past several weeks that bin Laden is ill, but there has been no word of his death.

The questions came in response to the publication of a report in the French regional newspaper L'Est Republicain on Saturday.
The article cited a confidential French foreign intelligence document dated September 21 in which a source said the Saudis had received confirmation that bin Laden died of typhoid in Pakistan on August 23.

French President Jacques Chirac said on Saturday he would investigate the leak of the confidential documents, adding that the information in the documents has not been confirmed.

"I was rather surprised to see that a confidential note from the DGSE [General Directorate for External Security] was published and I have asked the minister of defense to start an investigation immediately and to reach whatever conclusions are necessary," Chirac said after meetings on trade with Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Compiegne, France.

"Secondly, speaking of the source of the information itself, this information is in no way confirmed."

CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen said he was told bin Laden's immediate family had had no reports that the al Qaeda leader was dead.

Bergen said Jamal Khalifa, bin Laden's brother-in-law and best friend when they were students at the King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, told him he had heard nothing to confirm the report.

Batarfi remains in touch with bin Laden's immediate family in Jeddah, and said he spoke to some of them about the report but they said they have heard nothing to confirm it, said Bergen who noted that rumors of bin Laden's death circulate every few months.

Bergen, who once interviewed bin Laden, said he was skeptical of the suggestion that bin Laden might be dead, saying it was not something the Islamist Web sites would keep quiet about.

U.S. intelligence officials said Saturday they could not confirm the report suggesting that bin Laden might be dead, and White House spokesman Blair Jones added: "We have no confirmation of that report."

A senior administration official told CNN's John King that nobody he spoke to had any independent information on the report.

"The official stressed that they certainly have not developed any intelligence worthy of putting it on the president's desk," King said.

Journalist: Burial site hunted
Laid Sammari, the journalist who wrote the article, told CNN in a telephone interview he was confident of the authenticity of the confidential document cited in his report.

He said the only thing the Saudis were trying to confirm was the burial place of the al Qaeda leader, before making an official announcement.

The report in L'Est Republicain said the Saudi secret service first got the reports of bin Laden's death on September 4.

Pakistani officials also said Saturday they have no information that confirms bin Laden's death. Friday, U.S. President George Bush and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said in a joint news conference that the hunt is still on for the leaders of al Qaeda.

The terror group was behind the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington.

The last message from bin Laden was an audiotaped post on an Islamic Web site on June 30. The CIA confirmed the voice giving the message was that of the al Qaeda leader.

In the message, bin Laden names Abu Hamza al-Mujaher as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's successor as leader of al Qaeda in Iraq.

The last videotaped statement from bin Laden was aired on October 29, 2004 on Al Jazeera.