“The family of Osama bin Laden. Life behind a high wall”, Jean Sasson

Osama bin Laden is the leader of the Islamic terrorist organization Al-Qaeda. He was recognized as the number 1 terrorist in the United States and other countries. According to the CIA, he was killed on May 2, 2011 in Pakistan.

In this collection you will see very different photographs of Osama bin Laden and his relatives. In these pictures you will see Osama the teenager, Osama the loving father, Osama the soulmate, and finally Osama the leader of Al Qaeda.

(Total 22 photos)

1. Osama bin Laden (second from right) during a visit to the Swedish city of Falun in 1971. Pictured are several local residents, including Christina and Lars Akelblad, who owned the Astoria Hotel, where Osama and his brother Salem stayed during one of their trips to Sweden. In 1971, 23 members of the wealthy bin Laden family visited Falun, and one of the elders brothers held a business meeting at Volvo. Osama was remembered then as a calm, reserved 16-year-old boy who did not stand out in any way from the crowd.

2. 1978: Osama bin Laden sits in a cave in the Jalalabad area of ​​Afghanistan. It was then that he first picked up a weapon.

3. 1980s: Osama bin Laden with Afghans in the Jalalabad area during the war against Soviet forces. Osama fought in this war for almost ten years.

4. 1989: Osama (right) in Afghanistan.

6. 1989: Osama during the war with the USSR.

7. 1989: Osama (right) in Afghanistan.

8. 1989: Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan during the war with the USSR.

10. Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in the 80s.

11. Osama bin Laden over a map of Afghanistan in 1998.

12. Osama bin Laden meets with a group of reporters in the mountains of southern Afghanistan's Helmand province on December 24, 1998. Bin Laden was later involved in a series of terrorist attacks, including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York, the 1995 Riyadh car bombing, and the 1995 Saudi military barracks truck bombing. Arabia in 1996, which killed 19 American soldiers, and in the 1998 attack on the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

13. Osama bin Laden during the 2001 shootings.

14. The attention of the entire world community was focused on the personality of Osama bin Laden after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, which killed about three thousand people. The picture shows a still from the Al Jazeera TV program, which was shown on the second anniversary of the September 11 tragedy.

15. Undated still from a video that aired in 2007. In this video, Osama talks about the importance of jihad and glorifies the martyrs who died in the name of Allah. Osama is believed to have crossed the Pakistani border after US and British troops launched an offensive in Afghanistan in late 2001.

16. Osama bin Laden and his son Ali, who was 10 years old at the time.

17. Omar bin Laden, the 26-year-old son of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, with his wife Jane Felix-Brown before airing on Italian television in 2008.

There are thousands of such images...

Below are rare and fascinating glimpses into the past and what life was like when our grandparents and great-grandparents were young.

The oldest known selfie. (1839)

Robert Cornelius took this photo on the street in front of the store his family owned. The photograph became known as the first self-portrait, or as we say today, “selfie.”

Old interesting photos

People pose near the Statue of Liberty shortly before it begins to be installed. (1886)

This funny portrait of a woman was taken while she was sneezing. (1900)

Alarm clocks from the early 20th century.

A gathering of 9 kings who mourn the death of King Edward VII. (1910)

This is the only photo in which the kings of so many countries were present at the same time (Norway, Bulgaria, Portugal, the German Empire, Greece, Belgium, Spain, Great Britain and Denmark).

Before automatic bowling pinsetters were invented, pin boys worked by hand. (1914)

A sarcastic photo taken by prohibitionists to mock their opponents. (1919)

A policeman on a Harley and an old mobile holding cell. (1921)

One of the first examples of “horsemanning”, a version from the 1920s.

Two beauty pageant winners from 1922, when beauty standards were very different.

The official measurement of the length of a swimsuit to ensure it is not too short. (1920s)

Swimwear should not end higher than 2.5 cm from the knee.

Black and white old photos

A couple enjoys a cable car ride on a Sunday afternoon. (1923)

This strange helmet supposedly helped focus by rendering its wearer deaf, saturating him with oxygen and limiting his vision to a tiny point. (1925)

To put it mildly, scary women's swimming masks from the 1920s, which were designed to protect their faces from the sun.

Hitler rehearses his speech in front of a mirror. (1925)

Implemented project of a mobile library for patients. (1928)

A zookeeper helps a penguin take a shower with a watering can. (1930)

A single-wheeled motorcycle capable of reaching a maximum speed of 150 km/h. (1931)

The cat poses for a cigarette card. Found at the Cigarette Army Club. (1932)

This is how the creators of the famous London double-decker buses proved that there was no danger of the vehicle overturning. (1933)

Baby cages for families in the 1930s who wanted their children to get enough sunlight.

An iconic photo of a pea picker and mother of seven during the Dust Storm. (1936)

These glasses were created specifically for reading in bed.

1930s version of GPS: This automatically scrolling map was supposed to help people find the right direction in real time.

Model T Elevator Garage in Chicago. (1936)

Salvador Dali and Coco Chanel took a smoke break. (1938)

A stylish way to protect your face during snowstorms. (1939)

This bike is designed for a family of four. There was also room for a sewing machine. (1939)

These gas masks were worn by every baby during the London bombings in 1940.

WWII soldiers receive their last kiss before heading off to war.

The tiny puppy nestled comfortably between two Russian soldiers. (1945)

An excited Austrian boy received a pair of new shoes for the first time. (1946)

A little bear eats honey from a bowl in a cafe. (1950)

The man dressed the dog in a suit and placed the cat on his lap. (1950s)

An ice whiskey dispenser that could be found in some American offices. (1950s)

Winner of the Miss Atomic Bomb contest. (1950)

Afghan women in a public library. (1950s)

The Afghan government began to move in a democratic direction in the 1950s and 1960s, shortly before the Taliban seized power. Women then could work, get an education, dress better and use all those services that were previously available only to men.

Young Paul McCartney takes a mirror selfie. (1959)

Young women gathered for a house party. (1950s)

TV star Fritzbulldog uses the services of a hairdresser. (1961)

Device “Meowing Cat”. (1963)

This Japanese creation meowed once every minute to scare away rats and mice. The cat's eyes also lit up.

A young woman walks her pet lobster.

A boy present during Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. (28 August 1963)

TV glasses that never caught on. (1963)

“Kiss of Life.” This unique photo shows an electrical worker receiving contact after surviving a violent shock. (1967)

Young Osama bin Laden with his family in Sweden in the 1970s. He is second from the right in a green shirt.

Bill Clinton and Hillary play volleyball. (1971)

Max Factor created a device to measure female beauty. (1934)

These are the swimming lessons of the past. (1930)

French postcard. (1900)

In Soviet markets

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Funny Animals of the Past

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Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (March 10, 1957 – May 2, 2011) – founder al-Qaeda, banned in Russia Sunni militant Islamist organization that claimed responsibility for the September 11, 2011, terrorist attacks in the United States, as well as many other mass casualty attacks against civilian and military targets.

Osama came from a wealthy Saudi family belonging to the Yemeni branch of the Kindit tribe. He was the son of Saudi billionaire construction magnate Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden. At home, he studied at the university until 1979, but dropped out to join the Pakistani Mujahideen who fought against Soviet troops. invaded Afghanistan. Osama helped supply the Mujahideen with weapons, money and attract militants from the Arab world to Afghanistan. This created him wide popularity among the Arabs. In 1988, Osama created the al-Qaeda organization. In 1992, he was expelled from Saudi Arabia, and established his base in Sudan until US pressure forced him to leave that country as well (1996). Having created a new refuge for himself in Afghanistan, he declared war on the United States, launching a series of terrorist bombings against it. After participating in the attack on the US embassy (1998), bin Laden was included in the FBI's list of ten most wanted terrorists. He had many pseudonyms and nicknames: “prince”, “emir”, “Abu Abdullah”, “director”, etc.

From 2001 to 2011, Osama bin Laden was the main target of the President's "War on Terrorism" Bush. The FBI has placed a $25 million bounty on his head. On May 2, 2011 bin Laden was killed shot in the chest and head at a private apartment complex in Abbottabad, Pakistan, by US Navy Special Forces and CIA operatives. This happened during the secret operation "Spear of Neptune", carried out on the orders of the President Barack Obama. The terrorist's body was buried at sea that same day so that there would be no grave left behind.

Osama bin Laden

Beliefs and ideology of Osama bin Laden

Bin Laden probably believed that laws needed to be restored in the Muslim world Sharia, rejecting all other ideologies that spread there in the 20th century - pan-Arabism, socialism, communism, democracy. Such a system of views, accompanied by the preaching of expansive jihad, sometimes called Qutbism.

Osama believed that Afghanistan was under control Taliban Mullah Omar is the "only Islamic country" in the Muslim world. Bin Laden constantly preached violent jihad to avenge the "injustices against Muslims" he said were committed by the United States and other non-Islamic states, to eliminate the state Israel and force the US to withdraw from the Middle East. In a letter written in October 2002, he called on Americans to "renounce immoral acts: debauchery, homosexuality, alcoholism, gambling and usury."

One of bin Laden's most famous beliefs was that civilians, including women and children, could be legitimate targets of jihad. Bin Laden was an anti-Semite, and constantly warned against the "Jewish conspiracy." In his words: “Jews are masters of usury and leaders of deception. They will leave you nothing, neither in this world nor in the future... In the ideology created by Osama Al-Qaeda, Shia Muslims, “heretics,” America and Israel were proclaimed the four main enemies of Islam.

In accordance with its strict Wahhabi convictions, bin Laden even demanded a ban on music. His attitude towards modern technology was contradictory. He expressed interest in "earth-moving machines and genetic engineering of plants" but rejected "water cooling."

For his methods of achieving his goals, Osama was recognized as a terrorist not only by the European press and analysts, but even by the Islamist Qatari news channel Al Jazeera. He was convicted on terrorism charges in Madrid, New York and Tripoli - and went into hiding until he was hunted down and killed.

The last days of Osama bin Laden. Video

Wives and children

Bin Laden first married at the age of 17 to his Syrian cousin, Najwa Ghanem. According to some reports, she was two years younger than him. They had 11 children. Najwa left Osama shortly before the September 11 attacks.

Bin Laden was also married to Khadija (1983-1995, divorced from him). His third wife was Khairiya (1985-2011, before his death). Fourth wife: Siham (1987-2011, until his death). In 1996, he married another unknown woman, but the marriage with her was interrupted a few days later. His last wife was Amal (2000-2011, before his death). From these later marriages nine children were born, so bin Laden had twenty in total.

Osama bin Laden today is the most famous terrorist of the 20th-21st centuries. What is known about his life path? For you, we have collected the most complete biography of this person. You will learn about how Osama bin Laden turned from the spoiled son of a Saudi billionaire into a criminal hunted by the world's most powerful intelligence agencies.

Childhood, youth, family

The exact date of birth of Osama bin Laden (Osama bin Laden) is unknown, but most experts agree that he was born in Riyadh on March 10, 1957. Osama was the seventeenth of 52 children of Yemeni exile Mohammed bin Laden, owner of the largest construction company in the Saudi kingdom. The mother of the future “terrorist number one” was Syrian and not the only wife of Osama’s father.

Osama's father began his career as a simple laborer in the port of Jeddah. During the reign of King Saud, Muhammad managed to get a contract for the construction of royal palaces by offering the lowest price. Nothing is known about how the former docker managed to open his own business. Some sources claim that bin Laden Sr. had the gift of persuasion, thanks to which he not only managed to impress Saud, but was also lucky to establish good relations with members of the royal family, especially with the king's half-brother Faisal.

In the 60s, a conflict arose between Saud and Faisal and the current king abdicated the throne. It is believed that Mohammed played a key role in making this decision. After Saud's departure, it turned out that the state treasury was empty. Here, bin Laden Sr. provided enormous support to the new king: at his own expense, for six months he paid salaries to civil servants.

For such help, Faisal gave Muhammad all the construction projects in the kingdom, issuing a special decree. Bin Laden took over as minister of public works, effectively gaining a monopoly in the construction sector. In 1968, Osama's father died in a plane crash.

It should be noted that bin Laden Jr.'s parents divorced when he was still very young, so Osama was raised in his mother's house, in the family of her new husband. The reason for the divorce was that the Syrian woman did not agree to keep herself within the strict framework that constituted the generally accepted model of behavior for Saudi women. Therefore, her husband sent her to a distant province, and kept her son with him. For ten years Osama did not see his mother.

There is information according to which in the family of bin Laden Sr. Osama’s mother was given the nickname “Slave.” Accordingly, her son was referred to by his half-brothers as “the son of a slave.” After the death of Muhammad, Osama inherited several companies, as well as 25 (according to other sources - 300) million dollars out of a total fortune that was estimated at 5 billion. At that time, the range of interests of his company was quite wide: for example, among other things, it was the main supplier of Volkswagen cars and Snapple soft drinks throughout the Middle East.

At the age of 13, the orphaned bin Laden married a 17-year-old girl with whom he was related by blood. Osama received a strict religious upbringing and was a deeply devout Sunni Muslim, having joined the Muslim Brotherhood in his early youth. Most likely, the future head of al-Qaeda entered college at King Abdulaziz University, but expert opinions differ here: some say that bin Laden studied in Jeddah, others say that he was educated in London, Riyadh or Mecca .

At the age of 14, Osama traveled with his brothers around Europe. He visited Great Britain, France, Sweden. In London he became very interested in cinema. He watched movies all day long and tried to avoid noisy parties, avoiding social life. Some sources claim that at the age of 16, Osama entered an elite school in Beirut and there he plunged headlong into the wild student life. There, despite his Muslim upbringing, he, like many Arab young people coming to Europe, became addicted to alcohol. According to some reports, at that time Bin Laden was a regular at the expensive Crazy Horse bar, where, after drinking champagne and whiskey, he regularly tried to show attention to the fair sex. I tried to dress fashionably and drove a Mercedes-Benz. In the spring of 1975, war broke out in Lebanon, and his relatives demanded that he return home. At first, Osama continued his carefree life according to the Western model: he had fun with women and alcohol, and participated in illegal races with other children of the rich.

But then his elder brother persuaded him to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. They lived in tents, adhered to the prescribed diet, and performed religious rituals. According to some sources, Osama participated in the restoration of Muslim shrines in Medina and Mecca, and then served in the Sharia police.

In 1979 he graduated from King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, mastering the specialty of an economist or, according to other sources, an engineer.

The beginning of extremist activity

At the age of 16, Osama joined the followers of the scholar and radical pan-Islamist Abdullah Azzam, who believed that all Muslims of the world should take the path of jihad (“holy war”) and, united, create one Islamic State. These ideas appealed to the deeply religious Osama, who was outraged by the growing influence of the West and Western culture on Middle Eastern life.

In 1979, Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan. Bin Laden was already an established businessman. Subsequently, recalling that period, he stated that he was very angry at the fact of Soviet aggression, so already at the end of 1979 he was in Afghanistan. Osama first arrived in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, and from there he crossed the border and joined the resistance forces. He used his extensive connections and capital to finance the Mujahideen and provide them with covert diplomatic and information support. It is known that until 1989 he collaborated with the US government, which also supplied militants in Afghanistan with weapons and money. In fact, American assistance played a decisive role in the conflict: thanks to MANPADS with Stinger missiles, the Mujahideen managed to deprive the USSR of the ability to conduct operations with air support.

In 1980, bin Laden, along with his spiritual and ideological mentor Abdullah Azzama, created the Maktab al-Khadamat organization, which translates to “Service Bureau.” This structure has opened recruitment centers in more than fifty countries, including the USA, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and a number of European countries. The network organized by bin Laden cannot be underestimated: tens of thousands of volunteers from Muslim countries were trained in training camps founded by Maktab al-Khadamat. Osama also took care of his reputation among refugees, purchasing food, clothing, household items for them, and starting the construction of housing. It is difficult to judge how effective the assistance that bin Laden provided to the civilian population was, but among more than two and a half million refugees, he gained the reputation of a “benefactor.”

Al Qaeda and death

In 1988, Osama split from the Service Bureau and used his authority among Muslims to organize a more aggressive structure - Al-Qaeda (the Base), which later positioned itself as the Islamic Army. Al-Qaeda initially declared the goal of spreading jihad to all countries of the world.

In 1989, Soviet forces left Afghanistan, but bin Laden did not give up his goals of starting a “holy war” on a planetary scale. Under the guise of his official construction and trading business, he continued to multiply and strengthen al-Qaeda cells around the world, with particular emphasis on supporting opposition movements in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

In 1990, the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait under the leadership of Saddam Hussein. The al-Qaeda leader appealed to the Saudi government demanding that non-Muslim forces not be involved in this conflict. Nevertheless, the Saudis turned to the United States for help and American military bases were deployed on the territory of the state.
For the first time, he came out with slogans calling for active opposition to, as he believed, the “American occupation” of Israel and Saudi Arabia in 1991, accusing the Saudis of collaboration.

Al-Qaeda struck first in 1992: a bomb exploded in a hotel in Adena (Yemen), where American troops were temporarily based before being sent to Somalia. Two Austrian tourists died.

In 1993, “terrorist No. 1” organized the training of Somali rebels, who subsequently fought against representatives of the American peacekeeping mission. That same year, there was a terrorist attack on the New York World Trade Center.

In 1994, the Saudi authorities decided to expel bin Laden from the country and he fled to Sudan. While in exile, the terrorist launched a real information war against the United States. Through the media under his control, bin Laden relishes the casualties among civilians in detail: he exaggerates the number of killed and maimed, shows photos and videos of the corpses of children and pregnant women, placing responsibility for the deaths of civilians solely on the Saudi authorities and the United States.

In 1995, al-Qaeda militants were accused of actively participating in the Chechen conflict, on the side of the rebel forces. But the official representative of Ichkeria, Akhmed Zakaev, denied the connection between the Chechen militias and al-Qaeda. Some sources claim that bin Laden helped the Uzbek Islamists financially, as well as in establishing ties with the Taliban group.

In 1996, Osama openly accused Sudan of supporting international terrorism, and also stated that it was the “sacred” duty of Muslims to destroy American military personnel abroad, throughout the world. Sudanese authorities expelled him from the country and he settled in Afghanistan.

In 1998, he rephrased his anti-American thesis, emphasizing that all Muslims in the world are obliged to kill not only American soldiers, but also US allies, to which he included the civilian population of countries that are not in conflict with this state. In the same year, he organized a large extremist association, which was joined by members of such groups as Al-Jihad, Jamiat-i Ulama-i Pakistan, Harakat al-Anasar, Jihad and Al-Gaama al Islamiyya." On August 7, a bombing occurred at the American embassy in Kenya, after which the FBI included bin Laden on its list of most wanted criminals. Bill Clinton declared him "terrorist number one."

On September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda's largest and most notorious terrorist attack occurred: the attack on the Pentagon and the Twin Towers in the United States. The CIA received reliable information about bin Laden's involvement in organizing these actions, but for the first time he publicly confirmed his participation in this terrorist attack only in 2004, through the Qatari television company Al-Jazeera. October 7th. It was the fight against al-Qaeda that served as the official reason for the start of the NATO operation in Afghanistan (2001-2014) and the start of the military campaign in Iraq (2003-2011).

In August 2010, the CIA managed to find bin Laden and track him to the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, located 35 miles from Islamabad. For several months, surveillance of the house in which the al-Qaeda leader was located continued. On the night of May 1–2, 2011, an operation was carried out by a US Navy SEAL unit. Some sources claim that Osama bin Laden was killed while trying to resist because he was armed; others suggest that he did not have a weapon in his hands. Citing anecdotal evidence from participants in the operation, Western media reported that the special forces were not ordered to take bin Laden alive.

According to information distributed by CNN, the body of “terrorist No. 1” was buried at sea, so that his grave would not serve as a place of pilgrimage for fanatics who consider Osama bin Laden a righteous martyr who died for his faith.

Terrorist No. 1 was killed in May 2011

Nearly 17 years after the September 11 attacks, Osama bin Laden's family remains an influential part of Saudi society - but also a reminder of the darkest moment in the kingdom's history and one of the most tragic chapters for all humanity.

The mother, stepfather and brothers of Osama bin Laden, with the consent of the Saudi authorities, spoke with a journalist from the British newspaper The Guardian - for the first time since the former terrorist No. 1 was killed on May 2, 2011 in Pakistan as a result of a military operation by American special forces. Bin Laden's relatives, as well as representatives of Saudi and British intelligence, spoke about what kind of person bin Laden was and how he came to do what he did.

NV offers to read the full translation of The Guardian's report from the bin Laden family home in Saudi Arabia.

"He was a very good kid"

A woman in a bright patterned robe sits expectantly in the corner of a sofa in a spacious room. The red hijab that covers her hair is reflected in the glass cabinet: inside it, among other family heirlooms and valuables, a framed photograph of her first-born son takes pride of place. The smiling bearded man is dressed in a military jacket; he is also depicted in many photographs hanging in the room. Meanwhile, dinner is prepared on the large wooden dining table - Saudi meze [a selection of appetizers] and lemon cheesecake.

Alia Ghanem is the mother of Osama bin Laden and has the attention of everyone in the room. Sitting on adjacent chairs are her two surviving sons, Ahmad and Hassan, as well as her second husband, Mohammed al-Attas, the man who raised all three brothers. Everyone in the family has their own story about a person who is used to being associated with the rise of global terrorism; but today it is Ghanem who holds court, describing the man who for her is still her beloved son, who once lost his way.

The Bin Ladens remain one of the kingdom's wealthiest families: their construction empire built much of modern Saudi Arabia and is deeply involved in the country's establishment

“My life was very difficult because he was so distant from me,” she says with conviction. “He was a very good child and loved me so much.” Ghanem, who is over 70 and in failing health, points to al-Attas, a thin, slender man dressed, like his two sons, in an immaculately pressed white thobe, the chemise worn by men on the Arabian Peninsula. "He [second husband Mohammed al-Attas] raised Osama from the age of three. He was a good husband and he was good to Osama."

The family gathered in one corner of their mansion in the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, which was home to several generations of the bin Laden clan. They remain one of the kingdom's wealthiest families: their dynastic building empire built much of modern Saudi Arabia and is deeply involved in the country's establishment.

The bin Laden home reflects their wealth and influence, with a large central spiral staircase leading to huge, spacious rooms. Ramadan has come and gone, and now tables around the house are lined with bowls of dates and chocolate to mark the end of the three-day holiday [Eid al-Fitr].

Large estates line the rest of the street; This is wealthy Jeddah, and although there are no guards outside, the bin Ladens are the area's most prominent residents.

Saudi Arabia's new leadership, led by the ambitious 32-year-old heir to the throne, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, agreed to my [The Guradian's] request to speak with the family. (As one of the country's most powerful families, the bin Ladens' movements and meetings are under close surveillance.)

9/11: "From the very beginning we knew it was Osama"

Osama bin Laden's "legacy" is a big dark stain on both the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and his family, so senior officials believe that by allowing the bin Ladens to tell their story, they can demonstrate what kind of tragedy September 11, 2001 was. the rogue, not the [country's] agent, is responsible. Critics of Saudi Arabia have long argued that Osama had government support, and families of 9/11 victims have launched (so far fruitless) legal proceedings against the kingdom. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi Arabian.

It is not surprising that Osama bin Laden's family is cautious at the start of our negotiations; they are not sure whether opening old wounds will be cathartic [purifying suffering] or will cause pain. But after a few days of discussion, they are ready to talk. When we meet on a hot day in early June, a Saudi government observer is in the room, although she makes no attempt to influence the conversation. (We were also joined by a translator.)

Sitting between Osama's half-brothers, Ghanem remembers his first-born as a shy boy, academically gifted. She said he became a strong, motivated, devout individual in his 20s while studying economics at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, where his views also became radicalized. "The people at the university changed him," says Ghanem. "He became a different person."

Among the people he met was Abdullah Azzam, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood who was subsequently expelled from Saudi Arabia and became Osama's spiritual mentor. "He was a very good kid until he met certain people who brainwashed him when he was barely 20. You could call it a cult. They got money for their cause. I always told him to stay away from them and he never would not have confessed to me what he was doing, because he loved me very much,” says Aliya Ghanem.

He was a very good child until he met certain people who brainwashed him thoroughly when he was barely 20

In the early 1980s, Osama traveled to Afghanistan to take part in the fight against the Soviet occupation. “Everyone who met him in his youth treated him with respect,” [Osama’s brother] Hassan takes the floor, continuing the story. “At first we were very proud of him. Even the Saudi government treated him with respect and recognition. And then it was Osama’s time -Mujahid".

There is a long, awkward silence as Hassan struggles to explain the transformation from fanatic to global jihadist. "I'm very proud of him in the sense that he was my big brother," he finally continues. "He taught me a lot. But I don't think I'm proud of him as a person. He achieved superstar status on the world stage, but that was all to nothing".

Ghanem listens intently, becoming more animated as the conversation turns back to Osama's formative years. "He was very straightforward. He did very well in school. He really enjoyed studying. He spent all his money on Afghanistan - he sneaked out under the guise of family business." Did she ever suspect that he might become a jihadist? "It never occurred to me." How did you feel when you realized this fact? "We were very upset. I didn't want all this to happen. Why did he leave everything like that?"

The family says they last saw Osama in Afghanistan in 1999, when they visited his base near Kandahar twice. "It was a place near the airport that they captured from the Russians," says Ghanem. "He was very happy to host us. He showed us around every day we were there. He killed an animal and we had a party, he invited everyone."

Ghanem gradually opens up and talks about her childhood in the coastal Syrian city of Latakia, where she grew up in an Alawite family, representatives of one of the Shiite branches of Islam. Syrian cuisine is superior to Saudi Arabia, she says, as is the climate on the Mediterranean coast, where the warm, humid summer air contrasts sharply with the acetylene heat of Jeddah in June. Ghanem moved to Saudi Arabia in the mid-1950s, and Osama was born in Riyadh in 1957. Three years later, she divorced his father and married al-Attas, who was then in charge of the fledgling bin Laden empire in the early 1960s. Bin Laden's natural father had a total of 54 children from at least 11 wives.

From the very beginning we knew [it was Osama] within the first 48 hours. From the youngest to the oldest, we were all ashamed

When Ghanem goes to rest in the next room, Osama's half-brothers continue their conversation. It is important to remember, they note, that the mother is rarely an objective witness. "It's been 17 years [since 9/11] and she's still trying to deny a lot of things about Osama," Ahmad says. "She loved him very much and refuses to blame him. Instead, she blames others. She only knows him as a good boy." "the side we all saw. She never got to know the jihadist side of him."

“I was shocked, stunned,” he says now about the first reports from New York [after the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001]. "It was a very strange feeling. From the very beginning, we knew [it was Osama], within the first 48 hours. From the youngest to the oldest, we were all ashamed. We knew that we would all face terrible consequences. All Our family returned from abroad to Saudi Arabia." They were scattered throughout Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Europe. "There was a travel ban in Saudi Arabia. They tried their best to maintain control over the family," Ahmad says. The family says they were all questioned by authorities and were banned from leaving the country for a time. Nearly two decades later, the bin Ladens are free to move within and outside the kingdom.

The country that inspired jihadism

The formation of Osama bin Laden's personality in Jeddah took place during the years of relative freedom of the 1970s, before the Iranian revolution of 1979, aimed at exporting Shiite fanaticism to the Sunni Arab world. Since then, Saudi Arabia's rulers have enforced a hardline interpretation of Sunni Islam - similar to that widely practiced in the Arabian Peninsula since the 18th century era of theologian Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. In 1744, al-Wahhab entered into a pact with the then ruler of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Saud, allowing his family to manage the affairs of the state while the hardline clergy determined the national character.

For many decades, Saudi Arabia remained an extremely conservative country, where religion set the tone for public life / Photo by EPA

When the modern kingdom was proclaimed in 1932, both sides—the country's clerics and rulers—remained too powerful to overthrow each other, locking the state and its citizens into a society defined by hyper-conservative views: a strict separation of unrelated men and women ; uncompromising gender roles; intolerance towards other religions; and unwavering adherence to doctrinal teachings - all dogmas were sealed with the Saudi seal.

Many believe that it was this alliance that directly contributed to the emergence of global terrorism. The worldview of al-Qaeda - and its offshoot, the Islamic State (ISIS) - has been largely shaped by the scriptures of Wahhabism; and Saudi clerics were widely accused of encouraging the jihadist movement that expanded during the 1990s and was led by Osama bin Laden.

Al-Qaeda's worldview was largely shaped by the scriptures of Wahhabism; and Saudi clerics have been widely accused of encouraging the jihadist movement

In 2018, Saudi Arabia's new leadership wants to draw a line under that era and introduce what bin Salman calls "moderate Islam." He sees it as essential to the survival of a state where a large, restless and often disaffected segment of the young population has had little access to entertainment, social life or personal freedoms for nearly four decades. Saudi Arabia's new rulers believe such rigid social norms enforced by clerics could fuel extremists who exploit such frustrations.

Reforms are beginning to permeate many aspects of Saudi society; Among the most notable was the June repeal of the women's driving ban. There have been changes in the labor market and in the bloated public sector; cinemas opened, and the fight against corruption began in the private sector and some sectors of government. The government also says it has stopped all funding for Wahhabi organizations outside the kingdom, which it has supported for missionary purposes for nearly four decades.

Such radical shock therapy is slowly being absorbed throughout the country, where local communities - after decades of the triumph of uncompromising doctrines - do not always know what to do with it. Contradictions abound: some officials and institutions shun conservatism, while others are fully open to it. Meanwhile, political freedoms remain prohibited: power has become more centralized and dissent is systematically suppressed.

Saudi intelligence on bin Laden: 'He was told to stop'

Bin Laden's legacy remains one of the kingdom's most pressing concerns. I met with Prince Turki bin Faisal al Saud, who headed the Saudi intelligence [General Intelligence Service] for 24 years, from 1977 to September 1, 2001 (10 days before the September 11 attacks), at his villa in Jeddah. An erudite man in his 70s, Turki wears a thobe with green Saudi flag cufflinks on his sleeves. “There are two Osama bin Ladens,” he tells me. “One before the end of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, and the other after it. The first was a very idealistic mujahideen. He was not a fighter. By his own admission, he once fainted during battle, and when he came to his senses, the Soviet attack on his position had already been repelled."

At the turn of the 1990s and 2000s, the figure of bin Laden was one of the most discussed in the world / Photo EPA

As bin Laden left Afghanistan for Sudan, and as his relationship with Saudi Arabia soured, it was Turki who spoke to him on behalf of the kingdom. Since 9/11, these direct relationships have come under scrutiny. Then - as 17 years later - the relatives of some of the 2,976 killed and more than 6,000 wounded in New York and Washington refused to believe that a country that exported such a hyper-conservative form of faith had nothing to do with the consequences [of such "export" "].

Of course, bin Laden acted in Afghanistan with the knowledge and support of the Saudi state, which opposed the Soviet occupation. Along with America, the Saudis armed and supported those groups that fought against it. The young mujahid took with him a small part of the family fortune, which he used to gain influence. When he returned to Jeddah, inspired by the struggle and defeat of the Soviet Union, he was a different man, Turki says.

There are two Osama bin Ladens. One - before the end of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, and the second - after it. The first one was a very idealistic mujahideen. He wasn't a fighter

“Since 1990, he developed rather political views. He wanted to expel the communists and South Yemen Marxists from Yemen. I accepted him and told him that it would be better not to interfere. The mosques of Jeddah exploited the example of Afghanistan,” by these words Turki means a narrow interpretation of faith, which is professed by the Taliban. "He incited them [the believers in Saudi Arabia]. He was told to stop," says the kingdom's former intelligence chief.

"He had an impenetrable face," Turki continues. "He never grimaced or smiled. In 1992, 1993, there was a huge meeting in Peshawar organized by the government of [Pakistan Prime Minister] Nawaz Sharif." Bin Laden had by this time been sheltered by Afghan tribal leaders. "It was a call for Muslim solidarity to force all the leaders of the Muslim world to stop at each other's throats. I saw him [Osama bin Laden] there too. Our eyes met, but we did not speak. He did not return to the kingdom [to Saudi Arabia ] He went to Sudan, where he built a honey business and financed the road."

In exile, bin Laden's propaganda activities expanded. "He sent faxes to everyone. He was very critical. The family made attempts to dissuade him - through envoys and so on - but they were unsuccessful. He probably felt that the government did not take him seriously," says Turki ibn Faisal al Saud.

By 1996, bin Laden returned to Afghanistan. According to Turki, Saudi Arabia knew he was in trouble and wanted him back. Turki flew to Kandahar to meet with the then head of the Taliban, Mullah Omar. He said: "I don't mind handing him over, but he helped the Afghan people a lot." He also said that bin Laden was given asylum [in Afghanistan] according to Islamic injunctions. Two years later, in September 1998, Turki flew to Afghanistan again, and this time his demand was decisively rejected. “At this meeting he [Mullah Omar] was a different person,” says Turki. “Much more withdrawn and sweating profusely.” Instead of maintaining an acceptable tone, Omar said: "How can you persecute this worthy man who dedicated his life to helping Muslims?" Turki claims that he warned Omar that his actions were harming the people of Afghanistan, and he left.

Family curse

The family visit to Kandahar took place the following year, shortly after an American missile strike on one of bin Laden's hideouts - in response to al-Qaeda attacks on the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. It seems that the family's immediate circle had no difficulty in finding their relative, while Saudi and Western intelligence tried in vain to do so.

Home video footage of Osama bin Laden's family, released by the American CIA after his death:

According to officials in Riyadh, London and Washington, bin Laden had by then become the world's No. 1 counterterrorism target - a man determined to use Saudi citizens to drive a wedge between Eastern and Western civilizations. “There is no doubt that he specifically targeted Saudi citizens for the 9/11 plot,” a British intelligence officer tells The Guardian. “He was convinced that it would turn the West against his home country. He did succeed in fomenting a war, but not the one that expected."

Turki claims that in the months leading up to 9/11, his intelligence agency knew something alarming was planned: "In the summer of 2001, I received warning that something stunning was going to happen to the Americans, the British, the French and the Arabs. We didn't know where exactly, but We knew something was cooking."

If Salman [Saudi Arabia's reformist leader] doesn't break through, there will be many more Osamas. And I'm not sure that they [the bin Laden family] will be able to get rid of the curse

Bin Laden remains a popular figure in some parts of the country, highly regarded by those who believe he was doing God's will. However, the depth of support is difficult to measure. Those in his immediate family circle were allowed to return to the kingdom: at least two of Osama's wives (one of whom was with him in Abbottabad when Osama bin Laden was killed by US special forces), and their children now live in Jeddah .

"We had a very good relationship with Mohammed bin Nayef Al Saud (the former crown prince," Osama's half-brother Ahmad tells me as servants set the dining table nearby. "He allowed the wives and children to return." But for now they only have freedom of movement within the city - they cannot leave the kingdom.

Osama's mother rejoins the conversation. “I talk to his harem almost every week,” she says. “They live nearby.”

Osama's half-sister Fatima al-Attas was not present at our meeting. From her home in Paris, she later emailed that she strongly objected to the interview with her mother and asked that the conversation be re-arranged through her. Despite the agreement of her brothers and stepfather, she was sure that her mother was forced to talk. Ghanem herself, however, insisted that she was happy to talk and could talk longer. Probably, such disagreements are a sign of the difficult position of the family in the kingdom.

I ask the family about bin Laden's youngest son, 29-year-old Hamza, who is believed to be in Afghanistan. Last year the US officially designated him a "global terrorist" and he appears to have taken over the mantle from his father, under the leadership of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the new leader of al-Qaeda and former deputy to Osama bin Laden. Hamza's uncles shake their heads. "We thought it was all over," Hassan says. "Then I heard Hamza say, 'I'm going to avenge my father.' I don't want to go through that again. If Hamza were in front of me now, I would said to him: “God is leading you. Think twice about what you are doing. Don't follow in your father's footsteps. You tap into the worst parts of your soul."

29-year-old Hamza bin Laden, Osama's son, followed in his footsteps:

The continued rise of Hamza bin Laden may overshadow the family's efforts to move past its past. It could also hamper the Saudi crown prince's efforts to usher in a new era in which bin Laden is relegated to the role of a generational anomaly, and in which the hardline doctrines once sanctioned by the kingdom no longer lend legitimacy to extremism. While Saudi Arabia has attempted change before, it has never been as extensive as the current reforms. How firmly Muhammad bin Salman will stand up to a society that has been indoctrinated with such an uncompromising worldview remains an open question.

Saudi Arabia's allies are optimistic, but also sound a note of caution. A British intelligence officer The Guardian spoke to told me: "If Salman doesn't break through, there will be many more Osamas. And I'm not sure they [the bin Laden family] will be able to break the curse."