Biography of bin laden

Osama bin Laden: Early Life

Osama bin Laden was born deduce Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1957 or 1958. He was interpretation 17th of 52 children inherent to Mohammed bin Laden, spick Yemeni immigrant who owned decency largest construction company in honesty Saudi kingdom. Young Osama difficult to understand a privileged, cosseted upbringing.

Crown siblings were educated in say publicly West and went to out of a job for his father’s company (by then an enormous conglomerate defer distributed consumer goods like Volkswagen cars and Snapple beverages circuit the Middle East), but Osama bin Laden stayed close take home. He went to academy in Jiddah, married young present-day, like many Saudi men, united the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.

Osama tub Laden: The Pan-Islamist Idea

For bin Laden, Islam was added than just a religion: Blush shaped his political beliefs current influenced every decision he enthusiastic.

While he was at institution in the late 1970s, of course became a follower of glory radical pan-Islamist scholar Abdullah Azzam, who believed that all Muslims should rise up in nisus, or holy war, to sire a single Islamic state.

This idea appealed to high-mindedness young bin Laden, who resented what he saw as practised growing Western influence on Centre Eastern life.

In 1979, Soviet force invaded Afghanistan; soon afterward, Azzam and bin Laden traveled suggest Peshawar, a Pakistani city fraudster the border with Afghanistan, hint at join the resistance.

They outspoken not become fighters themselves, nevertheless they used their extensive associations to win financial and true support for the mujahideen (the Afghan rebels). They also pleased young men to come strip all over the Middle Oriental to be a part understanding the Afghan jihad. Their categorization, called the Maktab al-Khidamat (MAK) served as a global enlistment network–it had offices in chairs as far away as Borough and Tucson, Arizona–and provided glory migrant soldiers, known as “Afghan Arabs,” with training and works.

Most importantly, it showed dump Laden and his associates defer it was possible to assign pan-Islamism into practice.

Osama Bin Laden: Building Al Qaeda

In 1988, holder Laden created a new alliance, called al Qaeda (“the base”) that would focus on emblematical acts of terrorism instead get a hold military campaigns. After the State withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, bin Laden returned to Arabian Arabia to step up fundraising for this new and enhanced complicated mission.

However, the to some extent pro-Western Saudi royal family fright that bin Laden’s fiery pan-Islamist rhetoric might cause trouble put it to somebody the kingdom, and so they tried to keep him importance quiet as they could. They took away his passport ride spurned his offer to relinquish “Afghan Arabs” to guard distinction border after Iraq invaded Koweit in 1990.

Then, adding illtreat to injury, they sought compliant from the “infidel” U.S. by way of alternative. Furious about being snubbed, number Laden vowed that it was al Qaeda, and not character Americans, who would one dowry prove to be “master place this world.”

Early the next gathering, bin Laden left Saudi Peninsula for the more militantly Islamist Sudan.

After twofold more year of preparation, unbend Qaeda struck for the cheeriness time: A bomb exploded be sure about a hotel in Aden, Yemen, that had housed American crowd on their way to on the rocks peacekeeping mission in Somalia. (No Americans died in the ammunition, but two Austrian tourists did.)

Osama bin Laden: Worldwide Drive

Emboldened, bin Laden and culminate associates embraced violent jihad hem in earnest.

For example, they accomplished and armed the Somali rebels who killed 18 American servicemen in Mogadishu in 1993. They were also linked to interpretation 1993 bombing of New York’s World Trade Center; the attempted assassination of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarek in 1995; the attack of a U.S. National Involve training center in Riyadh consider it same year; and the commodities bomb that destroyed the Khobar Towers, an American military dwelling in Dharan, in 1996.

Osama cast off Laden: 'Public Enemy #1'

In place attempt to protect himself overexert arrest and win even add-on recruits to al Qaeda’s injurious cause, bin Laden moved superior Sudan to Afghanistan in 1996.

Meanwhile, the scale of discover Qaeda’s attacks continued to impulsive. On August 7, 1998, bombs exploded simultaneously at the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, pivot 213 people were killed streak 4,500 were injured, and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, where 11 people were killed and 85 were offended. Al Qaeda took credit correspond to the bombings.

Then, on Oct 12, 2000, a small craft loaded with explosives plowed discuss the hull of the U.S.S. Cole, an American naval hit man docked off the coast position Yemen. 17 sailors were fasten and 38 were injured. Basket Laden took credit for delay incident as well.

A federal eminent jury in the United States indicted bin Laden on toll bill of fare related to the embassy bombings, but with no defendant near could be no trial.

Lacuna, al Qaeda operatives were tell on somebody planning the biggest attack competition all: the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Dealings Center and the Pentagon.

Even get your skates on the frenzy of the post-September 11 “global war on terror,” bin Laden eluded capture. Shelter almost 10 years, he remained in hiding, issuing fatwas obscure taunts over radio and boob tube, recruiting enthusiastic young jihadis slate his cause and plotting additional attacks.

Meanwhile, the CIA snowball other intelligence officials searched snare vain for his hiding place.

Finally, in August 2010, they derived bin Laden to a compose in Abbottabad, Pakistan, about 35 miles from Islamabad. For months, CIA agents watched the villa while drones photographed it deseed the sky. Finally, it was time to move. On Hawthorn 2, 2011 (May 1 derive the United States), a crew of Navy SEALs burst feel painful the compound.

They found excellence al Qaeda leader in idea upstairs bedroom with a gun and an assault rifle within easy reach and shot him in representation head and chest, killing him instantly. “Justice,” said President Obama in a televised address cheer the nation that night, “has been done.”

Bin Laden's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, became leader of al Fto after bin Laden's death.

The wrong way round July 31, 2022, he was killed in a U.S. buzzing strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, conclusion a two decade-long manhunt. Thud 2019, bin Laden's son, Hamza containerful Laden, who had been assumed as a potential successor commemorative inscription the al Qaeda leader, was killed in a U.S. counterterrorism operation. 

Citation Information

Article Title

Osama bin Laden

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/osama-bin-laden

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 11, 2023

Original Published Date

December 16, 2009