Osama Bin Laden (born 1957 and died 2011) was a Saudi terrorist and a Sunni Islamic fundamentalist, mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks to the Twin Towers of New Yorkand to the Pentagon. He was born in Riyadh from a very rich family, he graduated in civil engineering, but from 1979 He devoted himself mainly to guerrilla warfare and terrorism. He financed the mujahideen who in Afghanistan fought against the invasion of the Soviet Union and, according to some sources, received weapons and funds from the United States at that time. In the 1990s he began his “war” against the West, creating and becoming the leader of the international terrorist organization al Qaeda who was responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States and other attacks. He later took refuge in the area between Afghanistan and Pakistan. He became the public enemy number one of the United States, but was eliminated only May 2, 2011when the CIA managed to locate his hideout in Pakistan and killed him in a raid. Bin Laden’s place as head of al-Qaeda was taken by Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Who was Osama Bin Laden
Osāma bin Muḥammad bin ʿAwwāḍ bin Lāden (known as Osama Bin Laden) was born on March 10, 1957 to Riyadhin Saudi Arabia, the seventeenth of fifty-two siblings. He belonged to one of the richest families in the country. His father, Muhammad bin Awad bin Ladenwas the founder and owner of a large construction company, the Saudi Binladin Groupand cultivated close ties with the Saudi royal family. However, she divorced her mother when Osama was newly born.
Osama grew up with his mother and her new husband. His biological father, Muhammad bin Laden, died in 1967, leaving his fortune to his many children. Osama was then able to attend the most prestigious schools in Arabia. In 1971 he studied for a period in England and then moved to Beirut. In 1975 he returned to Arabia and enrolled at university, first studying economics and then civil engineering. He graduated in the latter discipline in 1979, with the prospect of becoming a manager in the family business.
Guerrilla warfare in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union
During his studies, Bin Laden developed the belief that Islamic countries should not be subject to foreign interference. In 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, he used the large funds at his disposal to finance the guerrilla warfare of the mujahideen (fighters) against the Soviets. In 1984, he and other people founded an organization, Maktab al-Khidamat, to raise funds and recruit fighters.
It is debated whether bin Laden and his organization had received funding from the United States. It is known that the CIA armed and financed the mujahideen who fought against the USSR, from which fundamentalist and terrorist groups later emerged. According to some sources, Bin Laden also benefited from American funding. However, both the US authorities and Bin Laden’s followers have denied this. Based on current knowledge, the most likely hypothesis is that Bin Laden had benefited from American funding only indirectly. What is certain is that in 1988, shortly before the USSR withdrew from Afghanistan, Bin Laden left the Maktab al-Khidamat and founded a new organization: al Qaeda (or al-Qaeda).
Bin Laden’s Wives
Bin Laden was polygamous and during his life he married five women (six according to other sources). His first marriage took place in 1974, when he was 17 years old. He had a total of 25 or 26 childrenmost of whom sought refuge in Iran after September 11, 2011.
The Gulf War and the First Attacks on the West
Bin Laden was linked to the Saudi royal family, but relations soured during the Gulf War, which broke out in 1991 because Iraq invaded the emirate of Kuwait. A large coalition was formed against Iraq US-led coalition and Saudi Arabia became a major base of operations. Bin Laden urged the Saudi royal family to disengage from their alliance with the United States and in 1992, when the war was over, moved to Khartoum, Sudan. He began his “war” against the West, organizing the first attacks, but in 1996, due to pressure from the United States and Saudi Arabia on Sudan, he had to move to Afghanistan. He soon became close to the Talibanthe extremist group that controlled much of the country. Perhaps in 1997 it was one of the financiers of the Luxor Massacrein Egypt, during which 62 people died.
What Bin Laden Wanted: The 1998 Attacks
Osama had now matured his beliefs and his ideology. He wanted the Islamic world to be free from any Western interference and for Koranic law to be strictly applied in Muslim countries. To achieve these goals, in February 1998 he issued a fatwa (i.e. a binding provision) against “Jews and Crusaders,” calling on Muslims to kill Americans and their allies whenever possible. In August, he organized the attacks against the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzaniaduring which 224 people were killed (of which only twelve were Americans). Bin Laden was therefore included by the FBI in the list of the ten most wanted criminals in the world.
The attacks of September 11, 2001
THE’September 11, 2001 The United States suffered the most serious terrorist attack in history: the Al-Qaeda men hijacked four planestwo of which destroyed the World Trade Center towers, one crashed into the Pentagon and the last one fell in Pennsylvania. The attack had been wanted and financed by Bin Laden. The “sheik” did not immediately claim paternity, but a few years later he stated that he had been thinking about destroying the American towers since 1982, when he had witnessed the destruction of the towers in Lebanon by Israel.
Bin Laden’s “Fleeing” and Death
In response to the September 11 attacks, the United States invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban regime, but failed to defeat al-Qaeda. Bin Laden took refuge in the area between Afghanistan and Pakistan and in the following years sent various media audio and video messages pre-recorded, in which he launched attacks against the West. He continued to finance training camps for terrorists and to organize attacks, even if they were not as serious as those of September 11th.
The CIA managed to identify him only in 2011: the “sheikh” lived in a building in Abbottabadin Pakistan. An operation was therefore organized by Navy Sealsthe Navy’s special forces, who stormed the building on May 1, 2011, and killed the “sheikh.” The body, taken by the soldiers, was placed in the sea the following day. The operation was a success, but it also received much criticism, because it took place on the territory of a sovereign country.
Bin Laden was replaced as leader of al-Qaeda by his deputy, the Egyptian doctor Ayman al-Zawahiribut the organization lost importance. Within a few years, the role of major terrorist group was taken over by ISIS.
