One of the most recognizable names in the Middle East and the murky world of international terrorism, Usamah Bin Ladin has declared war on the United States and Israel, and on what he alleges are corrupt Muslim regimes in the region. Recent arrests of members of his Al-Qa'idah, or "The Base" group have hurt his organization, but he remains a serious threat. Bin Ladin has been tied to a series of deadly attacks on American personnel and interests, including U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia and Somalia, and U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The embassy attacks prompted American military retaliation against Bin Ladin's camps in Afghanistan. The U.S. State Department has included Bin Ladin on its Rewards for Justice program, offering $5 million for information leading to his capture. Bin Ladin is also wanted by Interpol.
Who is Usamah Bin Ladin?
Usamah Bin Ladin was born in 1955 into one of the wealthiest families in Saudi Arabia. The Bin Ladin family owns the Bin Ladin Group, a construction firm with large contracts in the Kingdom, including some that involve construction of facilities used by American military units. The family is estimated to be worth over $5 billion; Usamah Bin Ladin's personal fortune is somewhere between $250-300 million.
Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, Usamah Bin Ladin joined the CIA-funded and trained mujahidin - freedom fighters. In the mid-1980s he was involved in the recruitment of mujahidin around the world. He was instrumental in the building of training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as hospitals and roads in Afghanistan.
In 1988, Bin Ladin created the Al-Qa'idah organization to support opposition to what he claimed were corrupt Muslim regimes in the area, accusing the governments of Saudi Arabia and Yemen of selling out to the West, particularly the United States. Although he returned to Saudi Arabia to work in the family construction business, he continued to support opposition movements. By 1991, these activities came to the attention of Saudi security authorities; he was expelled him from the kingdom in 1994.
Relocating to Khartoum, Sudan, Bin Ladin continued to support opposition and terrorist organizations in the region. In 1996, Sudan responded to pressure from the United States and the United Nations and expelled Bin Ladin, who was widely believed to support the perpetrators of an assassination attempt against Egyptian President Husni Mubarak in Ethiopia in 1995.
